This is the first book of Takagi's that I have read and I really enjoyed it. Takagi creates a romance novel beginning and then quickly turns it on its head with a murder. It starts off innocently enough with 26-year-old Etsuko, chubby, awkward, and deemed an "old maid" by most of the people around her, especially her parents. She suffers through a painful, unrequited crush on her best friend's fiance and is too heartbroken to attend the wedding. Her father is trying to force her to marry a boring legal colleague of his, Higuchi. Etsuko thinks he's a cold fish and is not interested in him in the least. What I found interesting was that Etsuko thought she was so unattractive, but at least three men were interested in her. In many ways, it is her perception of herself as plain and fat that is responsible for her being alone, not that she is really unattractive.

Instead, she falls for the clumsy, messy, rather goofily charming Yoshihiro Tsukamoto, who is a lecturer in economics at a university. The two quickly fall in love, despite opposition from Etsuko's parents and her erstwhile fiance, Higuchi, who digs up some dirt about the pasts of Yoshihiro's father and younger brother. However, true love will not be denied - with a little help from strategically timed lie on Etsuko's part - and Etsuko and Yoshihiro marry. Just when you think everything is going to end well, Yoshihiro vanishes on the wedding night, and Etsuko's perfect world comes crashing down.

Etsuko falls completely apart, but soon displays a strong will and sense of independence that shocks - and possibly even scares - her friends and family who are not used to this side of her. It is up to Etsuko's former crush, Kirishima, a prosecutor, Inspector Yoshioka, and Etsuko's friend/Kirishima's wife Kyoko to discover the truth behind what happened to Yoshihiro on his wedding night - and why anyone would seemingly want to harm the absent-minded professor.

This novel is great fun. I quickly came to care for the characters, especially poor Etsuko, trying so hard to be independent for once in her life, and getting angry when her family thinks she's crazy for wanting to make her own decisions. I also liked the relationship between Kirishima and his wife Kyoko. I can see why Etsuko was so envious of them. Takagi did an excellent job of hiding the killer - I didn't figure this one out at all.