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The Spider Man: From the casebook of Akechi Kogoro
A dream-like Tokyo is in the grip of a brutal predator. A sadistic killer who turns his victims into works of art; then leaves letters behind taunting his pursuers. The police are clueless. The brilliant criminologist on his trail is always one step behind. Can anyone stop this phantom before he completes his hellish masterpiece?
First published in 1929, this is the second full-length novel to feature the private detective Akechi Kogoro.
Born as Hirai Tarō, Edogawa Ranpo (1894-1965) was an influential author and critic known for his tales of the mysterious and macabre. His pseudonym is a rendering of ‘Edgar Allen Poe’ using Japanese characters.
Ranpo often dealt with themes of sexual perversion and the grotesque, as well as writing more conventional detective fiction.
Alexis J Brown is a translator living in London.
First published in 1929, this is the second full-length novel to feature the private detective Akechi Kogoro.
Born as Hirai Tarō, Edogawa Ranpo (1894-1965) was an influential author and critic known for his tales of the mysterious and macabre. His pseudonym is a rendering of ‘Edgar Allen Poe’ using Japanese characters.
Ranpo often dealt with themes of sexual perversion and the grotesque, as well as writing more conventional detective fiction.
Alexis J Brown is a translator living in London.
210 pages, Paperback
Published November 3, 2021
About the author
Edogawa Rampo
838 books1,108 followersHirai Tarō (平井 太郎), better known by the pseudonym Rampo Edogawa ( 江戸川 乱歩), sometimes romanized as "Ranpo Edogawa", was a Japanese author and critic who played a major role in the development of Japanese mystery fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 10, 2021
It's always interesting to see how much Edogawa Ranpo's works have influenced modern anime and manga. This book, though not his strongest, is no exception as it uses elements of lustmord and classic mystery to tell the tale of a particularly vile (and yet anime-familiar) villain.
November 22, 2024
Two names will never let you down. One is the character Akechi Kogoro, the greatest Detective in the world, and the second figure is Edogawa Rampo, sometimes known in the non-Japanese world as Ranpo—noir goth horror bordering on Surrealism narratives that is closer to the Fantoma aesthetic than anything else.
January 29, 2026
3.6 out of 5
Synopsis: This is an AI synopsis mainly for myself to remember the plot in the future.
The story follows a sadistic aesthete known as The Spider-Man (or Inagaki), who terrorizes Tokyo by murdering beautiful women to use their remains in a macabre "human art" project. The investigation is sparked when parts of his first victim are found hidden inside a plaster statue and an anatomy model, revealing the killer's plan to collect forty-nine women for a "Great Panorama" of death. As the police fail to protect the killer’s next target—the famous actress Fuji Yoko—the legendary detective Akechi Kogoro returns to Japan, utilizing his mastery of disguise and psychological insight to counter the villain’s theatrical and grotesque crimes.
In the final act, Akechi tracks the murderer to a remote mountain manor that has been transformed into a nightmarish museum of preserved human dioramas. Through a series of high-stakes traps and deceptive maneuvers, Akechi infiltrates the Spider-Man's inner circle and thwarts his attempt to turn the actress into his final masterpiece. The novel concludes with the Spider-Man’s dramatic downfall, cementing its place as a cornerstone of the "Ero-Guro" genre by exploring the horrifying intersection of artistic obsession and absolute madness.
Review:
A subversion of the classic Sherlock Holmes genre, where the detective was actually the murderer. In practice, I think this would be fairly easy to detect, and indeed the novel was too straightforwardly plotted; the ridiculous stunt in the car would probably have convinced any capable policeman to arrest Dr. Kuroyanagi on the spot.
Another annoying aspect is the trite way in which women are written. Fuji Yoko in particular is a damsel with no survival skills and no personality. This really led the novel to be pulp fiction.
This is fine; I like pulp fiction, especially if the details are as deliciously weird and campy as they are in this novel. I liked the idea of a villain who is the aesthete of crime, and I like the casual cruelty and insanity of Inagaki. I liked the idea of assembling a big panorama of death, even though it seems completely self-indulgent and pointless. Akechi Kogoro is also a well-written foil to the Inagaki's insanity, and his play of tricking the criminal at the end was really enjoyable.
Synopsis: This is an AI synopsis mainly for myself to remember the plot in the future.
The story follows a sadistic aesthete known as The Spider-Man (or Inagaki), who terrorizes Tokyo by murdering beautiful women to use their remains in a macabre "human art" project. The investigation is sparked when parts of his first victim are found hidden inside a plaster statue and an anatomy model, revealing the killer's plan to collect forty-nine women for a "Great Panorama" of death. As the police fail to protect the killer’s next target—the famous actress Fuji Yoko—the legendary detective Akechi Kogoro returns to Japan, utilizing his mastery of disguise and psychological insight to counter the villain’s theatrical and grotesque crimes.
In the final act, Akechi tracks the murderer to a remote mountain manor that has been transformed into a nightmarish museum of preserved human dioramas. Through a series of high-stakes traps and deceptive maneuvers, Akechi infiltrates the Spider-Man's inner circle and thwarts his attempt to turn the actress into his final masterpiece. The novel concludes with the Spider-Man’s dramatic downfall, cementing its place as a cornerstone of the "Ero-Guro" genre by exploring the horrifying intersection of artistic obsession and absolute madness.
Review:
A subversion of the classic Sherlock Holmes genre, where the detective was actually the murderer. In practice, I think this would be fairly easy to detect, and indeed the novel was too straightforwardly plotted; the ridiculous stunt in the car would probably have convinced any capable policeman to arrest Dr. Kuroyanagi on the spot.
Another annoying aspect is the trite way in which women are written. Fuji Yoko in particular is a damsel with no survival skills and no personality. This really led the novel to be pulp fiction.
This is fine; I like pulp fiction, especially if the details are as deliciously weird and campy as they are in this novel. I liked the idea of a villain who is the aesthete of crime, and I like the casual cruelty and insanity of Inagaki. I liked the idea of assembling a big panorama of death, even though it seems completely self-indulgent and pointless. Akechi Kogoro is also a well-written foil to the Inagaki's insanity, and his play of tricking the criminal at the end was really enjoyable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2024
Probably one of the first mystery novel featuring a serial killer. A sinister villain is kidnapping beautiful women to kill them and turn them into piece of arts. This man is very smart too and always one step ahead of the police. Apparently, this man can do many things that look supernatural.
The first 2/3 of the book , we follow the killer and the police. Then enter Akechi Kogoro to explain the supernatural and track down the villain.
The first 2/3 of the book , we follow the killer and the police. Then enter Akechi Kogoro to explain the supernatural and track down the villain.
January 6, 2026
The mystery was as transparent as glass. Half the book was painful to read as the answer was obvious and the characters could not figure it out until the great detective showed up. Some os the characters decisions were baffling, like they needed to advance the plot but couldn't figure out a more reasonable way to do it.
April 4, 2026
This book really stuck with me, I keep thinking about how good it is. I would go into detail but don't want to spoil anything. Currently my favorite work from Edogawa Rampo as of April of 2026
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews