Book excerpt: In 1940s Japan, the wealthy head of the Inugami Clan dies, setting off a chain of bizarre, gruesome murders. Detective Kindaichi must unravel the clan's terrible secrets of forbidden liaisons, monstrous cruelty, and disguised identities to find the murderer. Seishi Yokomizo is Japan's most popular mystery writer. His novels have been made into numerous movies and television dramas in Japan.