“If you push the corpse to its limit, can such bizarre situations really be logically airtight! The author's four uncanny ‘corpse states’ are truly astonishing!”
—Takashi Murakami (book critic)

★ Winner of the inaugural Honkaku Mystery Award, Jun Kurachi marks his 30th anniversary with this short-story collection, shortlisted for the 78th Mystery Writers of Japan Award (2025). Tightly woven puzzles and foreshadowing uphold his hallmark fair-play logic—a standout for honkaku enthusiasts.
★ Kurachi's signature is making outlandish corpse puzzles wildly entertaining. The impossible becomes a stage for pure logic, where serious honkaku meets absurd humor. Four demanding, twist-filled stories—a living-dead mystery and a locked-room double suicide among them—make for a thoroughly satisfying read.
★ Pushing corpse motifs to the limit, the book makes the bizarre logically airtight. Book critic Takashi Murakami (distinct from the artist of the same name) praises its four uncanny “corpse states.” Rigorous, fair-play mystery that breaks mental routines—a treat for logic lovers.
★ A homage to classic honkaku humor, blending whimsy with locked-room puzzles into seamless logic games. Four linked stories share one detective, answering hardcore fans' appetite for anything but the tame. Unnatural causes hide the reversals; the closing echoes reward the attentive.

Watch out—bizarre corpses × honkaku mystery! A 30th-anniversary tribute from a Honkaku Mystery Award winner. Far-fetched, yet a solid, accomplished honkaku corpse mystery.

Watch out!
Bizarre corpses × honkaku mystery
A 30th-anniversary work marking the author's debut
Far-fetched, yet a solid, accomplished honkaku corpse mystery!

“Honkaku Night of the Living Dead”
A tragedy at a summer mountain villa. Could the killer be a zombie!?

“Three Perplexed Suspects”
“I may have killed someone”—and the consultation turns out to be a real murder…

“Can This Be Called a Double Suicide?”
“The dead killed the living”—what is the truth behind the locked-room double-suicide!?

“Adults, Stop Joking About the Dead”
Why were the victim's arms swapped for someone else's?

“If you push the corpse to its limit, can such bizarre situations really be logically airtight! The author's four uncanny ‘corpse states’ are truly astonishing!” —Takashi Murakami (book critic)

Jun Kurachi
Born in 1962 in Shizuoka Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Drama, College of Art, Nihon University. Made his debut in 1994 with I Don't Want to Go Out on Sunday Night. In 1997, Hoshifuri Villa Murders (Hoshifuri-sansō no Satsujin) was shortlisted for the 50th Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Novel category). In 2001, Kochu no Tengoku (Heaven in a Pot) won the inaugural Honkaku Mystery Award. In 2025, Adults, Stop Joking About the Dead was shortlisted for the 78th Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Novel category).

Honkaku Night of the Living Dead
Three Perplexed Suspects
Can This Be Called a Double Suicide?
Adults, Stop Joking About the Dead