Tokyo Mystery Writers

Chapter 13 Reasoning in 6 Dimensions

Jiang Liumei's words were like a shot in the arm, leading the editors to rediscover the extraordinary masterpiece, "The Astrological Murder Mystery."

However, in order to ensure that "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders" could successfully enter the Edogawa Ranpo Award.

Jiang Liumei did not end her speech. Instead, she pointed to the radar chart she had drawn and said with great enthusiasm:

"As editors at Kodansha, you should all be well aware of this."

"Editing is a very demanding job. Not only do you have to read a lot of submissions from new authors every day, but you also have to read a huge amount of content to keep your thinking up-to-date with the times."

"But the human brain is not a hard drive; memory is always limited."

"In order not to forget every book I have read, I designed this radar chart to record the advantages and disadvantages of each book. I call this radar chart the Six Dimensions of Reasoning."

Hideomi Uyama approaches the six-dimensional mystery drawn by Miri Eri and discovers that it depicts Seishi Yokomizo's masterpiece, *Gokumon Island*. (Image)

The radar chart, in a counter-clockwise direction, displays the words: writing style, resonance, logic, temperament, trickery, and aftertaste.

Uyama Hideomi was very interested in Jiang Liu Meili's so-called "six dimensions of reasoning," and pointing to the values ​​on it, he asked:

"Miss Jiang Liu, could you explain to us what these six dimensions represent?"

"I can barely understand the writing style, the tricks, and the logic, but the resonance, the aftertaste, and the overall feel are really hard for me to figure out."

Upon hearing Yu Shan Hideomi's words, Jiang Liu Meili raised her face, revealing her beautifully curved jawline, and said:

"The writing style refers to the writing style and narrative ability. Based on the writing style and narrative ability of Yokomizo Seishi in Gokumon Island, I gave it a high score of 90 points."

"Resonance refers to whether the author has created characters or plots that can touch people's hearts. I gave Prison Gate Island 80 points for this aspect."

"Logic and trickery are very easy to understand. Logic refers to the logic and structure of the story and whether the information is made public. Trickery refers to the core trick or whether the motive is compelling. For a classic mystery like Prison Gate Island, I gave the logic 80 points and the trickery 90 points."

"As for temperament and aftertaste, although it may sound a bit incomprehensible, it is actually not difficult to understand."

"Charm, in this context, refers to whether the author has crafted a surprising and captivating plot, or whether the author has displayed their charisma and eccentricity in the writing, leaving the reader in awe!"

"As the masterpiece of Seishi Yokomizo, the master of classic mystery novels, Gokumonjima is undoubtedly flawless in its natural charm!"

"And the aftertaste is even easier to understand. There are so many books in this world, and many books are like toilet paper after you finish reading them. They are thrown away after you finish reading them and have no memory of them. They can only be used to pass the time."

"But a book that leaves a lasting impression will be unforgettable, shining brightly in your memory even decades later!"

"Prison Gate Island is undoubtedly a prime example. Thirty-two years have passed since its publication in 1947, yet this book remains unforgettable, deserving a high score of 90!"

Jiang Liumei's six-dimensional reasoning table may seem ordinary, but to the editors of Kodansha, it was like a bombshell!

Editors actually have their own rating standards, but most of these standards are simple numerical values, such as giving the masterpiece "Prison Gate Island" a score of 10.

I'd give "The Honjin Murder Case," which is slightly weaker than "Gokumon Island" but is still a masterpiece of classic mystery, a 9.9 out of 10.

This scoring method, while very common, is not applicable to detective novels.

Because readers of mystery novels have a wide range of tastes, some focus on the writing style, some on the plot, some on the aftertaste, and there are even readers who specifically look for pure love stories in mystery novels.

Therefore, simply using numerical scores will inevitably lead to bias.

However, Jiang Liumei's "Six Dimensions of Reasoning" solved this problem almost perfectly.

