Case Files: Who’s Lying?

This was the strangest case of Detective Zhou Qiming's career: A locked-room murder, a blackout trick, and airtight alibis for everyone. But when he scraped a trace of oily grime from the victim's fingertip, he discovered it was only the tip of the iceberg in a vast conspiracy. “Li Mingda was only the first.” A whisper came from the shadows. Who would be the next victim? “A blackout lasting three minutes, a locked-room murder! The tycoon Li Mingda lies in a pool of blood in his own suite. The door is locked from the inside, the surveillance cameras went dark, and every suspect has a flawless alibi. His assistant says no one answered the door. His wife produces her call records. His business rival was giving a speech in front of hundreds of people. Then the coroner overturns the time of death: ‘The murder took place before the blackout!’ Zhou Qiming eyes the oily grime and alpaca fibers under the victim's fingernails and sneers. ‘Someone is lying, and it's not just one person.’ When a lie about time shatters the logic of the locked room, is the truth behind this “impossible crime” a deadly power struggle, or an even dirtier deal?” (This is the opening case in the Misty Journey series, revealing the ultimate clash between “locked-room logic” and “the depths of human nature.”) You think you've found the truth, but it's always three minutes away.”