[Mystery Review] Stars Fell on Star-Reading Island / Shiki Kuzumi (2015)

Stars Fell on Star-Reading Island / Shiki Kuzumi

An authentic mystery by Shiki Kuzumi, known for the "Tricksters" series.

Synopsis

The annual stargazing gathering held by astronomer Dr. Lowell on his isolated island is said to be flooded with applications for a certain reason.
Family physician Ban Kato, trying to keep a promise to his family, decides to apply and ends up winning a spot despite the astonishing odds.
Seven people are invited to the island, along with Dr. Lowell.
In a de facto closed-circle setting, one of the participants is found dead.

Overview/Impressions (No Spoilers)

The author seems to be primarily a light novel writer, so the characters are drawn with care and the writing style is gentle.
The mystery-related incident doesn't occur until halfway through the novel, which could easily lead to the feeling that the setup is too long or that it takes too long to get exciting, but because the character development and events like searching for meteorites unfold at a good tempo, it feels like it goes by in a flash.
While there are many memorable scenes, it is compactly put together, making it an enjoyable read not just as a mystery game, but also as a story of the protagonist Ban Kato's mental growth (moving forward).

The setting itself is very classic.
However, due to the somewhat fantastical worldview and the lack of elements common to this type of mystery—such as the presence of a typical villain or a team falling apart due to paranoia—it feels strangely fresh.
All of the characters, even if there are slight differences in their temperaments, are friendly.
Although they do end up walking a dangerous path, the fact that the story proceeds to the end while maintaining a peaceful atmosphere without any hair-raising tension is perhaps what gives the work its unique personality.

Overall Review (Spoilers Ahead)

I suppose you could say the author is skilled at not making clichés look like clichés.
If you look only at the ending, it is exactly as the theory dictates.
The trick is a classic logic puzzle where, based on the experimental results, you arrive at the answer by flipping your perspective on the parts you thought were strange.
There is no novelty, but by incorporating an inverted detective stance where the culprit is identified first and the mystery is unraveled in retrospect, you can enjoy the catharsis of seeing the foreshadowing fall into place smoothly.

Also, regarding the existence of a twist-like mastermind and the stage devices, it's the feeling of a development that was too cliché to consider, only for it to return.
Again, because it doesn't just pursue the fun of a mystery but also includes the fun of a novel, it doesn't feel like it lacks interest due to a cliché outcome.
It's not without a certain forced quality that might invite criticism that things went too smoothly, but since there is a setting that they had tried and failed several times in the past, it is easy to accept.

Above all, the small number of characters contributed to the ease of reading.
Simple is best.
While many mysteries weave complex human relationships that leave room for confusion, narrowing them down to a level where their personalities can be explored was a success.
It creates a situation where you don't want anyone to be the culprit, yet anyone could be, leading to an ending where everyone takes a step forward.
Including the outcome of the mastermind-like true culprit, there are few mysteries with such a refreshing aftertaste.

#I love mystery novels