📣 Announcing the December pick below! Our book club is dedicated to contemporary fiction and mostly reads BIPOC and LGBTQ books, and books written by women.
(If you’re new to the club, you can subscribe for free to join and access club chats on the Substack app!)
Today I had lunch in Japantown and visited one of my favorite used book stores in the hopes of finding our next read. After an hour of searching, The Master Key caught my eye: a murder mystery from the 1960’s! You guys, this author is legendary haha, I had no idea! She’s so cool, with her first career being a cabaret performer!
Her debut The Master Key won Japan’s prestigious Edgowa Rampo Prize, and Togawa went on to become a hugely succesful author, while continuing to lead a colourful parallel life as a singer, actress, feminist, nightclub owner and gay icon.
Masako Togawa (born in Tokyo, 1931-2016)
Throughout her writing career, Togawa continued to champion the LGBT community as a queer woman—sealing her reputation as one of Japan’s most prominent crime fiction authors and LGBT heroines.
188 pages, fiction, mystery, first published in 1962! New English edition 2021
“The K Apartments for Ladies are occupied by over one hundred unmarried women, once young and lively, now grown and old—and in some cases, evil. Their residence conceals a secret connecting the unsolved 1951 kidnapping of four-year-old George Kraft to the clandestine burial of a child’s body in the basement bath-house. So, when news comes that the building must be moved to make way for a road-building project, more than one tenant waits with apprehension for the grisly revelation that will follow. Then the master key is lost, stolen and re-stolen—and suddenly no-one feels safe. Fiendish intrigue, double identity and an ingenious plot make this a thriller worthy of comparison with the work of P.D. James.”
I’ll see you in my chat (in the Substack app!) to discuss this book while we read during December!! Yay! Feel free to share with anybody who likes murder mysteries!
Hi Lex I’m so excited that you’re joining and into book pick!! It’s so great when you can find like minded people :) can’t WAIT to hear your thoughts on this 👀
This the DECEMBER book club pick! I made a typo and said "November" but I fixed it!! Whoops!! :)
Just found this! Going back to Chile for a couple of weeks for the holidays so this actually really helps! I’ll go pick a copy up this Friday!
Hell yeah George! Can’t wait to hear what you think 👀
Just placed a hold on this book at my local library! Such a great pick, I’m excited to read it.
Hi Lex I’m so excited that you’re joining and into book pick!! It’s so great when you can find like minded people :) can’t WAIT to hear your thoughts on this 👀