Invisible Helix

We found Invisible Helix to be somewhat similar to the final Kaga novel. Both rely heavily on themes of mother-child relationships, abandoned children, and "messy" revelations about the background of their sleuths. In this case, however, there is a layer of deception added to one of relationships that leads Yukawa to intervene in the case for his own reasons. There wasn't too much of a mystery in the case involving the murder, but it was actually endearing to see some of the personal and admirable traits of Yukawa. Readers also glimpsed that side of his character in his willingness to teach a child about science and his involvement in that case, or even his involvement in the murder in Silent Parade. It was likewise endearing to see Kusanagi learn more about Yukawa's family. The two seemed to have become friendlier again, with even Utsumi also seeming closer than usual to Yukawa. 

Silent Parade

Keigo Higashino's Silent Parade was full of the plot twists and suspense one expects from the mystery genre, but is a more meandering effort than usual. It was perhaps extended for an extra 50 or so pages longer than necessary, although this case has a more meaningful resolution than A Mid-Summer Equation. Anyway, this time Yukawa, or Detective Galileo, has returned from the United States and is working out of a Tokyo neighborhood or suburb called Kikuno. Whilst there, he reconnects with his old friend, Kusanagi, and his subordinate, Utsumi. As we all know, Yukawa gets dragged into yet another case. This time, it involves a remarkable criminal whose refusal to speak allows him to get away with murder on two occasions. Although this requires suspension of disbelief to accept (but Japanese criminal law is perhaps quite different here), the killer, Hasunuma, eventually becomes a murder victim himself. The identity of the killers is not quite a mystery here, but rather the question of how the murder was done and by whom in a large group leads to some surprising revelations! Throughout his involvement int he case, Yukawa actually became, to some extent, part of the Kikuno community. As a regular at the Namiki-ya restaurant run by the family of one of Hasunuma's victims, one begins to appreciate Yukawa's community involvement and his unique sense of justice. For fans of the series, Yukawa even refers to one of his earlier cases in which he helped Kusanagi close another baffling case. This shows what may be some kind of emotional growth in Yukawa whose presence in the community of Kukuno shows another side.

A Midsummer's Equation

A Midsummer's Equation by Keigo Higashino was an intriguing read. More ambitious than the previous entries in the Detective Galileo series for its huge cast of characters, it also features Yukawa visiting a small town on the coast. Therefore, a task force involving the local police, prefectural detectives, and Tokyo detectives Kusanagi and Utsumi are working to solve the murder of a retired detective from Tokyo in the town of Hari Cove. In addition, several other characters, including a 5th grader and possible suspects in the case have short chapters showing their perspective on events in the novel. In some cases, it felt a little excessive, although the use of Kyohei, the 5th grader, was humorous and included a number of important clues to the mystery. We will never forget Yukawa lecturing this child about science or helping him with his summer homework, either. Overall, this is yet another Detective Galileo mystery in which the detectives must search deeper in the past of those involved in a murder to close the case. In this novel, things are not so cut and dried, and there is a deeper meaning to many of Yukawa's interactions with Narumi, Kyohei and others. The largest flaw was perhaps never divulging a more plausible motive for one of the characters heavily involved in the case. It would probably have been even more effective if fewer characters received their short chapters detailing their actions...Of course, we were glad to see the author avoided one of the easier endings possible for a heart-wrenching tale such as this one...

Salvation of a Saint

After reading Keigo Higashino's Salvation of a Saint, we are still unsure of our commitment to reading all of the Detective Galileo series. Like the previous novel, it is quite clear who the murderer is, but Kusanagi and other Tokyo detectives consult physics professor Yukawa to uncover the "trick" used by the killer. In this case, unlike The Devotion of Suspect X, we were able to correctly guess at least part of the method used by the killer to hide crucial evidence. So, in some respects, Salvation of a Saint was less suspenseful. Moreover, Yukawa only appears in the novel almost 1/3 of the way through, making Kusanagi and junior detective Utsumi even more important for carrying the plot. Fortunately, Utsumi as the bright female detective who, in some ways, is more observant than her male superiors yet still draws on "feminine intuition" at times, challenges Kusanagi's urge to clear the only real suspect from suspicion. It's similar to Kishitani in the first novel in the series, but Utsumi seems to be much sharper and intelligent. Indeed, her competition of sorts with Kusanagi over the primary suspect responsible for the poisoning of Mashiba is what actually draws Yukawa into the narrative. Yukawa, who is a bit distant from Kusanagi, is hilariously condescending and relentlessly logical to great effect. But it is ultimately something done by an emotional Kusanagi which actually helps resolve the case. Overall, this is far less shocking or clever than The Devotion of Suspect X, but we will continue reading the series.

