Flamingo's Spot

Author Jung Hae-yeon · Publisher Elixir · Published 2021-07-26 · ISBN 9788954681155

About the Book

An unprecedented twist in the history of Korean mystery!
The standard for a mind-bending ending, 『The Place of the Flamingo』

“The lake swallowed Dahyun's body.
But who killed Dahyun?”

『The Place of the Flamingo』 opens with a man disposing of a body in a lake. The prologue, which begins with the line “The lake swallowed Dahyun’s body” and ends with “But who killed Dahyun?”, is enough to pique the reader's curiosity to the extreme.
Author Jung Hae-yeon, who infuses everyday life with extreme tension using ordinary prose, has been consistently active in writing since her debut in 2012, crossing the boundaries between romance and thriller. Her overwhelming strength lies in her intriguing setups and plot developments. 『The Place of the Flamingo』 is a work where her strengths reach their peak, possessing an astonishing grip on the reader from the moment they open it, to the point where it's no exaggeration to say the story holds them captive. Comprising 21 chapters starting with the prologue, this novel presents surprising developments in every scene, showcasing excellent storytelling that makes it impossible to resist turning to the next page. In particular, the truth of the climax, which builds steadily and then bursts at its peak, is clearly a twist rarely seen in Korean mysteries.
However, 『The Place of the Flamingo』 is not merely a 'twist mystery' that races towards a single twist. The twist shines because of its tightly woven plot and well-developed characters that heighten the story's enjoyment. The twist in this work is shockingly surprising, but even without it, the lingering impression of the story doesn't easily fade. This is precisely why Jung Hae-yeon must be highly regarded as a thriller writer, and also why readers immediately anticipate her next work.

From the Book

The lake had become calm, as if it had forgotten everything. The wind blew. Untended grass, grown wild, rustled, making an irritating sound. Junhu shivered slightly. He looked back. There was nothing. He was the only living thing there.
-Page 8

Dahyun didn't answer the phone. Was something wrong? Was she rushing home so frantically that she couldn't hear her phone ring?
She definitely had her phone. He was thinking such thoughts when he was about to enter the faculty office. His body froze with his hand on the doorknob of the faculty office. He opened his eyes wide. Reflexively, he let go of the doorknob and stepped back, looking up at the central staircase.
-Page 23

Kang Chi-soo instructed Park In-jae to examine the items and then sat in front of the bookshelf. Several crudely printed photos were pasted on the bookshelf wall. They were pictures of flamingos floating on a river. Astonishingly large flamingos, showcasing their pink beauty, were gathered in a flock. There were also photos of them with their wings spread wide and with their beaks in the river as if to eat. In another photo, two flamingos stood side by side, looking somewhere.
-Page 74

If he could avoid suspicion, if his relationship with Dahyun wasn't revealed, if his life didn't fall apart, he thought it was unavoidable if the culprit wasn't caught, though he felt sorry for Dahyun. But he only wanted to know one thing.
How did Dahyun die? He felt like he would be more at peace if she had died instantly.
-Page 117

Table of Contents

The Place of the Flamingo
Author's Afterword