At twenty-six, Cen Jin writes under the pen name "Jinxi." Three years ago, he burst onto the scene with The Thirteenth Finger, then gave up writing and withdrew to the old quarter of Jiangcheng. He raises cats, unable to write another word.
Until one rainy night, Tan Xu, deputy captain of the criminal investigation squad, knocks on his door and lays a crime scene photo on his desk.
The victim's pose, the angle of the glass of water beside them, the page number of the old book lying open beneath it: everything matches a scene in Chapter Three of his novel.
The killer isn't imitating his novel.
Someone wrote real murder cases into his book three years ago.
As a second and third murder follow, as he finds handwriting in his old manuscript that isn't his own, and as the person who "died in the line of duty" three years ago walks out of the fog at the docks, he finally understands: his three-year silence wasn't a case of running out of inspiration.
Someone has been using his hand to write a revenge story that isn't over yet.
The truth cannot be buried. Those who write stories must ultimately face real evil.
Theme: The truth cannot be buried. Those who write stories must ultimately face real evil.
