A JIGSAW JONES MYTERY

JIGSAW JONES シリーズ第１巻

今回ご紹介するシリーズ本は、JIGSAWパｚｚｚｚｚル好き(当方 ｚ 好き)の少年探偵が活躍する、本格派ミステリーです。

アガサ・クリスティーやヴァン・ダインにも匹敵する「本格ミステリー」です、おそらく。
Missing Hamster で微笑んでいると、本編を読まれて、彼の真価に驚愕されるでしょう。

何といいましても、彼のＯＦＦＩＣＥが、最大の好感ポイントです


シリーズ１８巻　表紙
裏庭にあるtree houseの OFFICE です。

そのOFFICEのお話から、物語は始まります。

彼の独白（一人称）で語られていますので、会話部分だけでなく、全体の文章がナチュラルな英会話の好適な素材とも言える読み物でしょう。
こういう児童書を数多く読むと、ちょっと大げさですが、英会話的には、ＴＩＭＥより実際の役に立つかとも思います。

では、JIGSAW JONES 君の一人語りを、少しだけですが、読んでいただきましょう。


再掲　第１巻


Chapter One
Jigsaw Jones, Private Eye

☆☆
It was Sunday afternoon,4:36 P.M. I was in my office on dirty side of town. Okay, actually I was in my tree house in the backyard.
But it had a wooden sign that read OFFICE.

And it was dirty. But that's no big deal.
When you are in my line of work, you get used to a little dirt.

No I don't make mud cakes for a living. I'm a detective. For a dollar a day, I make problems go away.

I was working on my new " Life in the Jurassic " jigsaw puzzle. It wasn't going great. Okay, it was going crummy.

My dog, Rags, yapped below. I told him to be quiet. Rag kept on barking. It was one of those days.
※
one of those days
ついていない日、悪い日　A bad day.
ex. I'm sorry I was rude earlier. I'm just having one of those days.


Suddenly a voice called out, " Hey, Jigsaw, you up there ? "
※
you up there （上のオフィスに）いるか？



My next-door neighbor, Wingnut O'brien. His real name was Timothy, but everyone called him Wingnut because of hi ears. They were three size too big for his head.

Wingnut didin't mind his nickname. In fact, he liked it. mind his nickname. In fact, he liked it. Wingnut was proud of his oversize ears. They made him feel special.

Go figure. I thought they made him look...well... like a Wingnut.

" What are you up to ? " Wingnut asked.
" Oh, about ten feet, " I answered.
※
ジョークです

Wingnut looked down. " Oh,yeah, " he said.

Wingnut was six years old, a year younger than me. He wore blue jeans, a hockey jersey, and a frown.

※
he wore frown　実際に着るものだけなく、身にまとう感じ・表情・状態にも、よくwear が使われる

" Listen, Jigsaw, I've got a problem, " Wingnut said.

※
I've got は、何にでもよくつかわれる表現です。have got a problem （ちょっと）困っているんだ　(got抜きの) had a ploblem（困ったな） もよく使います。

" I make ploblem go away." (：解決してやるよ) I answered.
" But it'll cost you. You know my rate: I get a dollar a day.

WIngnut's eyes started to water.

※
started to water 直感でわかりますが、tears を使わないシャレた言い方ですね。

Oh, brother. I handed him a box of kleenex. In this line of work, you see a lot of tears.
It pays to keep Kleenex aroundー especially if you don't have the stomach to watch somebody slobber all over his new hockey jersey.

Wingnut looked at me with sad, pitiful eyes. Between sobs and sighs, he sputtered, " Hermie's gone. "

Hermie was Wingnut' golden hamstar. It looked like this might be a job for Jigsaw Jones.
Business had been slow and I need the cash. Puzzles don't grow on trees, you know.

See, I've been solving problems in my neighborhoodーand at schoolーever since kindergarten.
I was in second grade now, in Ms.Gleason's class.
But some things never change.
There were always ploblemーmissing cupcakes, stolen baseball mitts, lost hamsters.

There will always be a need for me: Jigsaw Jones, Private Eye.

☆
まだ本編の問題解決編に至っていませんが、この第１章で、皆さんも、彼：JIGSAW JONES 君に、好感を持っていただけたかと思います。

ここまでで、５頁、ですが、全編は、７６頁あります。けっこう、読み応えがあるんですね。
というのも、彼の捜査は、いきあたりばったりではなく、本格派なんです。
例.

手書きの部分が読みにくいのですが、証拠固め＆推理に抜かりはありません。

☆☆

再掲　第１８巻

もう一冊、冒頭で出しました１８巻のなかから、JIGSAW JONES 君の、家族とのひとときを、ご紹介しておきたいと思います。

本編ミステリーとは、あまり関係ないのですが、この物語は、Jigaw 君の日常活動誌的部分もあり、そこもほほえましいのですね。
けっこう大家族なのですが、彼は、家族からも、Jigaw と呼ばれています。この中では、彼の以外？な側面も、少し出てきます。面白いのですが・・・。

" Jigsaw, take off that hat at the breakfast table, " my mother ordered.

