April 15, 2022

A very different vibe than 赤川's later works

A classic whodunnit mystery, with several smaller mysteries within it. The broad stoke plot is about serial killings at an all girls university.

Content warnings which contains minor spoilers: murder, suicide, sex work

It had some traits of 赤川 stories that I love (tons of messy relationships, lots of shocking deaths) but also wasn't at all what I was expecting. The character development felt simultaneously over and under done. It did not commit to the character traits it laid out in the descriptions, which were then hollowed by the actions of said characters.

Honestly the best part about this book for me was reading it alongside an impromptu book club - I'm not sure I would have been nearly so engaged if not for that. Overall a decent story, complete shockers for some of the unraveled mysteries, and a start to a series if you find you really enjoy it.

From a language learner's perspective this book was harder than the other books by the same author I've read. He used a few expressions repeatedly that I don't recall seeing much before and I suspect a bit of this was a new writer trying to nail down his style. He used a wider range of vocabulary as well. If you're considering this author because you've heard he's an easy read I'd start with one of his lower difficulty rated books on here.

Gradings:17
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cat graded
on January 18, 2023
cat graded
on November 24, 2022
easier than教場L34
cat graded
on October 16, 2022
similar in difficulty to天使の傷痕L33
cat graded
on October 5, 2022
similar in difficulty to十角館の殺人L34
cat graded
on September 20, 2022
easier than火車L35
cat graded
on August 8, 2022
similar in difficulty to硝子の塔の殺人L33
cat graded
on July 25, 2022
similar in difficulty to仮面病棟L32
cat graded
on May 20, 2022
easier thanモテ薬L32
cat graded
on April 20, 2022
easier than黄金仮面L38
cat graded
on April 20, 2022
easier than刑事の子L35
cat graded
on April 20, 2022
harder than永遠の0L35
cat graded
on April 15, 2022
similar in difficulty to名のないシシャL29
cat graded
on April 15, 2022
harder than夜警L27
cat graded
on April 15, 2022
similar in difficulty to#ある朝殺人犯になっていたL32
cat graded
on April 15, 2022
cat graded
on April 15, 2022
similar in difficulty to謎解きはディナーのあとでL32
cat graded
on April 15, 2022
similar in difficulty to容疑者Xの献身L32