지금까지 총 여덟 권의 '긴다이치 코스케 시리즈'를 국내에 선보인 본격 추리소설의 거장 요코미조 세이시. 그의 아홉 번째 국내 출간작으로, 1955년 1월부터 같은 해 12월까지 잡지 「소년구락부」에서 연재된 작품이다. 이후 영화로 한 번, 드라마로 네 번 제작된 이 작품은, '긴다이치 코스케 시리즈 최고의 영화' 3위에 랭킹되는 등 영상으로 옮겼을 때 특히 많은 사랑을 받았다.
작가 약력으로 보면 중기에 속하는 <삼수탑>은 <악마의 공놀이 노래>와 함께 1950년대 후반의 걸작으로 꼽히고 있다. 기존에 출간된 '긴다이치 코스케 시리즈'를 접해온 국내 독자에게는 다소 낯설다고 생각될 정도로 이채로운 풍미가 가득한, 요코미조 세이시의 과도기적 형태의 작품으로, 정교하게 다듬은 본격 추리소설이라기보다는 미스터리 스릴러에 가깝다.
어린 시절 양친을 잃은 오토네는 백부의 양녀가 되어 아름답고 정숙한 규수로 성장한다. 어느 날 오토네는 먼 친척인 겐조가 백억 엔에 이르는 유산 상속인으로 자신을 선택했다는 이야기를 전해 듣는다. 단 상속을 받기 위해서 그녀는 겐조가 지정한 수수께끼의 남자와 결혼해야 한다.
그러던 중 백부의 회갑연에서 오토네의 정혼자가 의문의 죽음을 당한다. 이럴 경우 유산은 오토네를 포함한 겐조의 혈육에게 나눠주기로 되어 있다. 그러나 유산 상속이 예정된 친척들이 차례차례 살해당하고, 오토네는 용의자로 의심을 받는다. 그녀는 이 참극의 뿌리를 확인하기 위해 삼수탑으로 향하는데…
Seishi Yokomizo (横溝 正史) was a novelist in Shōwa period Japan. Yokomizo was born in the city of Kobe, Hyōgo (兵庫県 神戸市). He read detective stories as a boy and in 1921, while employed by the Daiichi Bank, published his first story in the popular magazine "Shin Seinen" (新青年[New Youth]). He graduated from Osaka Pharmaceutical College (currently part of Osaka University) with a degree in pharmacy, and initially intended to take over his family's drug store even though sceptical of the contemporary ahistorical attitude towards drugs. However, drawn by his interest in literature, and the encouragement of Edogawa Rampo (江戸川 乱歩), he went to Tokyo instead, where he was hired by the Hakubunkan publishing company in 1926. After serving as editor in chief of several magazines, he resigned in 1932 to devote himself full-time to writing. Yokomizo was attracted to the literary genre of historical fiction, especially that of the historical detective novel. In July 1934, while resting in the mountains of Nagano to recuperate from tuberculosis, he completed his first novel "Onibi" (『鬼火』), which was published in 1935, although parts were immediately censored by the authorities. Undeterred, Yokomizo followed on his early success with a second novel Ningyo Sashichi torimonocho (1938–1939). However, during World War II, he faced difficulties in getting his works published due to the wartime conditions, and was in severe economic difficulties. The lack of Streptomycin and other antibiotics also meant that his tuberculosis could not be properly treated, and he joked with friends that it was a race to see whether he would die of disease or of starvation. However, soon after the end of World War II, his works received wide recognition and he developed an enormous fan following. He published many works via Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in serialized form, concentrating only on popular mystery novels, based on the orthodox western detective story format, starting with "Honjin Satsujin Jiken" (『本陣殺人事件』) and "Chōchō Satsujin Jinken" (『蝶々殺人事件』) (both in 1946). His works became the model for postwar Japanese mystery writing. He was also often called the "Japanese John Dickson Carr" after the writer whom he admired. Yokomizo is most well known for creating the private detective character Kosuke Kindaichi (金田一 耕助). Many of his works have been made into movies. Yokomizo died of colon cancer in 1981. His grave is at the Seishun-en cemetery in Kawasaki, Kanagawa (神奈川県 川崎市).
The opening is a good one: a young woman was on the run with a man whom she referred to as a 'bad person' and they were looking for a mysterious hidden document, with both police and gangsters hot on their heels, why and how did things come down to this?
Overall it could be an enjoyable mystery and adventure novel, it is rare for Yokomizo to use a female character as the narrator but.................you just can't expect too much from this. Plus I do like the setting of four groups of women (and their wicked suitors) fighting over the right to inherit a huge family fortune in a deadly game of wits. The ending and the revealing of the murderer's identity is a bit weak but I can live with it nonetheless.
However! Let's address the elephant in the room! ! I understand it's a story written in the post-war era but I am still so fucking disappointed!
The plot seemed like The Inugami Curse where an heiress had to marry a specific man in order to receive whatever money and heritage they would be given later.
If you are looking for a story with a messed up family tree, this book is for you. However, the story is easy to read. Although the story was developed in to a serial kill, the trick of murders were not properly explained and satisfied me enough as to be called a detective story. Therefore, we barely see Detective Kindaichi Kosuke in this book. *please give him more role*
However, most important reason why I did not even rate this book 4-stars is because it tried to “romanticize raping” and called it fate. As a citizen of 21st century, I felt utterly uncomfortable during reading about it.