" This was Lightning Lou's hat, " I protested.
※
Lightning Lou's hat　
Lightning Lou さん、というのは、世界中を旅して動物を記録したりしている人で、今回、Jigsaw の学校にやってきた、この物語のキーパーソンで、ヘビを肩にのせて、幅広のヨレヨレ帽子をかぶり、Cri-key　が口癖の人です。

こんな人です。ここには、black bear を探しにきました。

話を戻します。

" Not at the table " my mother insisted.

Oldies. Cri-key.
They have this thing about hats and tables that I will never understand. What's the big deal ?
Besides, I wasn't keen as mustard to eat breakfast in the first place.

Grams say I'm a fussy eater. My mom says I'm just imposible.
But my dad never complains.
He just say, " I was the same way when I was growing up. "

" You are not helping, " my mother complained.

" It's the truth, " my dad replied. " When I was a kid, I wouldn't have eaten a blueberry pancake if you paid me. "

I nodded in agreement. That's what I liked about my dad. He was once a boy himself. He understands.

" Theodore, " my mother said (She always calls me Theodore when she's unhappy.)
" Grams made these delicious pancakes as a special treat. You should at least try one. You might like it.

" But I don't like blueberry pancakes, " I said.

" Why not ?"

" They have blueberries in them, " I reasoned.

"Duh, " my sister Hillary commented.
" That's what they call them blueberry pancakes, Einstein. "

I gave her the evil eye. Hillary smirked, " Don't stare at me, zombie face. "

" I picked these blueberries fresh last season, " Grams said. She flipped another pancake.
" I froze them so we could enjoy bkueberries all year long. They are delicious, Jigsaw ! "
She popped one into her mouth and made a big show out of how wonderful it tasted.

I wasn't buying.
※
wasn't buying その手にはのらない、同意しない


" Take a bite, " my mother insisted.

I clamped my mouth shut.

" Or no puzzle for a week. "

So that's how it was going to be.
Blackmail, the　oldest game in the book.
※
blackmail　脅迫

" Just one bite ? " I asked.

" Yes, one bite, " she answered.

I slowly lifted the fork toward my mouth.
But for some reason, my mouth wouldn't open.

" Eat it, Theodore, " Hillary said.

" I'm trying, " I mumbled through locked lips. I wanted to tell my mom how sometimes a mouth does whatever it wants.
But I couldn't because my mouth didn't want to talk about it.

" Hey, Jigsaw ! Telephone ! " my oldest brother, Billy , called from the next room.

" It's a girl ! "

" A girl ? " I said, dropping my fork.

" She says it's an emergency, " Billy replied.

" I'll take it in my office, " I announced.
Happily, my mouth seemed to be working again.
I grabbed the portable phone and climbed into the tree house in my backyard.

" Jigsaw Jones, private eye, " I spoke into the phone.
" For a dollar a day, I make ploblems go away. "

どうやら、間一髪で、電話に救われたようですね。彼が、ブルベリーパイを食べる日が来るのかは、１９巻以降に委ねられました。

ちなみに、この巻には、こんな頁も出てきます。


答えがないので、よくわからないのですが、スラングとも思えないのもあるのですけれども、ですね。

☆☆
肝心のミステリー＆解決部分は、サッパリご紹介できず、彼の大活躍をほとんどお知らせできなかったのが残念ですが、
そこは、本を読んでいただきますと、ご納得いただけると思います。

A JIGSAW JONES MISTERY シリーズ、
どの名探偵シリーズにもひけをとらない、楽しい物語と思います。

まずは一冊、春のピクニックのお供などに、いかがでしょうか。

タグ：JIGSAW JONES やさしい洋書

コメント 4

コメントの受付は締め切りました

足立sunnyさん、こんにちは。
A JIGSAW JONES MISTERY シリーズ、おもしろそうですね。読みたくなってきました。
クリスティやヴァン・ダインにも匹敵する「本格ミステリ」と言われたら尚更です(笑)
今度探してみます。
by 柚季 (2012-03-19 16:11) 

柚季さんへ。
確かに面白いとは思うのですが、ちょっと大物を出しすぎたかなあ、と思わないでもないところですが。
ヴァン・ダインを出すのは、マニアックかとつい思ったのです。
まあ、ですね、「ネート　ザ　グレート」君に比べると、ぐっと本格なのですが、ですね。やさしい英語の本と本格は両立しにくいですね。
by 足立sunny (2012-03-20 16:11) 

マチャさんへ。
だいぶ以前にお話いたしました、ジグソーパズル好きのジクソージョーンズ君です。他の面白い物語を、もっと出さなければ、と思います次第です。
by 足立sunny (2012-05-15 00:24) 

musselwhiteさんへ。
ようこそお越しくださいました。現在、寿司屋の出前よろしく（当方の実家は寿司屋です）、次回作を、鋭意作成中ですので、何卒よしなにお願いします。
by 足立sunny (2012-05-15 00:30)