The Murderous Intent of Imitation

Name: The Murderous Intent of Imitation
ISBN: 9787505761681

中町信 / 佳辰China Friendship Publishing Company · ChinaAug 2026

3.6

Word count: 99K words
Chapters: 33
ISBN: 9787505761681

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Summary

At seven o'clock in the evening on July 7, mystery writer Masao Sakai swallowed potassium cyanide and fell to his death. The locked-room scene and Sakai's stalled career led the police to conclude it was a suicide born of despair.

Magazine editor Akiko Nakata, however, recalled that Sakai had left an unpublished manuscript titled Death at Seven O'clock in the Evening on July 7... Suicide or murder?

If even the truth is a fiction, is it coincidence or careful design?

And who, exactly, is directing the deaths?

Editor's review

Imitation of Murder is a mystery novel whose central puzzle is the interplay of fiction and reality. The story opens with writer Masao Sakai falling to his death after taking poison at seven o'clock in the evening on July 7; the locked-room scene and his stalled career incline the police toward suicide, but magazine editor Akiko Nakata grows suspicious because of an unpublished manuscript titled Death at Seven O'clock in the Evening on July 7. The novel's appeal lies not in gore but in its escalating logical questions: suicide or murder? Coincidence or premeditation? When "the truth itself may be fiction," who is directing the deaths? This precise alignment of writing, manuscript, and time of death carries an inherent metafictional pleasure, suited to readers who like hunting for clues both inside and outside the text. The pacing leans toward investigation and deduction; while reading, watch for echoes between the time details and the contents of the manuscript. The overall tone is cool and restrained, making it a good choice for a focused weekend read, and for mystery fans to set beside other works built on a story-within-a-story structure.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy honkaku mystery and locked-room puzzles
Those interested in stories-within-stories and the interplay of fiction and reality
Mystery fans who like following an editor's perspective as the truth is gradually uncovered
Readers looking for a tightly paced novel they can finish over a weekend

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced action or strong sensory thrills
Readers impatient with the extensive investigative dialogue and logical deduction typical of mystery fiction
Readers hoping for an in-depth exploration of social-issue themes

Reading tips

Note the time clue "seven o'clock in the evening on July 7" and watch for each echo between it and the manuscript as you read.
Treat Akiko Nakata's investigation as the main thread; as you read, list her doubts about the suicide conclusion and form your own deduction.
After finishing, go back to the opening fall scene and its correspondence with the manuscript's title to appreciate the author's craftsmanship.
If you are familiar with mystery fiction, consider the reliability of narration under a story-within-a-story structure as you read, which adds to the pleasure.

About the publisher

China Friendship Publishing Company China · Founded in 1983

China Friendship Publishing Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literary titles, covering classical Chinese literature, foreign literature, folk literature and cultural appreciation. According to the books in the database, its classical list includes celebrated dramas and novels such as The Peony Pavilion, The Romance of the Western Chamber and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, as well as note-style classics like Hong Mai's Rongzhai Suibi. In foreign literature it offers translations of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Kawabata Yasunari's Snow Country and Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl, involving translators such as Zeng Siyi. It also publishes The Complete Literary Works of Lu Xun and titles associated with the "Xue'er Shuguan" editorial group, balancing the collation and popularization of classic texts. Public information on its publishing features and plans is limited; the above is summarized only from the books in the database.

版权信息
登场人物
序幕
第一部案发
第二部追查
第一章中田秋子
第二章津久见伸助
第三章中田秋子
第四章津久见伸助
第五章中田秋子
第六章津久见伸助
第三部发展
第一章中田秋子
第二章津久见伸助
第三章中田秋子
第四章津久见伸助
第五章中田秋子
第六章津久见伸助
第七章中田秋子
第八章津久见伸助
第九章中田秋子
第四部真相
第一章津久见伸助
第二章中田秋子
第三章津久见伸助
第四章中田秋子
第五章津久见伸助
第六章中田秋子
第七章津久见伸助
尾声
初版后记
创元推理文库版后记
解说

FAQ

Is this a locked-room murder mystery?

The material indicates that the scene contains locked-room elements, which is why the police lean toward a suicide conclusion. But the novel's focus is not only the locked-room method; it lies more in the question raised by the close match between the manuscript's title and the time of death—whether fiction can premeditate reality. The locked room is part of the puzzle, not the whole of it.

Can I read this without having read the author's other works?

Yes. The material does not indicate that this book depends on characters or plots from earlier works; the story revolves around the writer's death and the editor's investigation, and it is a standalone mystery novel that new readers can enter without loss of understanding.

What setting is best for reading it?

It suits a relatively uninterrupted stretch of focused time, such as a weekend afternoon or evening. Because many clues are hidden in time details and the contents of the manuscript, fragmented reading can easily miss the echoes; continuous reading makes it easier to follow the chain of deduction.

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About the author

中町信 Author · Japanese

Nakamachi Shin is a Japanese writer of mystery and detective fiction. Because public information is limited, details such as his dates of birth and death, education, and writing career remain unclear, and the only work confirmed so far is The Imitation of Murderous Intent. Judging from this work, his writing leans toward the mystery and suspense genre, emphasizing the layering of suspicious details in a case and the unfolding of the reasoning process. He is skilled at planting twists within seemingly ordinary clues, allowing readers to approach the truth step by step alongside the narrative. Works of this kind typically draw readers in with tight pacing and steadily escalating suspense, while revealing how characters make choices and undergo psychological shifts under pressure as the mystery is solved. Although very few of Nakamachi Shin's works have so far been translated or collected, and his recognition among Chinese-language readers remains limited, The Imitation of Murderous Intent can still serve as an entry point for understanding his style. For readers who enjoy Japanese honkaku mystery and suspenseful storytelling, this author deserves further attention, and more of his works and writing background await fuller information.

佳辰 Author

Jiachen is an author about whom limited public information is available. Five works by this author are held in the collection, spanning categories such as mystery and suspense as well as foreign literature. Judging from the representative titles—Tiger's Residual Dream, The Star Diviner's Memory, The Ark, Sherlock Holmes's Triumph, and The Imitation of Murder—the books all carry a distinct flavor of detective fiction and puzzling cases, suggesting that Jiachen's writing centers largely on mystery and suspense while also touching on the translation or related writing of foreign literary works. Because information such as birth and death dates, nationality, and English name cannot be confirmed, the author's personal history and creative background are difficult to describe in detail. The available clues indicate that Jiachen's works circulate among readers of both detective fiction and foreign literature, with themes involving the pursuit of mysterious cases, memory, and fate, and an overall orientation toward plot development and puzzle design that merits further reading by those interested in mystery and suspense.