There is some minor soiling around the cover, but the inside is in beautiful condition. A double suicide between a government official and a female proprietor of a high-class restaurant, seemingly perfect in motive, occurs on the coast near Hakata, Kyushu. Hidden behind it is a terrifying conspiracy. A complex background involving corruption, and the investigation team is stymied by an airtight alibi: the suspect was in Hokkaido at the time of the murder. This masterpiece, with its realistic setting utilizing train timetables, breathed new life into the mystery novel world with "socially conscious mysteries," sparking an unprecedented boom in mystery novels.