"Devil Boy" is the debut work of Japanese mystery writer Takemaru Maru, which was published once in 2006 under the title "Angel Blade".

"Can we just live like this without asking for guilt, pretending that nothing happened? Is this country admitting that people who meet certain conditions can kill?"

- "Devil Boy"

What book: The pinnacle of mystery novels

"Devil Boy" is the debut work of Japanese mystery writer Takemaru Maru, which was published once in 2006 under the title "Angel Blade".

Compared with popular mystery novel writers such as and Higashino Keigo , Yaomaru Yue is not very famous in China. At least this is the first time I heard this name and saw his works. Moreover, the author's output does not seem to be high. Douban shows that there are only five books, which is a drop in the bucket compared to Keigo Higashino.

But "Devil Boy" is a pinnacle work! Although

is Yakumaru Gaku's debut work, the quality is very high. won the 51st [2005] Edogawa Rampo Award that year. was ranked second in the Weekly Bunshun Mystery BEST10, and received unanimous praise from Ayatsuji Yukito and other famous mystery writers.

Who is Yukito Ayatsuji? Baidu Encyclopedia writes this: Yukito Ayatsuji, male, one of the iconic figures in Japanese mystery literature, the leader and standard bearer of new original reasoning . Being recognized by leaders in the professional field also proves the high quality of the work.

What to write: Only life and death, nothing to do with chuuni

Whether it is "Devil Boy" or "Angel Blade", the title of the book exudes a strong chuuni atmosphere, but in fact the work has nothing to do with two-dimensional animation. On the contrary, the theme is very heavy. It explores the profound impact of juvenile crime on the life of the person involved and the meaning of atonement and redemption.

The story tells that the protagonist Hiyama's wife Xiangzi was brutally murdered by three teenagers in front of their children four years ago. Not only were these three teenagers not punished by law because they were minors. And due to the protection of Japan's "Juvenile Law", Hiyama can't even learn any information about the murderer. He only knows three indifferent code names: Boy A, Boy B, and Boy C. Hiyama, as a family member of the victim, is very dissatisfied and resentful of the law that favors the protection of the so-called human rights of minors but ignores the rights of the victims. Moreover, Hiyama's parents were also killed by a car driven by a minor when he was in junior high school and passed away. Therefore, Hiyama hates minor criminals so much that he even threatened to take revenge on three minors.

Several years after the death of his wife, a criminal teenager had an accident and was killed, and the case was near Hiyama's coffee shop. While Hiyama was questioned and investigated by the police as a suspect, Hiyama also strengthened his belief and wanted to explore the lives and hearts of these criminal teenagers to understand how these teenagers reformed and whether they regretted the mistakes they committed. During the visit to Hiyama, two other teenagers encountered accidents one after another. During the investigation, Hiyama gradually discovered the secret of his wife and another truth about his murder. What's good about

: The reasoning atmosphere is full and the theme is profound.

Putting aside the theme and meaning of the novel, just in terms of reasoning attributes, this is a high-quality reasoning work. The multiple reversals of characters and plots, especially the truth behind the case, will really make readers feel their brains burning, especially the decrypted dialogue at the end of the novel. If you are distracted for a moment, you will not be able to follow the author's thinking.

Moreover, it is very brave for Yaowu Yue’s debut work to touch on such a heavy topic as minor crime:

Firstly, the topic related to minors is relatively sensitive in itself. Since minors are a vulnerable group, the public has a tendency to protect this group itself. When it comes to negative topics such as crime, it is more likely to attract the attention of the whole society. The slightest inappropriateness will inevitably lead to criticism.

Second, the parties’ attitudes are naturally contradictory. There is a natural hostility between juvenile prisoners and their families and victims and their families.As the injured party and the offender, the two parties themselves have conflicts that are difficult to reconcile. Especially the "partiality" protection of minors in Japanese law has aggravated the dissatisfaction of the injured party. If the work cannot handle this contradiction well, it will be attacked by one party at best, or it will cause dissatisfaction from both parties at the same time.

Thirdly, it is difficult to judge right and wrong. Are the legal provisions regarding minors right or wrong? Should we focus on protecting the rights of minors and even sacrifice some of the rights of the victims in order to allow them to return to society? Or should juvenile criminals be treated equally like adult criminals and let them receive the punishment they deserve? Starting from different angles, you will naturally get different conclusions. It is difficult to judge right from wrong. It is very difficult to convince yourself and the readers to determine your position.

Fortunately, the author completed this proposition very well. The author of

does not simply and crudely instill his own ideas into the readers, but uses the protagonist Hiyama's identity transformation (from a simple victim's family to the dual identity of the victim's family and the perpetrator's family) to deeply think about the demands, difficulties, rights and obligations of both the victim and the perpetrator in juvenile crime cases, and come up with his own point of view:

" The stain on the road of life It cannot be wiped off by oneself. Whether you are a child or immature, you must not be treated casually just because of this. Only the victim and the victim's family can wipe away the stain on themselves. True reform means making amends until the other person forgives you. Never forget it casually. ”

There are some stains that can be wiped off by yourself;

There are some stains that must be removed by others!