The Victim and Other Writings

A contented clerk walks home through a Tokyo snowstorm, dreaming of a house and the child he and his wife expect. A sudden blow and an arrest turn that modest happiness into a legal nightmare. Can a lawyer distinguish a crime from the story investigators have made of it?

In another tale, a Kyoto festival night offers thieves an opportunity, detectives a misleading spectacle, and a moneylender an unforgettable lesson. The pursuit exposes the danger of seeing only what one expects to see.

Alongside these two complete stories, Hirabayashi examines Edogawa Ranpo, explains the importance of plot, suspense, tricks, and tempo, and introduces Kōga Saburō’s The Amber Pipe. His criticism connects detective fiction’s entertainment value with serious questions about artistic standards and publishing.