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A review by danubooks
A Death in Tokyo by Keigo Higashino
5.0
A stunning and intriguing mystery
A police officer watches a man stagger onto a bridge and collapse. At first the officer assumes the man is inebriated, but discovers upon approaching him that he has a knife in his chest and is in fact dead. As the police search for the original crime scene, where the victim was stabbed, they find a young man nearby who runs away from them and is hit by a car. This young man, Yashima, has the dead man’s wallet on his person, but is comatose by the time he arrives at the hospital. A seemingly open-and-shut case, but one with more questions than answers. Enter Tokyo police detective Kaga, known for his keen abilities in solving crimes although not beloved by his bosses. Since the suspect, the “who”, can not be questioned and no one can ascertain why the victim, an upstanding businessman, was in the area where the crime was committed, Kaga searches to find the answers to the questions to other questions. What was the motive for the killing? Why did the victim expend the effort to move himself onto the bridge? Working with his younger cousin, Kaga quietly and painstakingly pursues the truth.
This, the third in a series featuring Kaga, is not a story full of explosions or car chases, foul language or grandstanding. Here the detective is an intelligent observer of human nature, one who uses his knowledge of the area and its inhabitants to his advantage while always upholding the dignity of all who cross his path. It is brilliantly written and a compelling read, and it is not necessary to have read the earlier two books in the series (I hadn’t, though I plan to rectify that omission soon). I recommend it highly, and thank Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy.
A police officer watches a man stagger onto a bridge and collapse. At first the officer assumes the man is inebriated, but discovers upon approaching him that he has a knife in his chest and is in fact dead. As the police search for the original crime scene, where the victim was stabbed, they find a young man nearby who runs away from them and is hit by a car. This young man, Yashima, has the dead man’s wallet on his person, but is comatose by the time he arrives at the hospital. A seemingly open-and-shut case, but one with more questions than answers. Enter Tokyo police detective Kaga, known for his keen abilities in solving crimes although not beloved by his bosses. Since the suspect, the “who”, can not be questioned and no one can ascertain why the victim, an upstanding businessman, was in the area where the crime was committed, Kaga searches to find the answers to the questions to other questions. What was the motive for the killing? Why did the victim expend the effort to move himself onto the bridge? Working with his younger cousin, Kaga quietly and painstakingly pursues the truth.
This, the third in a series featuring Kaga, is not a story full of explosions or car chases, foul language or grandstanding. Here the detective is an intelligent observer of human nature, one who uses his knowledge of the area and its inhabitants to his advantage while always upholding the dignity of all who cross his path. It is brilliantly written and a compelling read, and it is not necessary to have read the earlier two books in the series (I hadn’t, though I plan to rectify that omission soon). I recommend it highly, and thank Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy.