Strange Maps: A Novel

Summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of Strange Buildings comes another infernal puzzle involving a deserted coastal village, an inexplicable fatal accident, a tunnel steeped in ill fortune, and the tragic truth hidden within a map. Can you solve the “mystery” of this ancient map?

A demonic map hidden for years.
A confession from beyond the grave.
A cold tunnel beneath a mountain.
A train smeared in blood.
An ancient evil that can kill.

When college student Kurihara’s mother passes away, he joins his father on a trip to the town where she was born. But upon arriving, he immediately senses that something is off in the family home: his father avoids certain rooms, there are strange signs of neglect—especially in the bathroom—and an unsettling atmosphere permeates the place. Already concocting theories, the young Kurihara soon uncovers a disturbing secret: the house was the scene of his grandmother’s death, under circumstances that were never fully explained, clutching an old map whose origin no one can determine.

The tattered map depicts a village, a lake, a mountain, and yokai, supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore. What could it be? And why did your grandmother keep this map with her until the very end of her life?

Shifting between past and present, Strange Maps leads the reader through a plot that unfolds piece by piece: maps, notes, clues, and accounts gradually come together. For each map in this book contains a clue. A clue to a secret so monstrous that some will do anything to ensure it remains buried. The world of Uketsu's multimillion copy-selling mysteries just got bigger. And even stranger.

Translated from the Japanese by Jim Rion