I ashamedly got this 3 years ago before I had even read death note but I can now finally pick it up after easing the manga! I was incredibly impressed with the quality of this novel! For a spin-off prequel story it was amazingly developed and witty, with an actually decent plot line that added more depth to the main manga series as well. This Japanese writer has the best sense of humour and despite the properly serous and dark tone of the storyline, I found myself laughing way too many times than I should have... I really enjoyed the whole shabang and I’m was totally convinced that Rue Ryuzaki was 100% L and was genuinely surprised when proved wrong at the end. I enjoyed having Mello as the narrator as it gave some extra details to his character and personality and I would definitely pick up another death note spin-off if any are made in the future!

Originally posted on RED Book Reviews.

Story: An FBI agent on suspension, Naomi Misora, is called upon by the great detective "L" to help solve an unusual series of murders. A prequel of sorts to the manga series Death Note.

Thoughts: The worst thing about this book was the stupid names. Perhaps Nisiosin is not familiar with American culture? Because the majority of the people had names like "Beyond Birthday" and "Quarter Queen" and one of the worst: "Backyard Bottomslash". This was supposed to be a mostly serious story, but every time someone's name was mentioned, it completely took me out of the story.

Otherwise it was quite good, I suppose. It was interesting to get more insight into L's past and character. The mystery was not bad--I didn't actually guess the answer. Most reviews I've read seem to have praised it fairly highly, so it's hard to tell whether my lack of great interest is purely a result of the terrible distraction caused by the names.

Where do I start? There are so many things to talk about.
Let's talk about Mello being the narrator. I must confess that I was very excited when I found out the fact in the first few pages. My excitement arose from my fondness towards Mello. But, unfortunately, him being the narrator did not make any sense nor made the narrating any different.
The story told in Another Note takes place in 2002, L dies in 2004. Mello was 15 when L died, and he was still in Wammy's House. So, when did L see Mello and tell him the story about Beyond Birthday and 2 others? It does not make sense.
In the book, Mello speaks as if the battle between L and Kira was over. Of course, he might be referring to L being dead. But he made it sound like he was writing all this after everything was over and everyone knew who Kira was. But he did not actually see Kira die. He died 2 days before Kira did. So, when actually did Mello write Another Note?
Now let's move on to the plot. Misora meets a guy under the name of Ryuzaki. His manners and his appearance are described exactly like L from the manga. Us readers automatically assume that she met L. But at the end of the book, it is revealed that she did not meet L, in fact she met B. But B never met L... So how does he copy L's appearance or manners? He couldn't.
Also throughout the book Misora and Ryuzaki (I mean B) work together to solve the three crimes B has commited. Most of the time, Misora was led by Ryuzaki to find the answers. Even the smallest stuff, she needed Ryuzaki's help. I was frustrated because that's not the image she represented in the manga. She was originally portrayed as a very clever woman. Her needing Ryuzaki's help in every step she took did not make sense. (I must add that I actually liked the setup of the crimes. I only did not like the way they were solved.)
And at the end of the story, Misora saves B from death and then they lock him in a prison. However, he dies of a mysterious heart attack on 21st of January, 2004. Now, what does this mean? It is obviously implying that someone wrote his name in a Death Note. But, who? Who could write his name? Light? He didn't have anything to do with B. Misa? Again, has nothing to do with B. So who else? ...L? The first time L touches a Death Note is after Higuchi's death and he died 8 months after B's death. So who killed B? I don't see any logical explanation.
As I read more reviews of this book, I come across more illogical stuff that's been thrown in it. For example, Mello states in this book that Misora saved L a few more years, but L actually dies (more or less) a year after all this Kira thing started. So what "few" years are we talking about? I didn't notice this when I read the book but now that I checked it I see that it is true.
All in all, this book was a disappointment in many ways. I'm sad that it is so. It had the potential of being something majestic just like the manga itself, but no. I wish more time and effort were put into this, because this is a Death Note novel and it deserves more attention.

3.5
3 for like, actual murder mystery business.
4 for being part of the Death Note Lore in a way that's a really enjoyable addition to the main story.