Mysteries Ahoy!

Originally published in 1996
English translation published in 2006
Volume 10
Preceded by Kidnappings, Shootings, & Drownings, Oh My!
Followed by An Unfamiliar Face

A diplomat is found dead in his study and Conan’s on the case. But what exactly happened? The elder statesman was definitely murdered, but the door and windows to his private chamber were all locked from the inside. How in the world did the killer escape?

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The book begins by concluding the final case from the previous volume, Wealthy Daughter Murder Case. In my review of that volume, I outlined the basic concept of the case and promised to deliver my thoughts on its resolution here. Before I do that though, a quick refresher on what this story is about:

The setup here is that a very wealthy young woman is throwing a lavish party and has invited several potential marriage prospects there to spend time with and evaluate. When the party draws to an end, the woman discovers her tires have been slashed and determined not to give up her plan, she asserts she will stay in the house overnight. Inevitably the would-be suitors volunteer to remain with her.

Yes, I’m quoting myself – how gauche!

I found lots to like in this story, which I feel really benefited from having so many chapters to set things up and explore characters’ histories and relationships. There are several intriguing murders for Conan to try to understand, and the plot puts several of the characters in some pretty dramatic and exciting situations. While I expected some of those developments, several took me by surprise and I felt that the solution Aoyama devised was both mechanically clever and really imaginative.

While the tone of this, like all of the Conan stories, tends towards comical and exciting, Aoyama layers some really interesting character and emotional content into that conclusion. The result is one of the stories I have enjoyed most since starting to read this manga, and while I still may grumble about splitting cases across volumes, in this instance I was happy that Aoyama gave it some extra space to develop and breathe.

The first full case in the volume, The Great Detective of the West, is also a lot of fun. This story sees a teenage detective from Osaka turn up at the detective agency to try to find Jimmy, hoping to pit his wits against him and prove he is the greatest detective in Japan. While Rachel tries to persuade him that Jimmy isn’t there, unaware of course that young Conan who is with her is in fact a de-aged Jimmy, a client shows up to see Richard to engage him to speak with her husband, a prominent diplomat. Eager to prove his skills, the young detective insists he should tag along, confident that Jimmy must be nearby and will reveal himself to engage in the competition.

When the group gets to the home, they discover the body of the diplomat, dead within his locked study having only just been murdered. The diplomat’s wife assures Richard that there were only two keys to the room, one on her person, and the other found on the diplomat’s body inside the room. It’s a baffling setup, made even harder by Conan falling ill during the investigation. With his reputation on the line, will he be able to prove himself the greater detective and solve this case?

There is lots to like in this story, not least the rivalry aspect. I have enjoyed this idea of competing sleuths in other stories, perhaps most notably The Murder on the Links, and I am pleased to say that the execution here is very effective. What I liked particularly about it is that this contest isn’t just a threat to Jimmy’s reputation, it also risks having some interpersonal consequences for him as Rachel listens to some of the arguments being made by his rival about why he must be nearby.

I felt the solution to this one is really excellent in its technical elements, even if the motive aspect feels a little messy, relying on a character behaving in a way that struck me as a little out of keeping with their personality. Readers can also expect a rather spectacular deus ex machina to solve one of Conan’s problems (but not the mystery itself) which the manga immediately explains away. It is so brazen however, that I was more entertained than annoyed, and I did appreciate that while very convenient, it should help resolve an issue with one of the series’ on-going story threads, at least in the short term.

If Wealthy Daughter Murder Case benefited from its additional length, the next story, Library Murder Case, benefits from being short and tight, unfolding over just two and a half chapters long. This not only provides Conan a little bit of space at the start of the case to reflect on the events of the last, it also means that it does not overstay its welcome – a risk with these quirkier, more overtly comedic stories.

In this story the Conan’s grade school friends head to the library with him where they hear the Police asking the Head Librarian about the disappearance of one of their workers who they believe must have died within the library. They insist on searching the building, but are unable to find him. The Junior Detective League, having noticed some odd details, decide that they will investigate themselves and try to find the missing body.

In this case, the reader is essentially clued into the murderer’s identity, even if it doesn’t explicitly confirm that. We see that character’s obvious nervousness at the questioning, and some concern about the activities of the group of children throughout the adventure. This works well here, encouraging the reader to focus on the question of how the crime was committed and helping to keep the adventure moving at a slick pace.

Having complained about the lack of detection in the previous Junior Detective League story, I am happy to report that this story more than redresses the balance. Conan and his friends engage in plenty of really solid detective work, reflecting on the meaning of small details around the library and working together to try to understand where and how a body could have been hidden without the police finding it. The crucial clues are all fairly laid out for the reader, and I think the solution is pretty ingenious. As far as I am concerned, this is easily the best of the Junior Detective League stories to this point and certainly one of the most enjoyable uses of those characters.

The final case, Medical Professor Murder Case, is another one of those split-volume tales. It is set at a ski resort where Richard, Conan, and Rachel are staying. Unfortunately, a mishap with the keys has left the group locked out of their cabin but a neighbor, happening upon them, offers an invitation for them to spend some time in his cabin. As the volume ends with the murder, I will leave the details there but I can say it seems promising and that I am looking forward to seeing how the case continues to develop. I will provide a more detailed description and review of that story next time.

Based on how much I enjoyed this, I may decide to make a point to get to that one soon (but I’ll probably delay reviewing it to space the reviews out for variety’s sake).

The Verdict: After some inconsistent volumes, I’m very happy to be able to report that I found this one thoroughly enjoyable. Not only is there a good mix of case types, I felt that each case presented some points of interest and that there was some really solid deduction on display here.