Double-Headed Devil / 双頭の悪魔

They say two heads are better than one, but I suppose it depends on whose heads we’re talking about…

Maria Arima, having witnessed the brutal murder of several family members, is understandably upset. She spends a few months sulking at home, and then suddenly leaves on a cross-country trip. Just when she thinks she’s going to return home, she pays a visit to Kisara Village and… doesn’t return. Kisara Village is a small settlement deep in the mountains of Shikoku, established by a wealthy retired financier to be a haven where artists can live a simple, uninterrupted life and focus on their work. Maria isn’t held hostage or imprisoned against her will. She can still communicate with her parents (although it becomes more sporadic as time goes on). She just… doesn’t want to leave. 

So Maria’s father enlists the other members of the Eito Mystery Club to bring Maria back. Needless to say, the recovery mission does not go as smoothly as hoped… 

Moai Island Puzzle / 孤島パズル

Moai Island Puzzle is the sequel to Moonlight Game, once again following college student Alice Arisugawa as he and university mystery club leader Jirou Egami encounter a series of grisly murders on a trip. Moai Island Puzzle is a dazzling display of pure adequacy. Despite the tantalizing premise, I didn't really get much more out of it than Moonlight Game, but it's not like the book is bad or anything.

As in my Moonlight Game review, "Alice" will refer to the character and "Arisugawa" will refer to the author.

Moonlight Game / 月光ゲーム

Ah, a relaxing summer vacation camping on a dormant volcano. You were just going with some buddies, but then you run into a few other groups of students on the mountain and quickly make friends, causing the trip to become even livelier and more fun than you expected. What could possibly go wrong?

If you're a character in a murder mystery, the answer is everything.