Etsuko Niki

Niki Etsuko (; 1928–1986) was a Japanese novelist, noted for becoming the first female Japanese writer of mystery fiction to achieve widespread recognition and commercial success.

Niki was born in Tokyo and began writing fiction after a childhood bout of polio left her unable to walk. In 1957, Niki's detective novel The Cat Knew received the Edogawa Rampo Prize for best mystery fiction and became a best-seller, breaking all sales records for Japanese detective novels. The book was credited for introducing a new style of detective story and making the genre more accessible to female audiences in Japan.

In 1981, Niki received a Mystery Writers of Japan Award for her short fiction.

Early life Niki Etsuko was born in 1928 in Tokyo, Japan. At the age of four, As she grew up, Niki wrote hundreds of stories,

The Cat Knew

In 1957, Niki published her mystery novel (The Cat Knew), While previous winners of the prize had been selected from the ranks of well-established authors for long-term achievements, 1957 was the first year judges had chosen a brand new work (and relatively obscure writer) to receive the honour. The judges commented on Niki's writing style: The Cat Knew achieved record-breaking sales, becoming the first Japanese detective novel to sell more than 100,000 copies and reach the besuto sēra (best-seller) mark.

She died in 1986.

Selected works (The Cat Knew), 1957 (A clay dog), 1958 (The house in the forest), 1959 (Two negative pictures), 1964