★The first story of the ‘Madam Black Swan’ series by author Moo Kyung, winner of the Quarterly Mystery New Author’s Award★
★Nominated Best Culture and Arts Support Piece at 2024 Busan Culture and Art Support Venture★
★Authentic, creative mystery and character novel set against the backdrop of colonial-era Busan★
This work is a series of feature novels novel showing the complex and passionate hearts at the center of the chaos of 1928 modern colonial Busan in a mystery genre. The location of Busan, with its close proximity to Japan and its distance from the modernism and romance of Gyeongseong, serves as both a bustling trade hub and a stronghold for the Japanese. This modern Busan, similar yet different from the city of Gyeongseong, is where the story of the vibrant Joseon characters unfold. The author draws on both his Busan roots as well as information from Nakdong Cultural Center Research Institute of Local History, the Bukyung Modern Historical Materials Research Institute, and the Busan Jung-gu Office to create a vivid portrayal of the scene. The story takes place in the following places: the Arai Inn, one of the largest accomodations in Busan at the time; Gupo-jangteo, the market where the sorrows of Japanese occupation mixed with the vibrancy of everyday life; and the streets of Jangsu-tong, the least Joseon-like area in the nation. The adventurous stories of the Madam Black Swan trio unfold in these locations, adding charm to an immersive historical mystery.
Yeon-ju, who was severely injured in a fire and now runs the Black Swan coffee shop in Gyeongseong, is joined by Yana, a Russian caretaker, and Kang, a bodyguard of a pro-Japanese business family. The three of them head to Busan, and the mystery-solving saga of the Madam Black Swan trio starts out like a classic successor to an Agatha Christie novel but soon turns into a suspenseful thriller. It is a historical drama that showcases Busan's unique charm during the Japanese colonial period as well as the distinctive character of a frail female detective.
[Plot]
Pale, lifeless face. Deep yet vacant eyes that stare into your soul. A limp caused by a mysterious fire. Madam Black Swan - Senda Akane – is the only daughter of the richest man in Joseon during the Japanese colonial era. Korean name Yeon-ju Cheon, aged early 20s, she runs a small coffee shop in Gyeongseong while battling an illness and has a habit of indulging in stories. She asks customers about the difficult situations they are in and reveals hidden truths in return. The story begins on a train on the Gyeongbu Line, where the trio head from Gyeongseong to Busan for some respite. The three stories threading through Gupo Yashi Pass, Dongnae Hot Spring, and Jangsu-tong stand on their own, but together, they show the changes in Yeon-ju, who previously had little to live for. In the end, the enigmatic character Yuri, whose plan was thwarted by Yeon-ju’s skills, makes a surprise appearance in front of the trio only to disappear, suggesting that at an interesting confrontation between the two lies ahead.
Chapter 1, “Madam Black Swan Listens to the Maegu’s Story”, takes place in Gupo, where they make a sudden stop due to Yeon-ju Cheon’s illness. Here, she gets to the bottom of a strange rumor involving a commission by a thousand-year-old fox. Readers can almost feel the steady flow of Nakdong River through the pages. Chapter 2, “Madam Black Swan Listens to the Hidden Story of the Heart”, is reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel, following the case of a mysterious murder at a hot spring in Dongnae which Yeon-ju solves with trademark wisdom. The final chapter, “Madam Black Swan Listens to the Story of Past Traces”, follows a pursuit involving a mysterious ‘grey’ along the Busan tram tracks. The identity of ‘grey’ is revealed, and along with it, the bitter reality of young people who are struggling, caught between ideals and reality under Japanese rule.
For Madam Black Swan, stories are more than just entertainment or detective role-play. Stories perform a vital role of revealing the injustice of life and confronting death. In an era overflowing with narratives, this book invites readers to dive into the pure pleasure of an exceptional story that seeks the essence of the storytelling.