"Hotel Europa: The New Murders" is the fourth case arc in the "The (37-year-old) Kindaichi Case Files" spin-off series of The Kindaichi Case Files.
Having been enlisted for a job contract for a stage theatrical production in the same European-style hotel in Hakodate where a serial murder case took place twenty years ago, Kindaichi, now with Marin in tow, travels to the hotel in question to help the performers and the crew members for the upcoming performance. Due to having had to solve a serial murder mystery case there in the past, Kindaichi is wary of the possibility of a potential murder case occurring there again. His bad feeling soon proves to be true, as a serial murder case does take place there.
Tropes include:
- Accidental Murder: The culprit's lover was a victim in the "two people have a fight near stairs and one of them falls to their death" scenario. While it's played with in the sense that she didn't die directly from the fall itself, she might as well have been counted as being dead in the culprit's perspective since she suffered from brain hemorrhage after the fall and remained comatose right up to her dying moment.
- All Part of the Show: Averted. The audience starts reacting realistically when some of the actors are Killed Off for Real on stage during the performance.
- And I Must Scream: The culprit's lover has suffered this fate after the fall from stairs that resulted in brain hemorrhage three years ago, as she has been rendered vegetative since then, unable to even blink, much less to move any part of her body voluntarily. In the present day, her condition still persists right up until the case arc is near conclusion, in which she has just died.
- Babies Ever After:
- Played straight when Itsuki confides to Kindaichi that his adopted daughter is now a married 30-year-old with children of her own, though precisely how many is not specified.
- Tragically subverted with the culprit and his fiancee, the latter of whom was five months in her pregnancy when she fell from a staircase and became comatose for life due to brain hemorrhage three years ago, with the fetus dying shortly afterwards.
- Big Damn Reunion: This case arc marks the first time Kindaichi meets Reika and Itsuki, if separately, after the 20-year Time Skip.
- Downer Beginning: This case arc starts with the police investigating the scene where the struggling musician who was once a Teen Idol has been found dead.
- Evil Gloating: The culprit, in his confession to Kindaichi and Itsuki, gleefully discloses that he had the chance to give a Motive Rant, if calmly, to the final intended target as the latter was on the verge of death and finishes the speech right before the victim takes his final breath.His pale face back then... was truly unforgettable!
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Kindaichi has a brief moment of Oh, Crap! expression during Summation Gathering when describing the culprit as being possibly a genius, as the realization that the culprit might have had the backing of a criminal mastermind as The Chessmaster pulling the strings from behind the scenes kicks in right at that second.
- Fatal Method Acting: In-Universe. One of the victims dies on stage during the stage play performance, and it turns out the murderer had shot said victim while hiding behind the curtain on the stage background, as Kindaichi reveals during Summation Gathering.
- He Knows Too Much: The culprit murders the initial victim in order to make sure the serial murder plot would proceed smoothly, as the initial victim had been the informant regarding the ones the culprit targets.If I'd let him slip, he'd have immediately suspected me.
- History Repeats: Just as Kindaichi had to solve a serial murder case in Hotel Europa 20 years ago, now he finds himself involved in another serial murder case in the same location. Kindaichi is all too aware of this prospect and none too happy about it.
- Hookers and Blow: In the backstory, which happened three years ago, the culprit's lover was roommate of one of the culprit's main targets, who used to have sex parties and use drugs. They eventually became bored and decided to seek out new prey, and the culprit's lover was the most easily accessible choice. She was injected with drugs by them and tried to escape, but one of the party attendants caught up with her. In the ensuing struggle, she fell from a staircase and suffered badly for it. Fearing that their acts of debauchery would ruin their careers, they ran away to create alibis for themselves instead of calling for help.
- Motive Rant: As the case arc is wrapping up, the culprit confesses to Kindaichi and Itsuki that he had made one last taunt to the final murder victim right as the victim was briefly awake, confessing from the taunting statement that the culprit had personally murdered everyone who had been targeted in this murder case, with the dying victim being the final target, and the reason behind his murders being that a girl said murder victims had ruined because of their actions and inaction was none other than the culprit's own fiancee, with the culprit's closing sentence being to tell the final victim to die feeling the same despair that the culprit's own fiancee felt.
- My Card: Both Itsuki and Reika hand out their own business card during their post-Time Skip introduction.
