Written between acts in the green room of a 1960s Japanese nightclub, The Master Key, or Oinaru Genei, sustains an eerie atmosphere throughout. The story centers on the K Apartments for Ladies, an aging apartment complex for similarly aging spinsters. The disappearance of the master key several months before the planned move of the apartment complex to make way for a new road unnerves its residents, some with secrets to hide. The reader alternatively follows different members of the complex and the master key, in a somewhat disjointed fashion, until a gruesome discovery is made during the move. Togawa maintains the creepy uncertainty throughout while giving an detailed psychological portrayal of the characters' motives -- it's to her credit to say this story reinforces stereotypes about old maids.

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