Death among the immortals

The film club of cinephiles is planning to hold its annual off-site meeting at the villa of one of its alumni. Three students from another club - detective fiction enthusiasts - are eager to attend. They found out that someone had slipped a note into the cinephiles' headquarters with the words: 'Who will be the victim this year?' The detectives know that a tragedy occurred there a year ago and are determined to solve this mystery at all costs... Yes, a criminal is hiding at the villa, and he has already devised his dark scheme. However, his plans, as well as the plans of the three 'detectives', are destined to change drastically. As a result of a bioterrorist attack, the surrounding forests are filled with... hordes of zombies! They block the villa and are advancing to storm it. Now, no one can leave its confines. Meanwhile, the club's chairman mysteriously dies. A confrontation ensues between the cunning killer and the detectives armed with deduction... "Despite its severity, the plot of the novel truly marks revolutionary changes in the detective genre. The main elements of any classic murder story are the killer, the victim, and the murder weapon, and the boundaries between these three elements are never breached. However, zombies can transition from one category to another. The 'undead' can be the killer, the victim, and even a very effective murder weapon. This concept changes the very foundations of detective stories. That is why 'Death Among the Immortals' is a masterpiece of the genre." - Soji Shimada, a genius of modern honkaku.