- Not What It Looks Like: Played for Laughs. While the murder case is ongoing, someone knocks on the door during Kindaichi and Marin's discussion over the alibis (or lack thereof) among the surviving participants, and in walks Itsuki, who sees Marin in pajamas.Itsuki: [turns around] Sorry for intruding, you two.
Kindaichi: No, no! You're intruding nothing!
Itsuki: [turns back to face Kindaichi with a puzzled expression] Are you sure? - One-Steve Limit: Averted in this case arc since there are two characters named Ryuji. That being said, one of them is the initial murder victim who's pronounced dead at the Downer Beginning without managing to introduce himself to others and usually referred to by his stage name anyway.
- Pen Name: At the end of Kindaichi's Summation Gathering, he surmises that the author for the screen play that the culprit has been employing for the serial murder might be the culprit's accomplice, only for the culprit to claim to be the author of said screenplay. It's only after further digging by Itsuki, who also informs the culprit of the recent death of the culprit's lover to the shock of Kindaichi and the culprit alike, that the culprit finally reveals that his recently-deceased lover was the actual author behind the screenplay, albeit with a pseudonym.
- Police Are Useless: Downplayed. The superintendent in this case firmly believes Kindaichi to be the mastermind behind the cases he helps to solve and, therefore, is suspicious towards Kindaichi, though he averts becoming an Inspector Javert by not pursuing Kindaichi on false charges. He also manages to deduce that the cause of the initial victim's death is Never Suicide correctly, only to fall for the actual murderer's Deceased Fall-Guy Gambit later on, which requires Kindaichi to find the real evidence that sets the record straight.
- Race Against the Clock: When Kindaichi requests that he be allowed to assist in the investigation, the superintendent agrees... but adds the caveat that he intends to wrap up the crime scene investigation by midnight and sends everyone on their way the next morning, leaving Kindaichi with hours at most to gather enough information to solve the case. He still manages it, though.
- Reactive Continuous Scream: Just as Itsuki starts to divulge in the details of a rumor about Hakodate to Kindaichi and Saki, a hand suddenly rests upon Kindaichi's shoulder and causes him to jump and scream, which causes the other person to scream in reaction, before Kindaichi turns around and finds Marin looking at him with a startled expression.Marin: What's going on, Manager? You startled me!
Kindaichi: Ms. Hayama! You shouldn't tap on my shoulder so suddenly! - Recycled In Space: In-Universe. The stage play that is set to take place early in this case arc is based on a civil war that happened in Hakodate long ago, but with a more sci-fi gimmick.
- Sequel Hook: As the case arc is ending, Kindaichi receives his next job, this time being a resort hotel monitoring subcontract, with Marin as his partner yet again. Kindaichi's bad feeling immediately emerges.Kindaichi: *thinking to himself* I have a bad premonition! I hope nothing bad takes place during the event!
- The Show Must Go Wrong: Invoked/Enforced. Two among the thespians for the stage play are killed during performance (one of them on stage, at that), resulting in the play being cut short and the audience being refunded. As Kindaichi reveals during The Summation, the culprit actually intends to use the stage play to carry out murders on two of the targeted people, which went exactly as the murderer desired.
- Starving Artist: The culprit's initial victim was once in the same Teen Idol group as some of the culprit's primary targets before breaking off for a solo career in music, but his career move got him closer to bankruptcy than to success. Part of the culprit's "befriending" him was by providing him financial assistance in exchange for what information he could share about his former group members, specifically about a drug-related sex party that involved a girl, who, unbeknownst to others, was actually the culprit's beloved.
- Tampering with Food and Drink: The initial victim is killed via poisoned wine the culprit prepares for him. He also Dies Wide Open.
- Teen Idol: Some of the stage performers are a group of actors in their 20's, and one is thirty years old. All of those entertainers have fan girls screaming in awe at the sight of them.
- Tempting Fate: The culprit reveals in his backstory of the time when he happily accepted his fiancee informing him of her pregnancy and joyfully claimed that they'd become one happy family after his own one-year contract ends, but this hope turned into a Tragic Dream after she became comatose one month later.
- Tragic Dream: The culprit had planned to settle down with his beloved and raise a family with her three years ago, but the case that left her comatose for life made sure that his dream would never come true.
