Personal Post-Reading Review: 'Nesting Night' - Recommended for fans of chilling plot twists

Hello, this is Mikotonoha.
My previous review was also of a work by Tatsumi Atsukawa (lol).
Ideally, I would like to alternate between reading mysteries and self-improvement (learning) books, but I seem to get so immersed in what I like that after reading a mystery, I end up reading another one while the excitement is still fresh (sweat).

And this time, it's even the same author...

I have read short story collections by this author before, but this particular collection was personally the most interesting one I've read so far!

↑ The previous short story collection.

↑ This short story collection.

Therefore, I would like to write my overall impressions and my thoughts on each short story.

Please note that while I will be careful not to include spoilers, I will be touching upon the stories, so please be aware of that in advance.

1. Overall Impressions: A mystery with a strong emphasis on the COVID-19 pandemic

This work is a collection of mystery short stories, and among the works by the same author, it is personally the most interesting collection.

In particular, there are no classic tricks like locked-room murders or closed-circle settings, nor are there any straightforward detective geeks. However, it is still solid and interesting as a mystery! That is the kind of collection this is.

The main features are as follows.

1. Overall, these are stories with 'chilling plot twists'.

Although the content and settings of each story are different, they all contain elements of a mystery plot twist.

Moreover, most of them have a 'chilling' sense of fear. You can feel that thrill where your perspective changes in an instant, or the scenery you saw until then looks completely different. I think this is a work that can be enjoyed by those who like mystery dramas and analysis, or those who read mystery novels as entertainment.

2. Stories that emphasize the COVID-19 pandemic as much as possible

This is not so much a review related to the content of the work, and the author touched on it a little in the afterword, but they really incorporate the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic into the stories as much as they possibly can.

Simply put, things like taking off a mask to talk, or how masks are suffocating.

Most of these have nothing to do with the flow of the story itself, so perhaps they intended to add depth to the 'realism of the story' by incorporating the fact that it is during the COVID-19 pandemic, but my honest opinion is that they didn't need to go that far...

When this story is published as a paperback and read 10 years from now, the atmosphere of the COVID-19 pandemic might feel even more strange and unnecessary.

2. Impressions of each short story: A countdown of my personal favorites

Now, I would like to share my thoughts on the short stories I read, bit by bit. By the way, I have ordered them in a 'countdown of the most interesting works' format. Please note that these are just my personal impressions.

1. 4th Place: A Dangerous Bet - Private Detective Harumi Wakatsuki

It is in 4th place, but that doesn't mean it wasn't interesting. It's just that out of all the works in this collection, it felt the most like a classic mystery novel. It only landed in 4th place due to the difference in the intrigue of the premise.

2. 3rd Place: A Mystery Novel Titled 'The 2021 Entrance Exam'

First of all, the premise is interesting! That's why it's in 3rd place. It was a mystery within a mystery, and the university entrance exam setting was quite fun. It felt a bit weak in terms of the plot twist, but I personally liked the unsettling ending.

3. 2nd Place: The Nested Night

The title story of this collection is in 2nd place! It felt like going to see a small theater production in Nakano or Ikebukuro and being shown a two-person play that goes on and on. The comfort of that, combined with the series of plot twists, made it a very interesting work! The only reason this isn't at the top is that I felt a bit overwhelmed by the end. Some people might find it hard to keep up.

4. 1st Place: Six Enraged Masked Men

The glorious 1st place! The balance between the interesting premise, the chilling nature of the plot twists, and the overall mystery feel was excellent!

As you can imagine from the title, the characters are professional wrestling masked men. That alone is interesting, and doesn't it give you that exciting feeling that there's going to be some kind of trick (laughs)?

In conclusion, this is a very interesting collection of mystery short stories, so I think it's great for travel or while on the move! If you are interested, please give it a read.

Well then, until next time.
Thank you for reading until the end.