噂[Uwasa]

by Hiroshi Ogiwara, 荻原 浩

「レインマンが出没して、女のコの足首を切っちゃうんだ。でもね、ミリエルをつけてると狙われないんだって」。香水の新ブランドを売り出すため、渋谷でモニターの女子高生がスカウトされた。口コミを利用し、噂を広めるのが狙いだった。販売戦略どおり、噂は都市伝説化し、香水は大ヒットするが、やがて噂は現実となり、足首のない少女の遺体が発見された。衝撃の結末を迎えるサイコ・サスペンス。

Genres: Mystery

492 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2001

Reviews

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story begins with a perfume company’s unusual marketing strategy: word of mouth (WOM), to launch a new fragrance alongside an eerie urban legend. The rumor tells of the “Rain Man,” a figure who slashes both ankles of his victims, sparing only those who wear the perfume. At first, it seems like nothing more than clever advertising among teenage girls — until real murders begin to occur in the city. Detective Kokure, facing his last murder case before transferring to a different department, takes on the investigation.
I went into this book with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Mystery has always been one of my favorite genres, and this story had me consistently wanting to come back to it — something I haven’t felt since reading Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.
What stood out most to me was how the detectives actually share their progress and thought processes step by step. Instead of hoarding information for a dramatic reveal at the end, they lay out their evidence and reasoning throughout the case. As a reader, it made me feel included, piecing the clues together alongside them. I couldn’t pinpoint the culprit until the very end, which kept me engaged.
The twist itself wasn’t earth-shattering — more of a small, unexpected surprise (what a plot twist should do). I can see why some readers were disappointed given the marketing hype in Korea, and ironically shows how the WOM strategy can be misleading or set the expectation too high. But without those expectations, I still found it effective enough. The book’s pacing and immersive investigation made it an overall fast, enjoyable read.

[MinJi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love how the last sentence suprises me and makes me reread the previous parts.

Some aspects of the human society never changes, and sometimes, the negative side of it can be amplified by new technology.

It was great to think about how rumors can affect ongoing investigations, especially when the fabricated stories spread through social media and online platforms.

[Youngseo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The twist was a bit weak and disappointing. But quite enjoyable.

[Deaddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ending...the fuck 😭

[Takumi Ogata · Rating 3 out of 5]

名島の所作が可愛くて良かった。話としては、普通の刑事物。最後の一行はおまけとしてついているくらいで、物語に核心的な影響を与えているわけではない