Seishi Yokomizo (1902-81) was one of Japan's most famous and best-loved mystery writers. He was born in Kobe and spent his childhood reading detective stories, before beginning to write stories of his own, the first of which was published in 1921. He went on to become an extremely prolific and popular author, best known for his Kosuke Kindaichi series, which ran to 77 books, many of which were adapted for stage and television in Japan. Death on Gokumon Island is one of Seishi Yokomizo's most highly regarded mysteries. The Honjin Murders, The Inugami Curse and The Village of Eight Graves are also available from Pushkin Vertigo.

Louise Heal Kawai is the translator of The Honjin Murders, the first book of Seishi Yokomizo's Kosuke Kindaichi series, as well as Soji Shimada's Murder in the Crooked House, and Mieko Kawakami's Ms Ice Sandwich for Pushkin Press. Additionally, she has translated a variety of works from Japanese, including the bestselling The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa. Louise is from Manchester, UK and currently resides in Yokohama.