Scan barcode
arkwen452's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Readers might start this book with expectations in mind, I know I did. Just be prepared for those expectations and theories to be challenged, altered and challenged again.
Malice handles narrative manipulation and deception fairly well overall. The core of the book deals with character development, motivations, creation and interpretation. This may not be that interesting to readers who are not writers, but (as a writer as well) I enjoyed it.
The lead detective wonders through the present, the past and present while investigating the case and for an American used to the detectives who hardly do the bare minimum, I found it impressive.
And at first, I wondered why the topic of sexual assault was being thrown around rather carelessly even if it did happen in the past and there was a current murder investigation underway.
As the book progresses, readers will begin to realize the turn of direction the author has laid down and I imagine being to question their own interpretation of the narrative.
I was going to give this book a lower rating than 4 stars because I was anticipating not liking the direction of the book. But I am glad I didn't give up on the story at the 75% mark. First hand accounts are always askew and bias whether intentional or not.
And the motive behind ever action in this book proves to be more compelling than any might think.
Malice handles narrative manipulation and deception fairly well overall. The core of the book deals with character development, motivations, creation and interpretation. This may not be that interesting to readers who are not writers, but (as a writer as well) I enjoyed it.
The lead detective wonders through the present, the past and present while investigating the case and for an American used to the detectives who hardly do the bare minimum, I found it impressive.
And at first, I wondered why the topic of sexual assault was being thrown around rather carelessly even if it did happen in the past and there was a current murder investigation underway.
As the book progresses, readers will begin to realize the turn of direction the author has laid down and I imagine being to question their own interpretation of the narrative.
I was going to give this book a lower rating than 4 stars because I was anticipating not liking the direction of the book. But I am glad I didn't give up on the story at the 75% mark. First hand accounts are always askew and bias whether intentional or not.
And the motive behind ever action in this book proves to be more compelling than any might think.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Animal death and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship
outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Osamu Nonoguchi visits his friend, bestselling novelist Kunihiko Hidaka, the day before Hidaka is due to emigrate to Canada with his new wife. Later that evening, Nonoguchi receives a telephone call from Hidaka asking him to return to his home as he needs to see him again urgently. When Nonoguchi reaches the house, all the lights are off & Hidaka doesn't answer the door. Nonoguchi raises the alarm & Police Detective Kyochiro Kaga is given the case. The police find Hidaka dead on the floor of his office, with both the door to the office & the front door to the house locked from the inside. Both Nonoguchi & Hidaka's wife have alibis for the time of death. Who killed the author & why?
The reader is kept at arms length from the investigation & the characters really as the murder & circumstances are told from written confessions, notes, or interview transcriptions. It is a writing style that takes a little getting used to. The story starts off slowly but as the twists & turns of the case started to reveal themselves, I found myself needing to know what happened next. There's no gore & most of the trigger warnings below are not dealt with in a graphic way. I think I would read the next one in the series just to see how the character of Kaga develops.
The reader is kept at arms length from the investigation & the characters really as the murder & circumstances are told from written confessions, notes, or interview transcriptions. It is a writing style that takes a little getting used to. The story starts off slowly but as the twists & turns of the case started to reveal themselves, I found myself needing to know what happened next. There's no gore & most of the trigger warnings below are not dealt with in a graphic way. I think I would read the next one in the series just to see how the character of Kaga develops.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Infidelity, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Murder, and Sexual assault
a1exander's review
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Rape, Murder, Car accident, Death, Terminal illness, and Animal death
Minor: Suicide and Infidelity
fraise's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Bullying, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Animal death, and Cancer
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Stalking, Terminal illness, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Car accident, and Death
akira_outofthegravity's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is pure genius. You’ve heard of a whodunnit, and a howdunnit (Higashino’s ‘Devotion of Suspect X’) this is a whydunnit. The murderer is glaringly obvious and actually revealed within the first 100 pages, but the story is so much more. It’s a fabulously written book of misdirection, with major themes of bullying. Not everything is as clean cut as it may seem.
There are lots of twists, but there is one bit- more misdirection than a twist- that totally got me. I gasped out loud and immediately ran to tell someone the genius of this book. It’s such an incredible thing, but I absolutely was fooled, and that made this read all the more interesting.
I’ve read a lot of crime, and eventually they all start to get boring. You guess the structure, you guess who did it based on stereotypes and build ups and where they are placed in a story. This kept me guessing throughout the whole story. Every time I thought I had something, it was disproved. Keigo Higashino is one of the best crime writers ever. Not even just in Japan, but I believe internationally. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into his other novels. (I loved Suspect X)
Spoilers below!
The final twist is pure and utter genius. Having the cat, such a small detail only mentioned once, be such a huge defining factor of “Hidaka’s” personality is genius beyond belief. It truly worked on me. I was fooled because every reaction to any interaction, good or bad, from Hidaka hinged on the fact that he had killed this cat. Bad guys kill cats, but Hidaka is described as both a good and bad guy depending. How can a good guy kill an animal? Do these people know he does? I never even once suspected that he doesn’t, or wouldn’t. Higashino planted that seed of anger and disgust in me and it grew until it blocked my vision. I’m so amazed at how well it worked, even when I forgot about the cat, I was always thinking of it. Nonoguchi is a great villain, if not a pathetic one. But I suppose the great thing about crime novels is that they’re sad, no one wins. Definitely not in this one anyway. Not even Kaga.
There are lots of twists, but there is one bit- more misdirection than a twist- that totally got me. I gasped out loud and immediately ran to tell someone the genius of this book. It’s such an incredible thing, but I absolutely was fooled, and that made this read all the more interesting.
I’ve read a lot of crime, and eventually they all start to get boring. You guess the structure, you guess who did it based on stereotypes and build ups and where they are placed in a story. This kept me guessing throughout the whole story. Every time I thought I had something, it was disproved. Keigo Higashino is one of the best crime writers ever. Not even just in Japan, but I believe internationally. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into his other novels. (I loved Suspect X)
Spoilers below!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder, Animal death, Cancer, Death, and Bullying
Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
zombiezami's review against another edition
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I read this for the Popsugar reading challenge, for the prompt "a locked-door mystery." I didn't really care for this at all, so I don't think I'll be reading mysteries again in the future. I liked the style of the dialogue in general, but there was a lot more telling instead of showing. I didn't like how the only women in the book were love interests or parents with no real character traits. In any case, I'm glad to have checked this off my list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal death, Death, Bullying, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Rape, Infidelity, Cancer, Car accident, Medical content, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Excrement
Copaganda
More...