2026 Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation (longlist)
'Fascinating and thought provoking with some genuine surprises and incredibly clever ideas that kept me thinking about it long after I finished it… a Japanese Black Mirror!' Ajay Chowdhury, author of The Waiter
Some mother-in-laws are hard. This one might be murder.
Miyako suspects her mother-in-law is a murderer. It’s not just a case of them rubbing each other up the wrong way – there is definitely something suspicious going on. But Miyako isn’t exactly what she seems either. Her husband has no idea about her past life as a secret agent. When she decides to use her professional skills to investigate her mother-in-law, the delicate equilibrium of their lives is thrown wildly out of balance.
Many decades later, in a future world where electronic communication has been irrevocably compromised, confidential messages must be delivered by trusted couriers like Mito. But one delivery pulls Mito into a conspiracy beyond his wildest imaginings, and forces him into a race against time to defeat a world-changing technological threat.
Seesaw Monster contains two sharp, thrilling linked novellas - SEESAW MONSTER and SPIN MONSTER - from the bestselling and multi-award-winning writer Kotaro Isaka, internationally celebrated for his offbeat humour and inventive talent for twists.
PRAISE FOR KOTARO ISAKA:
‘Unlike anything you're likely to have read before . . . white-hot with double-crosses’ Financial Times
‘Entertaining . . . high-speed . . . with lots of twists and turns’ The Times
‘Thoroughly enjoyable’ Guardian
Genre: Mystery
Some mother-in-laws are hard. This one might be murder.
Miyako suspects her mother-in-law is a murderer. It’s not just a case of them rubbing each other up the wrong way – there is definitely something suspicious going on. But Miyako isn’t exactly what she seems either. Her husband has no idea about her past life as a secret agent. When she decides to use her professional skills to investigate her mother-in-law, the delicate equilibrium of their lives is thrown wildly out of balance.
Many decades later, in a future world where electronic communication has been irrevocably compromised, confidential messages must be delivered by trusted couriers like Mito. But one delivery pulls Mito into a conspiracy beyond his wildest imaginings, and forces him into a race against time to defeat a world-changing technological threat.
Seesaw Monster contains two sharp, thrilling linked novellas - SEESAW MONSTER and SPIN MONSTER - from the bestselling and multi-award-winning writer Kotaro Isaka, internationally celebrated for his offbeat humour and inventive talent for twists.
PRAISE FOR KOTARO ISAKA:
‘Unlike anything you're likely to have read before . . . white-hot with double-crosses’ Financial Times
‘Entertaining . . . high-speed . . . with lots of twists and turns’ The Times
‘Thoroughly enjoyable’ Guardian
Genre: Mystery
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Kotaro Isaka's Seesaw Monster