Undead Murder Farce

The Story

In a version of Victorian Europe where vampires, werewolves, and other creatures of legend are simply part of the social fabric, Aya Rindō is an immortal detective with a singular problem: she exists only as a head in a birdcage, her body stolen from her by unknown means. Sharp, imperious, and relentlessly analytical, she investigates supernatural murder cases from her unusual vantage point with the help of Tsugaru Shinuchi, a half-demon swordsman of considerable skill and easy charm.

Each case plunges the duo into the hidden politics of monster society — vampire aristocracies, werewolf clan disputes, and crimes where human and supernatural motives intertwine in ways that conventional detectives would never untangle. The mysteries are genuine puzzle-box whodunits, constructed with care and resolved through logic rather than action.

The series also delights in populating its world with famous literary figures — including a certain London detective whose shadow falls across the entire era — weaving classic mystery fiction into its supernatural alternate history with knowing wit.

Themes

• Identity and Wholeness — Aya's literal incompleteness mirrors the fragmented nature of every case she solves

• Coexistence and Prejudice — The monster-human dynamic serves as a lens for examining social hierarchy and otherness

• Classical Deduction in Supernatural Settings — The series insists that logic and evidence can illuminate even the most apparently inexplicable crimes

• Partnership and Trust — The dynamic between Aya and Tsugaru is the series' most consistent pleasure