When Inheritance Means Death
The Inugami family built their vast fortune through silk manufacturing, becoming one of Japan's wealthiest clans. But their prosperity came at a terrible price—the family is cursed by the Inugami, dog spirits said to possess and destroy those who wrong them. When the patriarch Sahei Inugami dies, his will becomes a catalyst for murder, greed, and revenge that will tear the family apart.
Sahei's bizarre will divides his enormous fortune among his three daughters—Matsuko, Takeko, and Umeko—and their children, but with impossible conditions attached. The primary heir must be determined through marriage arrangements involving Sahei's favorite granddaughter, Tamayo, and a mysterious young man named Shizuma Aonuma who served with Sahei's grandson in the war. But there's a problem: Shizuma's face was horrifically disfigured in the war, and he wears a rubber mask to hide his scars.
Shortly after the will is read, the murders begin. Each death is bizarre and theatrical—bodies posed in grotesque positions, some upside-down in lakes with only their legs visible, others arranged to mirror the family's dark past. The pattern suggests not random violence but calculated revenge. Is someone using the Inugami curse as cover for murder? Is the disfigured Shizuma truly who he claims to be? And what terrible secrets lie buried in the Inugami family's history?
Kindaichi Kosuke is summoned to investigate by the family lawyer, who fears the will has unleashed something unstoppable. As Kindaichi digs deeper, he uncovers layer upon layer of deception—false identities, wartime secrets, forbidden love affairs, and a family curse that may be all too real. With each family member desperate to secure their inheritance and willing to kill for it, Kindaichi must race to expose the murderer before the Inugami curse claims all its victims.
The disheveled detective must navigate a maze of family politics, wartime trauma, and possible supernatural curses. His investigation will test his powers of deduction as he faces one of the most complex family mysteries of his career.
The deceased patriarch whose will sets the murders in motion. Even in death, his manipulation of the family continues. His past holds secrets that could explain the curse—and the killings.
Sahei's beloved granddaughter and the key to the inheritance. Beautiful and kind, she becomes both pawn and potential victim in the deadly game surrounding the family fortune. Her choice of husband will determine everything.
A war veteran whose face was destroyed in battle. He wears a rubber mask and claims to be the soldier who fought alongside Sahei's grandson. His true identity is one of the central mysteries, and his arrival triggers the murders.
Matsuko, Takeko, and Umeko—Sahei's daughters who each had sons that could inherit the fortune. Their rivalry is bitter and long-standing. Each is capable of murder to ensure her son's claim, making them all suspects.
The family lawyer and Sahei's longtime confidant. He knows the family's secrets and the true terms of the will. His decision to call in Kindaichi suggests he suspects the worst is yet to come.
The Inugami Legend: In Japanese folklore, an Inugami (dog god) is a type ofshikigami (spirit servant) created through horrific ritual. A dog is buried alive with only its head above ground, and food is placed just out of reach. As the dog starves, its rage and desperation grow until, at the moment of death, its head is severed. The spirit becomes bound to serve its creator but brings a terrible curse upon the family line. The Inugami Curse explores how past sins—both supernatural and very human—poison generations. This novel was adapted into a 1976 film that became one of Japanese cinema's most iconic mysteries, famous for its shocking imagery of corpses posed upside-down in lakes.