When Hajime Kindaichi's best friend Miyuki offers him something to do during the summer, Kindaichi jumps at the chance. She's offering free tickets to a not-yet opened resort near a place called Lake Hiren. It seems the tickets belonged to Miyuki's Cousin, Shigeru Kitsukawa. He was offered them as part of a contest he had won for travelling with a certain travel group before. But since he has other commitments, he gave the tickets to Miyuki instead.
The group must hike almost five miles from the road to the campsite, and must cross over a rickety bridge to get to the site where the resort is going to be built. But soon after they arrive, they hear of the breakout of a madman and serial murderer over the radio. The man broke out nearby, and some of the people worry that he may come their way, since the land is virgin and mostly unspoiled.
Near sundown, Kindaichi and Miyuki witness a change in the lake. Every day, near sundown, the lake turns a bright red color. Local legend says it is because two lovers, a girl and a boy, met and fell in love by the lake. But because of the differences in their station, their families would never allow them to marry. So they made a pact and swore to be together in the afterlife. They threw themselves into the lake, and forever after, the lake turns the color of their blood for a time each day.
That night, one of the guests is killed, his face chopped to shreds. The main cabin is broken into, and the radio smashed. Everyone thinks it is the escaped serial killer, but Kindaichi isn't so sure. When they try to escape, they find the bridge burning, which destroys their only hope for escape. Their tour guide is beside himself, as he is the son of the man that owns the company, and tries to go for help in an old fisherman's boat, but his beheaded body drifts back across the lake in the boat, taking with it their last hope of rescue.
Kindaichi doesn't exactly believe that the killer is a madman, and thinks it may have something to do with the guests invited to the cabin. It turns out that they were promised permanent tickets to the camp, which will be worth millions of Yen after the resort is finished. But they all have something in common. All of them have the initials S.K., and all of them were on the same tour ten years ago. But what could have happened then that would make someone want to kill them all?
A Kindaichi tries to find the killer, Miyuki is hurt and develops a terrible fever. To save her and the others, Kindaichi will have to find the murderer and find out what happened on that fateful day ten years ago when everyone in the camp came together on one doomed ship...
This book starts out slow, but quickly ratchets up the tension with a "Friday the 13th"-type scenario, Indeed, even the name "Jason" seems to be well-known in Japan, as he is mentioned by more than one person in the book. It even takes place in a bunch of cabins by a lake, though most of the people being killed are a lot older than the stereotypical teenagers that Jason preys on.
They are also some very unsympathetic victime. One of the women is a gold-digger, and the writer is something of a pervert. But most of them are in this scheme for the money that can be made off ownership of permanent tickets to the resort that will be built. As such, all of them have some kind of ulterior motive for being there. But there are flaws in the "Jason" scenario, and the killer, whoever he is, seems to have a vested interest in keeping his victims out of touch with the outside world. Why?
And why do all of the invited guests have the initials S. K.? Ultimately, it comes down to one of the guests and a role he played in a great disaster ten years ago to unmask the real killer. But when the killer says he no longer cares who is responsible, but will kill them all, it's clear that there will be no understanding from Kindaichi this time. Insanity ;eaves no room for sympathy.
This is a tense, gripping story that keeps your attention from the first page to the last. So much so that you begin to sympathize and feel with the characters as they become aware of the danger and try to escape. As each point of escape is cut off, the tension winds tighter and tighter, until you are left with no hope at all. It combines the best of mystery and thriller, with an engaging detective. Highly recommended.
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