This is a well-written, interesting, and truly puzzling police procedural that reminds me of the early Dragnet, but set in early 1960s Japan.

The body of an older man is found on railroad tracks. He has been drugged, strangled, and beaten. No one has any idea who he is or where he is from. The only clues are from a cheap bar where the victim and a mysterious younger man were seen. The victim spoke with an accent from northeastern Japan, and made the comment, "Kameda must the same even now." Who or what is Kameda? A person or a place? Inspector Imanishi is assigned the case and conducts a painstaking, meticulous investigation.

You have to be patient with this novel because it does start off slowly. However, things pick up once Imanishi encounters members of Nouveau, a group of young intellectuals with "progressive opinions" - composers, writers, artists, etc. Is there a link between Nouveau and the murder of the man found on the railroad tracks? More deaths soon follow and it becomes apparent that the killer is not finished.

Matsumoto does an excellent job with his red herrings. I was positive I knew who had done it, but found out I was wrong. The method of the later murders is quite inventive, even unique, but plausible. This is a mystery that is definitely worth checking out.


Note: I erred in my earlier note. This is not set in the 1940s. It was published in 1961. I was thinking of "The Tattoo Murder Case" by Akimitsu Takagi, which was published in 1948.