✨ Series Title: N/A – Standalone

🧑 Author: Kanae Minato

🔄️ Translator: N/A

🌎 Country of Origin: Japan

💬Language: Japanese

🗓️ Published: July 26, 2012

🖨️ Publisher: Shueisha

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀 ISBN: ‎ 978-4087714593

🔢 ASIN: B00N7BXS62

⌛Age Level: Adult (18+)

Shirayukihime Satsujin Jiken, known in English as The Snow White Murder Case, is a 2012 psychological thriller novel exemplifying the author’s mastery of the iyamisu subgenre with its dark exploration of jealousy, media sensationalism, and human malice. The story revolves around the brutal murder of Noriko Miki, a stunning and ambitious employee at a cosmetics company, who is found stabbed to death and set ablaze in a park, sparking a frenzy of rumors and accusations. Suspicion quickly falls on her shy, plain-looking co-worker Miki Shirono, who vanishes the night of the crime, as the narrative unfolds through a mosaic of perspectives—including interviews, emails, social media posts, and TV reports—that gradually peel back layers of truth and deception.

Told primarily through the lens of ambitious TV journalist Yuji Akahoshi, who investigates the case after receiving a tip from an old acquaintance at the company, the novel critiques modern society’s obsession with beauty, gossip, and viral scandals while delivering Minato’s signature chilling twists and moral ambiguity. Adapted into a 2014 film directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura, the book has been praised for its innovative structure and unsettling portrayal of how public perception can distort reality, solidifying Minato’s reputation for crafting gripping tales that linger long after the final page.

Kanae Minato, born in 1973 in Innoshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, is a renowned author specializing in crime fiction and psychological thrillers. Originally a home economics teacher and housewife, she began writing in her thirties, drawing inspiration from mystery masters like Maurice Leblanc and Edogawa Rampo. A member of the Mystery Writers of Japan, Minato’s work often explores dark themes such as revenge, guilt, and human psychology, blending suspense with social commentary. She is widely regarded as the “queen of iyamisu,” a subgenre of Japanese mystery fiction that she has significantly influenced through her gripping and unsettling narratives. Iyamisu, derived from the Japanese words “iya” (unpleasant) and “misu” (mystery), refers to stories that delve into the darkest aspects of human nature, often featuring grisly events, psychological torment, and ambiguous resolutions that leave readers with a lingering sense of discomfort or revulsion—sometimes likened to the “Gone Girl” style of psychological thrillers in the West.

Her debut novel, Confessions (2008), became a massive bestseller in Japan, selling over three million copies and earning the Booksellers Award; it was later adapted into an Academy Award-nominated film. Subsequent works like Penance and The Snow White Murder Case continue her signature style of multi-perspective narratives and chilling twists, cementing her status as a leading voice in contemporary Japanese thriller literature. Her works, such as Confessions and Penance, exemplify this genre by exploring themes of revenge, guilt, and moral ambiguity without providing cathartic endings, thereby popularizing iyamisu and inspiring a wave of similar dark, introspective crime stories in contemporary Japanese literature.

*At the time of this article, only Confessions and Penance have been translated into English.

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