A Death in Tokyo by Keigo Higashino - Book Review

A Death in Tokyo by Keigo Higashino, Giles Murray (Translator)

Series: Kyoichiro Kaga #3

Publication Date: 13th Dec 2022

Genre: Mystery

3.8 Stars 

One Liner: A good mystery 

A mythical Japanese beast, Kirkin, stands guard over the bridge in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. A night patrolling officer finds a man staggering on the bridge only to realize he is not drunk but seriously injured and stabbed in the chest. 

The Homicide team jumps into action and soon finds a young man, Yashima, injured in an accident. He has the dead man’s wallet and becomes the prime suspect. Since he was in no position to speak, the detectives began hunting for clues. 

 Detective Kyoichiro Kaga is assigned to the district’s team to aid with the investigation. And thus begins the process of looking for clues and connecting the dots, no matter how unlikely they seem. A picture is forming, but can Kaga get enough evidence to find the killer? 

The story comes in the third-person POV of multiple characters. 

My Thoughts: 

I enjoyed Malice and Devotion of Suspect X by the author. So when this book came up on NetGalley last year, I grabbed it right away. As you can see, it took me more than a year to get to it, and only because the next and last in the series is also on my list. 

The book begins with the list of primary characters and their roles. This makes it easy to mark the characters and follow them throughout the story. 

The narration picks up pace over time and maintains a steady tempo. Detective Kaga is focused on aspects others don’t bother with, and this gives him the results. He is partnered with his cousin, and it’s interesting to see the dynamics between them. 

Though it is a police procedural, it feels more like a puzzle where it is important to know how to fit them correctly to make sense of the final picture. 

The story is set around 2010 (the original version was released in Mar 2011) in Tokyo and deals with social issues as a part of the narrative. Themes like recession, job uncertainties, scapegoating, dysfunctional families, monetary concerns, media-vulturism, etc., are used without much social commentary. 

Being a Japanese book, we also get glimpses into the native culture, religious practices, customs, etc. These make the plot more engaging. 

The reveal reads more like a report, which makes the whole thing sound almost distanced and unemotional. However, the ending is quite emotional and well done. I like where the focus is. It leaves the reader with something to think about. 

To summarize, A Death in Tokyo is a taut mystery despite a few tried and tested tropes found in the genre. I wouldn’t say I liked it as much as Malice, but Kaga’s brain works well, so no complaints! 

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s (Minotaur Books), for the eARC. 

#NetGalley