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jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-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
4.5
I wish all the Detective Kaga books had been translated into English and could be read in order. It feels like something is missing, some connection between the books is lost when the series is incomplete. Either that or the styles of the first three books in translation really are quite different and the differences are deliberate.
Unlike the first two, this book shows Kaga as smug and vain, lording it over his partner who hasn’t figured things out as quickly. When his partner asks what’s going on, Kaga repeatedly answers with some version of “You’ll see….” It’s disturbing when, up till now, we’ve seen him as more honorable.
This book was more informative than the others - we learn more about the city of Tokyo, the mythology of kirin, the history of shrines, and the rites around mourning and religious observances. Several times the detectives comment that a murder is like a cancer - it grows and grows, killing and destroying long after the murder itself has been solved. The novel is good at showing how destructive that cancer is.
I would love to read more by Higashino. He’s incredibly prolific. I can only hope more of his books are translated into English. The fourth in the translated Kaga series is coming out soon but I want *all* the books!
Unlike the first two, this book shows Kaga as smug and vain, lording it over his partner who hasn’t figured things out as quickly. When his partner asks what’s going on, Kaga repeatedly answers with some version of “You’ll see….” It’s disturbing when, up till now, we’ve seen him as more honorable.
This book was more informative than the others - we learn more about the city of Tokyo, the mythology of kirin, the history of shrines, and the rites around mourning and religious observances. Several times the detectives comment that a murder is like a cancer - it grows and grows, killing and destroying long after the murder itself has been solved. The novel is good at showing how destructive that cancer is.
I would love to read more by Higashino. He’s incredibly prolific. I can only hope more of his books are translated into English. The fourth in the translated Kaga series is coming out soon but I want *all* the books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Suicide attempt
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