The Devotion of Suspect X

Keigo Higashino's The Devotion of Suspect X has kindled our interest in his Detective Galileo series. After reading the somewhat depressing last Kaga mystery, this series promises some interesting twists on the mystery genre. Like Malice, the reader quickly learns who is the killer, but the twist at the end about how the crime's true nature was hidden was quite ingenious. Careful attention to details from the beginning of the novel, of course, would make it rather obvious what transpired. But as a character study and intriguing investigation, The Devotion of Suspect X is full of suspense and intriguing turns. One only wishes Yukawa, the physicist friend of the lead detective and the titular Detective Galileo, was a stronger presence. We prefer mystery novels with the sleuth more foregrounded. Nonetheless, the novel succeeded overall, even if the ending was rather predictable. As usual, its prose is rather straight-forward, the narrative is engaging, and the city of Tokyo or its various wards feels like another character in the story. The only problem was the typos in the English translation, although none were enough to mar understanding. There may also be an inconsistency with Ishigami's character. We swear that in one of the early chapters, he said that he did not have a cellular phone. But in the second half of the novel, he uses a cell phone to make a call while on the campus of the high school he teaches at...

The Final Curtain

Keigo Higashino's The Final Curtain was actually somewhat underwhelming. Like his other mysteries featuring Kaga as protagonist, this one emphasizes emotional trauma and turmoil. The big theme here is relationships between parents and their children, with the allure of The Final Curtain coming from its revelation of Kaga's own past. This was, naturally, a major reason we had to read the entire novel. But, the actual mystery here was less interesting. There was only one real suspect(s?), but uncovering what actually happened in the case of a double homicide in Tokyo forces Kaga, and his son, to delve into the past of Kaga's mother and a theater director. Perhaps due to the personal emphasis on Kaga's mother, this novel was a little longer than the other ones we have read by Higashino (about 390 pages). Instead of the suspense driving us to read it all in one go, we actually found our interest waning as it became increasingly predictable how the case would close. 

Newcomer

Keigo Higashino's Newcomer was yet another mystery novel we devoured in a day. Featuring the brilliant detective Kaga working out of the precinct in Nihonbashi, the book consists of a series of chapters offering vignettes into the lives of various residents and businesses in the neighborhood of the victim. Kaga appears to be loving his new neighborhood as he investigates various tiny details about the victim, her background, and the places in the area she frequented. Along the way, Kaga helps with the emotional impact of the murder on the people who knew the victim and those who barely knew her. This novel features some rather strong scenes or chapters in which the victim's ex-husband and son discover things about themselves and their family that they never knew. It was suspenseful and written in a way that truly highlights the uniqueness of this Tokyo neighborhood. However, the novel could have added more clues along the way for the reader to more easily guess the identity of the killer. It wrapped up nicely and made sense, but because not all characters are introduced earlier in the novel, it feels a bit cheap when the killer's identity was revealed...

Malice

Keigo Higashino's Malice is a whydunit page-turner we read in one night. Short, breezy yet very suspenseful, this murder mystery focuses entirely on motive. It's pretty clear who the culprit is in this story, but understanding his motives for killing Hidaka becomes a mystery in itself. The culprit has constructed a series of lies and planted evidence about why he committed the deed. In uncovering the truth of this case, our sleuth, Kyoichiro Kaga must confront his own demons from his stint as a teacher and explore the theme of bullying and pure "malice" that accompanied it in the childhood of the victim and killer. Like the other novel by this author that we've read, we suspect that a keen interest in the emotional and psychological state of murderers is a key part of the writer's interest in the genre. It allows him to deconstruct the murder mystery and focus on other elements like the "why" of it all. In this case, it largely succeeded, despite our initial reservations. The story is full of just enough misdirects, intrigue, suspense, and emotionally-charged episodes to retain our interest.