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天使之刃
「少年B被殺了。」刑警的一句話喚醒了檜山貴志幾乎封印的痛苦回憶。
四年前，三名年僅十三歲的少年在五個月大的女兒面前殺害了妻子，卻因為《少年法》的保護，讓他們不用曝光、不用進行公開審判，更不用入獄服刑！檜山所知的，僅僅是「妻子遭三名少年所殺」的可悲事實。沒想到，當時的少年B今天竟也成為某人的刀下亡魂！難道這是遲來的天譴嗎？
想知道的事情太多了。少年B為什麼會死在自己經營的咖啡店附近，而且還是在自己沒有不在場證明的時候？少年為何惹上殺機？和四年前的命案有沒有關係？矯正教育是否真的發揮作用，讓他們洗心革面？或者他們早已忘了自己曾殺過人，若無其事地過著每一天？
為了解開疑問，也為了洗刷自己的嫌疑，冒著讓平穩的生活再次崩毀的危險，檜山追尋起少年們的足跡。但自己究竟想聽到什麼答案？知道了真相，是否就真的能讓多年來壓抑在心中的傷痛和憤怒得到撫慰？
如果連法律都無法伸張應有的正義，如果連真相都無從得知、連一個可以具體發洩憤怒的對象都沒有，遺忘、原諒或憎恨，站在哪一邊比較容易？
四年前，三名年僅十三歲的少年在五個月大的女兒面前殺害了妻子，卻因為《少年法》的保護，讓他們不用曝光、不用進行公開審判，更不用入獄服刑！檜山所知的，僅僅是「妻子遭三名少年所殺」的可悲事實。沒想到，當時的少年B今天竟也成為某人的刀下亡魂！難道這是遲來的天譴嗎？
想知道的事情太多了。少年B為什麼會死在自己經營的咖啡店附近，而且還是在自己沒有不在場證明的時候？少年為何惹上殺機？和四年前的命案有沒有關係？矯正教育是否真的發揮作用，讓他們洗心革面？或者他們早已忘了自己曾殺過人，若無其事地過著每一天？
為了解開疑問，也為了洗刷自己的嫌疑，冒著讓平穩的生活再次崩毀的危險，檜山追尋起少年們的足跡。但自己究竟想聽到什麼答案？知道了真相，是否就真的能讓多年來壓抑在心中的傷痛和憤怒得到撫慰？
如果連法律都無法伸張應有的正義，如果連真相都無從得知、連一個可以具體發洩憤怒的對象都沒有，遺忘、原諒或憎恨，站在哪一邊比較容易？
- GenresFiction
336 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2005
31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 8, 2017
Angel's Blade by Gaku Yakumaru is a remarkable and amazing tale of revenge, atonement, guilt, crime and punishment. I definitely will look forward to more of Mr. Yakumaru's books.
Outline of the story: a widowed coffee shop owner is struggling to find balance between his duty as a single father and his business, plus the pain of losing his beloved wife is still haunting him: Four years ago, his wife was brutally killed in a break-in, with the couple's five months old daughter watching. Later it turns out all three of her murderers were minors (underage teenagers) so they didn't even have to go to prison--they only got sent to reform-schools.
Now four years later, one of those murderers, a teenager known only as Boy B is found killed near the shop owner's workplace and naturally police suspects the shop owner is somewhat involved. Old wounds are reopened and the widowed shop owner must confront the phantoms from his and his wife's painful past, and the other two teenage murderers Boy A and Boy C are also fearing for their own lives.
Is there really an invisible Angel's Blade dealing out justice to those unpunished criminals? Who is the killer of those teenage murderers? What is his/her purpose? Is the wife's death an unlucky coincidence of 'wrong place, wrong time' or is something deeper and more subtle lurking beneath the surface? Come and find out.
I like how the murder mystery is so skillfully laid out and revealed to us, layer by layer. I like how there is no 'black and white' answer, I also like the final plot twists and the breathtakingly written final struggle between the bad guy and the MC. I like how the issues of crime and punishment, and the flaws in the Japanese legal system is discussed from different sides and angles throughout the story telling (and not once would you feel the author is lecturing you). Last but not least, I like how realistically and smoothly written the characters are. So, five stars.
PS: the location of the story happens to be a Japanese town I'd visited before, much to my amusement.
Outline of the story: a widowed coffee shop owner is struggling to find balance between his duty as a single father and his business, plus the pain of losing his beloved wife is still haunting him: Four years ago, his wife was brutally killed in a break-in, with the couple's five months old daughter watching. Later it turns out all three of her murderers were minors (underage teenagers) so they didn't even have to go to prison--they only got sent to reform-schools.
Now four years later, one of those murderers, a teenager known only as Boy B is found killed near the shop owner's workplace and naturally police suspects the shop owner is somewhat involved. Old wounds are reopened and the widowed shop owner must confront the phantoms from his and his wife's painful past, and the other two teenage murderers Boy A and Boy C are also fearing for their own lives.
Is there really an invisible Angel's Blade dealing out justice to those unpunished criminals? Who is the killer of those teenage murderers? What is his/her purpose? Is the wife's death an unlucky coincidence of 'wrong place, wrong time' or is something deeper and more subtle lurking beneath the surface? Come and find out.
I like how the murder mystery is so skillfully laid out and revealed to us, layer by layer. I like how there is no 'black and white' answer, I also like the final plot twists and the breathtakingly written final struggle between the bad guy and the MC. I like how the issues of crime and punishment, and the flaws in the Japanese legal system is discussed from different sides and angles throughout the story telling (and not once would you feel the author is lecturing you). Last but not least, I like how realistically and smoothly written the characters are. So, five stars.
PS: the location of the story happens to be a Japanese town I'd visited before, much to my amusement.
October 22, 2009
A story about the meaning of guilt. If circumstances outside of your control lead you to commit an evil act...are you evil?
May 1, 2016
劇情安排緊湊，且將少年法中所會遇到各面相都描寫出來，十分推薦。
法律無法制裁所有的壞事，那受害者該如何面對已更生的加害者，這是個難題。
法律無法制裁所有的壞事，那受害者該如何面對已更生的加害者，這是個難題。
August 15, 2014
Chinese translation: 天使之刃
February 27, 2023
精彩！未成年不是恶魔的免死金牌，而且日本的少年发一直都是备受争议。受害者家属备受煎熬，罪犯不能被法律制裁而是被送去改教，为了保护未成年罪犯的身份也必须保密，没有赔偿，没有法律帮助，这样如何能浇灭被害家属心里的恨？受害者家属受到没有尽头的痛苦。犯罪对赎罪的理解，回归社会后真会改过自新么？
除了对法律的争议，纯粹的恶意极度的自私更让人颤栗。有些真的恶魔会利用少年法为所欲为！
人的恶不分年龄，不分性别，无关身份。
除了对法律的争议，纯粹的恶意极度的自私更让人颤栗。有些真的恶魔会利用少年法为所欲为！
人的恶不分年龄，不分性别，无关身份。
May 14, 2025
祥子和步美的形象刻画得很好，少年C有些太过仓促，以及男主更像一个推进剧情发展的工具人
看到最后还是很震撼的，我们总是眼睛朝前地盯着伤害我们的人，却很少回头看看给我们伤害过的人
看到最后还是很震撼的，我们总是眼睛朝前地盯着伤害我们的人，却很少回头看看给我们伤害过的人
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews