宫部美雪，日本“国民作家”，连续11年被读者票选为“日本最受欢迎女作家”第1名，创日本史上最高纪录。作品以温暖的关怀为底蕴，富含对社会的批判与反省。　　1987年以《邻人的犯罪》出道，当年即获第26届《ALL读物》推理小说新人奖。此后，作品每一出版均登上日本各大畅销书榜，并几乎囊括日本文学界所有大奖：《魔术的耳语》荣获第2届日本推理悬疑小说大奖，《龙眠》荣获第45届日本推理作家协会奖，《火车》荣获第6届山本周五郎奖，《理由》荣获第120届直木奖，《勇者物语》同名电影荣获日本“奥斯卡”动画大奖，《模仿犯》荣获第52届艺术选奖、文部科学大臣奖等六项大奖…… 　　本书系作者的长篇小说处女作，出版后迅速登上日本纪伊国屋、三省堂等各大书店畅销榜第1名，并以绝对优势夺得第二届日本推理悬疑小说大奖，媒体赞誉：“作者高强的讲故事能力充斥字里行间，同时又包含深刻的反思，背叛、原谅、报复……各种情感掺杂其中，远远超越了推理小说给人的冰冷之感，无不引人深思……”

Sixteen-year-old Mamoru Kusaka has recently moved to Tokyo to live with his aunt and uncle after the death of his mother. Just as he is beginning to adjust to his new life, his uncle is involved in a late-night accident while driving his taxicab. A young coed is dead and Uncle Taiko is

charged with manslaughter, even though the circumstances seem suspect.

Struggling to help his uncle, Mamoru discovers that the victim had been involved in a cruel scam with three other young women. Two of the four have also recently died in similarly violent incidents.

Several days after the accident, a powerful businessman comes forward as a witness. But instead of making things clearer, the mans testimony only adds more confusing lies and deceptions to an already puzzling case, as Mamoru races to save the last of the four women targeted by the real killer.