魔術師〈乱歩傑作選〉

明智小五郎事件簿 #5

by Edogawa Rampo, 江戸川 乱歩

しばしの休養のため湖畔のホテルにやってきた名探偵明智小五郎は、東京の大宝石商の娘玉村妙子と知り合ったが、それが玉村家の怪事件へかかわり合うことになる始まりだった。玉村宝石王の実弟福田得二郎のところへ簡単な数字の幽霊通信がきはじめた。それが「一」となり「0」となったとき、得二郎は自室で殺され、血まみれの死体から首が奪われていた。白鬚橋付近の大川を生首が流れ、その首をのせた板には「獄門舟」と書かれていた！悪魔の手に捕えられた明智小五郎の運命は風前の灯であった――探偵小説の一大金字塔。

Genres: Japanese Literature

334 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1931

About the author

Hirai Tarō (平井 太郎), better known by the pseudonym Rampo Edogawa ( 江戸川 乱歩), sometimes romanized as "Ranpo Edogawa", was a Japanese author and critic who played a major role in the development of Japanese mystery fiction.

Reviews

[Zr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many revenge stories are really exciting. But it's more compelling when the avenger is the protagonist and not the villain, as in The Count of Monte Cristo. Because Edogawa's villains are so superficial, the villain is the villain, and while there are plausible character motivations, the writer and reader fail to develop sympathy for the villains.
The villain like Javert in Les Misérables impressed me more because the reader also understands the villain who is a flesh and blood human being while nobody is an unforgivable villain. (But yeah it’s not comparable I mean this one is only a crime fiction xx

Edogawa's narrative strategy probably won't be accepted by everyone, I found it ok, certainly not as brilliantly entertaining as Nabokov's sometimes slightly prophetic narration in Lolita.

“I don't know anything, and my children have even less to do with it. There is no reason to pass on the hatred of fathers to future generations.” Somehow relatable

[I Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The descriptions were such that I felt like I was there and I looked forward to what was going to happen next.

[Angel 一匹狼 · Rating 2 out of 5]

5.5/10

(Original Japanese)