Long Live the Plot! (Foreign Mysteries I've Read Recently)
Mystery is the core of my reading, and I especially love orthodox mysteries (the kind where a detective solves a puzzle).
When reading these orthodox mystery novels—or rather, when authors are said to be writing them—the key points are elements like "tricks," "logic," and "plot."
These three elements aren't strictly defined by anything, but in my own words, it feels like:
Trick = A device to deceive (trick) people
Logic = Logical reasoning or resolution
Plot = The structure of the story's development
That's how it feels.
To use a good old-fashioned mystery as an example, the core of the seemingly impossible crime presented at the beginning is the "trick," and the detectives logically deducing the mystery is the "logic" part.
And then, how to show that mystery and the detective's reasoning to the reader in an appealing way—that's where the author's skill in story development and structure comes into play, and that is what we call the "plot."
When talking about detective novels, there's a debate about what's most important: the "trick," the "logic," or the "plot"? But if the "plot" itself isn't interesting, it can't really be called a compelling story.
For example, Fuyumi Ayatsuji's debut work and masterpiece, "The Decagon House Murders," has a central "trick," but the "logic" part is actually quite thin.
However, it became a shocking work because of that "plot," and in modern mysteries, the "plot" is more important than the "trick" or the "logic."
Since Ayatsuji, various mysteries with different "plots" have been released in Japan, but in recent years, it feels like there are more foreign mysteries with elaborate "plots" as well.
This time, I'd like to introduce some books I read this year that had fun "plots."
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"The Nothing Man"
A book hunts a killer—!
What is the secret hidden in the story-within-a-story?
A sophisticated and bizarre revenge suspense!
Catherine Ryan Howard was a new author for me, but it seems she has released works with complex plots before, such as "Distress Signals" and "56 Days."
This work had been advertised as a flagship title by the publisher for several years, so I was looking forward to it.
As for the content, a woman who was the sole survivor of her family being killed by a serial killer known as the "Nothing Man" conducts a thorough investigation and releases a non-fiction book about the identity of the still-at-large "Nothing Man."
The story begins when the "Nothing Man" himself encounters the book, and it proceeds from the perspective of the "Nothing Man."
It is a so-called inverted detective story where the identity of the culprit is revealed from the beginning.
Honestly, since there are plenty of domestic inverted mystery stories, there were no surprises in the ending, but the plot of the killer being cornered while reading a true-crime book about himself was interesting!
"Pocket Mystery Readers, Do Not Believe"
The most controversial work in the 70-year history of Pocket Mystery
Is this a mystery, or something else?
Dan McDorman seems to be a debut author, but it was a very cunning book!
It's the kind of "divisive" book I like! lol
A members-only club becomes an isolated island due to a storm. A private detective happens to be there. A locked-room murder. It's like a good old-fashioned orthodox mystery, but what's unusual is that the author's commentary keeps interrupting throughout the book.
For example, regarding the familiar character list, the author explains that there is information that should be hidden, and publishes a list with those parts blacked out.
Furthermore, as key events in the mystery's progression are depicted in the text, the author sometimes adds commentary, occasionally citing examples from past works, to dazzle the reader.
As the tagline 'The most problematic work in the 70-year history of Pocket Mystery' suggests, it is, well, not a straightforward book.
The title 'Pocket Mystery readers, do not believe' is also quite something, isn't it?
I think Hayakawa is taking a risk here, but in fact, this title acts as a 'litmus test'; if you think this title is just 'trolling,' I think you'd be better off not reading it! (Emphasis lol)
'Billy Summers'
Billy Summers is a master hitman who never misses his target.
Billy decides to retire and accepts one 'last job'.
The cover identity he uses to hide in the city where he will carry out the hit is, of all things, a novelist. As he socializes with neighbors to blend in and goes to his office to sit at his writing computer, Billy actually starts writing a novel.
This is a new translation of a Stephen King novel, but it's a crime novel without any supernatural elements.
It's a so-called hitman's 'last job' story, but it's a book with a very King-esque plot.
As mentioned in the synopsis, the hitman Billy starts writing his autobiography while in hiding.
The manuscript is inserted throughout the story as a story-within-a-story, and how it relates to the main plot is something you'll have to wait until you read it to find out.
However, regarding the act of writing that novel, one can feel King's own thoughts, and as a fan, it leaves me with deep emotions after finishing it.
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These are the books I've been reading this year, and all three have ended up being books with 'nested' plots.
I absolutely love this kind of thing.
There should be a rush of new releases starting around summer again this year, and there are so many books I'm looking forward to!
One of them is a work called 'The Turnglass' by an author named Gareth Rubin, which seems to be a unique item where stories from the past and present are bound into a single book, so I'm already looking forward to it.
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