One of Japan's great modern writers, Kaoru Takamura, makes her English-language debut with Lady Joker, the million copy bestselling Japanese phenomenon. Inspired by the unsolved true-crime kidnapping case perpetrated by "the Monster with 21 Faces", this book has become a cultural touchstone since its 1997 publication, acknowledged as the magnum opus by one of Japan's literary masters. A work to get immersed in, like a sprawling 19th century novel.