Suspicion

Onizuka Kumako is a formidable figure: she stands tall, is strikingly beautiful, and never shies away from voicing her opinions. In the bustling bars of Tokyo, she uses her allure to captivate patrons and engage in small-scale crimes, all while leveraging her ties to the yakuza for survival. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she encounters Shirakawa Fukutaro, a wealthy widower yearning for companionship, completely oblivious to her dubious background. Their connection quickly blossoms into marriage, only for their happiness to be abruptly shattered. One stormy July evening, their car careens off the road into the harbor, resulting in Fukutaro's tragic drowning. With accusations of murder looming over her and the press branding her a femme fatale, Kumako adamantly maintains her innocence. As relentless journalists press on and public opinion turns against her, a meticulous defense lawyer enters the scene, planting seeds of doubt. In this complex psychological noir, expertly translated into English for the first time, Seicho Matsumoto delves into the hidden impulses that drive our beliefs, prejudices, and most profound desires.