[Mystery Review] The Lila Manor Murder Case / Tetsuya Ayukawa (1968)

The Lila Manor Murder Case / Tetsuya Ayukawa

Along with "The Black Trunk," this is a monumental classic of Japanese mystery literature and one of Tetsuya Ayukawa's representative works.

Synopsis

Seven students gather at the "Lila Manor," a dormitory for the Japan University of the Arts.
On the first day, they spend the evening in a way typical of art students of that era, with love and jealousy swirling as Tachibana and Sayoyo announce their engagement. However, once a corpse is discovered at the bottom of the cliff near the manor, dressed in the raincoat of one of the students, a nun named Lilith, the fuse is lit for a series of murders.
Beside the body lies an Ace of Spades playing card.
Before long, a 2 of Spades is also discovered, followed by the next victim.

Overview/Impressions (No Spoilers)

The serialization began in 1956.
A full 65 years have passed, and with details like six-digit phone numbers, it certainly feels like a period piece, but a masterpiece remains a masterpiece.
The fact that it has been published under the title "The Lila Manor Case" and that revised and expanded editions exist speaks to its presence and influence.
While one must get used to the dated prose and cultural context, the ominous atmosphere of the serial murders centered around Lila Manor is rich, and if you want to read a gimmick-oriented orthodox mystery, you could say that the foundational elements are all packed in here.

As for the tricks, they are standard tropes that have become templates in the modern era, but here they are used in a fresh, untouched state.
Readers who have devoured many mysteries might have been able to guess some of the tricks.
However, what made this work brilliant was that each successive murder was accompanied by the logic required to reach the culprit and the mysteries associated with it.
How was the poison administered? How was the alibi created? What is the meaning of the note left by the deceased? Why was he killed too...?
Even if you understand one part and figure out the culprit, you still have to solve a rather complex puzzle to uncover the full truth.

The fact that the police are far too incompetent is a difficult point for a modern novel, but that is the nature of the era before things were refined.
Perhaps they should be seen as foils to bring out the competence of the detective.

Overall Review (Spoiler Warning)

Another feature of this work is that it does not designate a clear protagonist and is written in an objective style.
The story progresses for a long time without a detective present, but Nijo, brought along by Tetsuko, is a sharp-witted character despite his quirks, and he sees through the truth while the police are fumbling around.
Just when you think, 'Ah, so he is the detective,' he is killed off before the resolution chapter.
I never expected to be betrayed even in such a way.

Yes, I was reading without realizing it, but this is the first installment of the Ryuzo Hoshikage series.
He is a detective who is almost too special, appearing only after page 340 when the final murder has already occurred, yet easily seeing through the truth.
The pacing is so fast that he leads to the resolution before there is even time to establish his character, and the 'deus ex machina' feeling is undeniable. However, if Nijo hadn't tried to stand out too much, or if the police had been a bit more competent, the case would have been solved without seeing his detective skills. In a way, it serves the same role as a 'challenge to the reader,' as the case could theoretically be solved with the clues provided up to that point.

If you are a seasoned reader, just by reading the blurb, you should be able to imagine the trick involving the use of playing cards to misdirect the order of murders and create an alibi.
While this narrows down the list of suspects significantly, the author brilliantly added a layer of misdirection to the whodunit by establishing that the true culprit was also murdered by someone else.
The fact that this character would later be killed was hinted at in the early narrative, and I thought it was just a clue to maintain a fair mystery, but it turned out to be a bluff as well.
It is frustrating to have been deceived simply because I meta-assumed that since it is a classic, it must be simple.

As a final note, just because the trick can be seen through does not mean it is simple or cliché.
It has simply become so famous that too many similar works have flooded the market since; mystery beginners will surely be fooled, and even veterans who have read dozens of books will undoubtedly find depth in this work, which feels close to experiencing the original.
A generous serving of murder cases.
Although the options for guessing the culprit become extremely limited, I doubt there is any fan of authentic mysteries who wouldn't be excited by this premise.

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