Kanae Kijima, also known as the The Konkatsu Killer, was found guilty of murdering three men and sentenced to death (picture date unknown).
When it came to another of the killings, a report in Japanese media claimed that Kijima was filmed withdrawing money using a cash card belonging to one of her victims, Kenzo Ando, the same day he died in a house fire.
Kenzo Ando, 80, died in his home in Chiba prefecture in May 2009, and three months later 41-year-old Yoshiyuki Oide was found poisoned in a rented car, also from briquette fumes.
The novel, which follows the extreme lengths a female reporter goes to secure an exclusive interview with a suspected serial killer with a taste for fine dining, is based on a true story - that of convicted serial killer Kanae Kijima.
The three victims she was found guilty of murdering are Takao Terada, 53, Kenzo Ando, 80, and Yoshiyuki Oide, 41.
