The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel), Vol. 1

Actual rating: 2.5★

Yeah, this was a somewhat interesting read that didn't quite grab me. After saving a beautiful stranger from a group of drunks, Nakata Seigi is hired as a part-time worker at Jewelry Étranger. His boss is the titular Jeweler Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian, who is so beautiful he would put any top-ranking host to shame. From there, they encounter various cases related to all sorts of gemstones.

Clearly, I picked this up because of the mystery aspect. Each chapter features a different jewel, as well as people with different stories and backgrounds related to the gemstone. Sadly, the cases are often laid out in a flat tone and lack any depth, so reading about them brings no joy or satisfaction. It's really unfortunate, because some of these cases deal with realistic and modern issues in society, and yet it feels like it failed to reach its maximum potential. Like it could've been so much better.

Anyway, if you like chill, cozy mysteries that are rather light and on the smaller scale, you might like this book. But it's not for me, and not even an absurdly beautiful Englishman would change that.