The Story Log
失われた貌

失われた貌

うしなわれたかお
Details
Author 櫻田智也 (さくらだ ともや) · Tomoya Sakurada
Language Japanese
Format Novel
Published 2025
Pages 304
Read 2026-06-25 → 2026-06-30
Finished ★★★★★
Awards

Review

★★★★★

Now I understand why this book has been ranked first on このミステリーがすごい!, ミステリが読みたい! and 週刊文春ミステリーベスト10,
The book was really great, and it’s right up my alley as police procedurals are my favourite sub-genre. I also liked that the story is not focused on the main police detective but on the case. The plot is really good, the case is very complex, elements that seemed unrelated at first turn out to be more important that they looked, the end is excellent, but most of all, it’s heavily focused on characters, their motives and how they’re dealing with the situations they’ve fallen into.

Updates

100%

Finished! Last two chapters were very short.

91%

Ended up reading another chapter, the plot is incredibly good! :sparkle:
There are two chapters left, I’m keeping them for tomorrow.

79%

Finished chapter 5. I say it after every chapter, but wow this book is so so good!! This chapter was the best so far!

66%

Finished chapter 4, wow this book is really great. Best police procedural I’ve read in a while. This chapter in particular had decisive elements, it’s very suspenseful!

49%

Finished chapter 3, halfway through already!
I like that each chapter is one day, and we really follow the characters through the whole day. Given that I’m reading one chapter per day, it feels like the story is unfolding in real time.

32%

I finished the second chapter… this book is really great!! An excellent police procedural so far, the case seems really complex, I love it!

13%

I read the first chapter! Loved it, looks like a good police procedural!

Post

They don’t work in the same departments, but here are the police ranks of the main characters:

  • Takamiya is 警視 Police Superintendent, two ranks above Hino.
  • Habaro is 警部, Police Inspector, one rank above Hino, even though they’re the same age.
  • Hino Yukihiko is 警部補 Assistant Police Inspector.
  • Irie Ayano is 巡査部長, Police Sergeant, one rank below Hino who is her direct superior.

The 生活安全課 is a branch in Japanese police specialised in prevention and public order. They handle juvenile delinquency, DV, cybercrime, economic crimes, illegal gambling, prostitution, drugs, etc.

Characters

七月六日　あるはずの光
未咲 Other
みさきMisaki
Hino’s wife
緒方 Other
おがたOgata
Section Chief, First Investigation Division, Criminal Investigation Department
早見 Other
はやみHayami
Ex-CEO of ハヤ宅
剣菱 Other
けんびし
Yagi’s lawyer
中山大哉 Other
なかやま だいやNakayama Daiya
Schoolboy who got spoken to by a man
白川清 Other
しらかわ きよしShirakawa Kiyoshi
Victim of the Komane case, owner of the apartment.
八木辰夫 Other
やぎ たつおYagi Tatsuo
Lives in the apartment, main suspect.
柿本 Other
かきもとKakimoto
Police officer from Komane
幸田みつ子 Other
こうだ みつこKoda Mitsuko
Representative of カラン, a NPO that helps former convicts.
小沼憲 Other
おぬま けんOnuma Ken
Disappeared 10 years ago
小沼隼斗 Other
おぬま はやとOnuma Hayato
Ken’s son, 9.
小沼久美 Other
おぬま くみOnuma Kumi
Ken’s wife, knows Kyoko
日野雪彦 Other
ひの ゆきひこHino Yukihiko
41, Investigation Section Chief at the Himekami police station
入江文乃 Other
いりえ あやのIrie Ayano
29, detective sergeant.
佐竹亘 Other
さたけ わたるSatake Wataru
33, office clerk at a wholesale company.
鷹宮 Other
たかみやTakamiya
47, Medical Examiner, Forensic science division, criminal investigation department, prefectural headquarters.
羽幌 Other
はぼろ
Inspector, Chief of Himekami station’s community safety division.
上村杏子 Other
うえむら きょうこUemura Kyoko
Wrote the complaint in the 北光ウィークリー
辻晴一 Other
つじ せいいちTsuji Seiichi
39, arrested for killing his wife
加奈 Other
かなKana
37, Seiichi’s wife