Not only does it list out the six most important dimensions of a mystery novel, but it also provides a detailed evaluation of each aspect, allowing readers to see the strengths and weaknesses of the work at a glance!

Jiang Liumei took out another radar chart she had drawn herself from the table, pasted it on the whiteboard, and pointed to the radar chart on it, saying (picture):

"Don't underestimate my 'six dimensions of reasoning'."

"Because it scores from six dimensions, it is very fair and impartial. For example, this is Makoto Tendo's masterpiece, 'The Great Kidnapping,' which won the 32nd Japan Mystery Writers Association Long Novel Award last year, in 1979."

"The story of 'The Great Kidnapping' is very simple. It tells the story of a wealthy old lady who is kidnapped by three robbers who demand a huge sum of 10 billion yen."

"And it was this shocking beginning that revealed the truth: the old lady didn't want to be taxed on her inheritance, so she conspired with three robbers to stage this farcical kidnapping."

"Although Mr. Tendo's story is devoid of any tricks or logic, I can only give it two 10s."

"But the story leaves a lasting impression. Even without any trickery, it doesn't stop 'The Great Kidnapping' from becoming a bestseller, nor does it stop some people from praising it as a masterpiece of farcical mystery!"

"The fundamental reason is that Makoto Tendo won the Japan Mystery Writers Association Award thanks to his excellent comedic writing style, outstanding personal charisma, and unforgettable aftertaste!"

"That's the nature of mystery novels; if one aspect stands out exceptionally, it will be highly sought after!"

Jiang Liumei took out a translucent piece of paper and placed it on the whiteboard. She then neatly drew a hexagonal radar diagram on the clean paper and wrote the words "Astrological Murder Magic" on it.

"The same goes for *The Tokyo Zodiac Murders*, but it's not a masterpiece like *The Kidnapping* with only one or two outstanding works; it's a monster that can rival the classic mystery *Prison Gate Island*!"

Although Jiang Liumei is young, she has a strong presence. Standing in front of eleven editors, she showed no stage fright and spoke fluently for a long time.

Perhaps I've talked too much, and I'm a little thirsty.

Jiang Liumei raised her pale, faded neck, took a sip of blueberry-flavored Ramune soda, and then looked at Yushan Richen and asked:

"Mr. Yushan, after all this talk, I still don't know this teacher's name..."

Upon hearing Eri's words, Uyama Hideomi understood that Eri was crucial to getting "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders" shortlisted for the Edogawa Ranpo Award!

Thinking of all this, Uyama Hideomi immediately spoke up:

"Maishiro, Mr. Maishiro Kyosuke."

Jiang Liumei smiled and nodded, pointing to the unfinished radar map as she spoke:

"Mashiro-sensei's writing style is excellent. Not only does she create the image of the great detective Kiyoshi Mitarai as a god of wisdom, but she also describes such a complex story in a concise way."

"This mature writing style is not at all like that of a novice writer who is writing a book for the first time. Under these circumstances, I would give Ms. Wucheng's writing style 80 points."

"As for resonance..."

"Considering Tokiko's tragic experiences and her obscure motive for murder, I would give her a score of 90 for resonance."

"Logic is the weakest point in the book; I can only give it 70 points."

"But this doesn't mean that The Tokyo Zodiac Murders has poor logic. It's just that the core trick in the book is too powerful. No matter what foreshadowing was laid beforehand, it's impossible to share information fairly with the readers."

After Jiang Liumei finished speaking, a look of admiration for Maishiro Kyosuke appeared on her face.

Waving her slender arms, she drew four strokes in quick succession on the radar chart, instantly filling it in (image):

"As for the three aspects of temperament, cunning, and aftertaste, I would give them all a perfect score of 100."

"The reason is simple: Mr. Maijo Kyosuke is the most talented writer I've ever met!"

"The Astrological Murders is the most powerful trick I've ever seen!"

"I will remember for the rest of my life the pleasure I got from watching 'The Tokyo Zodiac Murders'."

"And I will never forget it, not even until I die!"