Keigo Higashino is the best selling and most widely read novelist in Japan, selling hundreds of millions of books. His biggest hit would be The Devotion of Suspect X, a massive international bestseller which won the Naoki Prize, was an Edgar Award finalist, and was filmed as a movie. Many of his works have been filmed as TV series.
Malice is deceptively simple, more of a police procedural than a mystery, as events are revealed through the two main characters conversations and journal entries. What seems a case of accidental murder by an intruder moves by turns into a story of blackmail, and adultery, and deep seeded malice.
Hidaka is a bestselling novelist, friends with Osamu who who envious of his fame. When Hidaka is found dead in a locked house, in a locked room, both Osamu and Hidaka's wife Rie cooperate with the head Detective Kaga. The investigation uncovers an affair Osamu had with his friend's previous wife, and their subsequent plan to murder Hidaka. This was many years ago, and when Hidaka learns of their plan he entraps his friend in a malicious blackmail scheme.
It might sound complicated so far, but this is the tip of the tale. Presented with the evidence of the murder plan, Osamu confesses to police he did attempt to murder Hidaka years earlier, and indeed he did finally kill Hidaka now, including a written confession to the police and media. The story he presents is hard to believe but all the facts fit ~ the police can close the case. Or, is it that simple?
I can tell you this much as it scratches the surface of the web, the mystery only begins to unfold from this point towards a finale that is both unexpected and satisfying. Being a written account of the investigation, it is rather cold and perfunctory, and I found myself wanting a little more emotion, for the story to be completely filled out. That it was written in 1996 (waiting for translated publication in 2014) shows in the absence of computers, the use of fax machines, and the fact no one has (or knows of anyone who has) a cell phone. Complex and involving, I really admired the way the author covered the theme of psychology of murder over changing narrative styles. Direct, without wasted words, and liberal clues for those who like to dig ~ right up to the last surprising turn ~ as Keigo Higashino takes out his scissors to curl the bow completing his neat little package.
Solid.
1996 / Hardcover / 276 pages
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