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cutenanya's review against another edition
4.0
Higashino Keigo has always been a pretty good mystery writer in Japan and he differs from the other authors because he is not confined to a single formula but tries out different styles. In Masquerade Hotel, a new series featuring Niita Kousuke and hotel receptionist Yamakishi Naomi, police deciphered a code, hinting the next murder would take place at the 5-star Hotel Cortesia. To arrest the suspect and prevent murder, Nitta, along with a small group of policemen, disguised as employees of the hotel. Yamakishi was assigned to train and support Nitta as the latter struggled to like a receptionist but she ended up helping him solve the case instead.
Masquerade Hotel is not your generic type of murder mystery where your hero or heroine is suddenly confronted with murder and somehow is thrown into a partnership with a law enforcement officer to solve the crime. Instead, it consists of a conglomerate of smaller plots from which the solution emerges. Reading Masquerade Hotel is like solving a puzzle, you don't quite see the picture until all the pieces are locked into place. The way Higashino structured the plot is extremely creative, unfortunately, the pacing is so slow that it easily erodes away the readers' interests.
Another flaw in this book is the characterization. At times, it is hard to believe an ordinary receptionist like Yamakishi has more deductive powers than experienced police officers. Of course, it is also strange Nitta will trust Yamakishi so easily and so utterly. There is a hint of romance in there but since this is the beginning of a series, perhaps we may see more of them later.
Some may find this book boring and may even DNF half way but I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to readers who don't mind trying a new style of mystery.
Masquerade Hotel is not your generic type of murder mystery where your hero or heroine is suddenly confronted with murder and somehow is thrown into a partnership with a law enforcement officer to solve the crime. Instead, it consists of a conglomerate of smaller plots from which the solution emerges. Reading Masquerade Hotel is like solving a puzzle, you don't quite see the picture until all the pieces are locked into place. The way Higashino structured the plot is extremely creative, unfortunately, the pacing is so slow that it easily erodes away the readers' interests.
Another flaw in this book is the characterization. At times, it is hard to believe an ordinary receptionist like Yamakishi has more deductive powers than experienced police officers. Of course, it is also strange Nitta will trust Yamakishi so easily and so utterly. There is a hint of romance in there but since this is the beginning of a series, perhaps we may see more of them later.
Some may find this book boring and may even DNF half way but I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to readers who don't mind trying a new style of mystery.
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