The Lipless Man: From the casebook of Akechi Kogoro

The creature’s face was unforgettable. Vacant eyes, a hollowed-out nose, and a red snarling maw. For the young heiress, who catches her first glimpse of this lipless monster through a steamy bathhouse window, its appearance signals the start of her own voyage into the depths of hell.

First published in 1930 (Japanese title "吸血鬼", or "The Vampire") this is the fifth full-length Akechi Kogoro novel and the first to feature the boy detective Kobayashi.