Discussion for The Devotion of Suspect X

[Diane , Armchair Tour Guide]

Start discussion here for The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino.


About the Book
Yasuko lives a quiet life, working in a Tokyo bento shop, a good mother to her only child. But when her ex-husband appears at her door without warning one day, her comfortable world is shattered.

When Detective Kusanagi of the Tokyo Police tries to piece together the events of that day, he finds himself confronted by the most puzzling, mysterious circumstances he has ever investigated. Nothing quite makes sense, and it will take a genius to understand the genius behind this particular crime...


About the Author

Born in Osaka and currently living in Tokyo, Keigo Higashino is one of the most widely known and bestselling novelists in Japan. He is the winner of the Edogawa Rampo Prize (for best mystery), the Mystery Writers of Japan, Inc. Prize (for best mystery) among others. His novels are translated widely throughout Asia.

[Bela]

This book was on my shelf for a couple of months. Finally I have an incentive to pick it up now. Looking forward to discussions with fellow readers.

[Laurie]

I am listening to this on audio, which I like for the pronunciation of names and places. So far I am enjoying the book, but of course I am very interested to see if the police figure out the murderer or not.

[Bela]

I finished with the book last week. It was a very different kind of who-dun-it where we already know who committed the crime. The beauty lies in the treatment of the story. Just when you thought you had all figured it out, wham! There’s a twist at the end!! I don’t want to give out any more spoilers, but the climax was totally unexpected. And heart wrenching too. My heart went out to Ishigami. I really enjoyed the book and hope to pick up more of Japanese thrillers

[Laurie]

I finished the book today, and I was fairly underwhelmed. The reviews are typically glowing, but it fell flat for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters, even Ishigami at the end. He was so stoic and unemotional throughout that it was hard to feel his terrible pain. The twist was completely unexpected but it wasn't enough to save this story from being very mediocre for me.

I love police procedurals and have read many, but I'm not sure if will try this author again, especially since this novel is considered one of his best. I'm not sorry I read it and I would still recommend it to mystery lovers since my blasé reaction is out of the norm.

[Carol]

Laurie wrote: "I finished the book today, and I was fairly underwhelmed. The reviews are typically glowing, but it fell flat for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters, even Ishigami at the end. He was s..."

It is, indeed, one of his best. It is also quintessentially Japanese. I agree that if this didn’t float your boat, it’s unlikely that his other novels would cause you to react differently.

To those who enjoyed Devotion, Newcomer or Salvation of a Saint would be my follow-on recommendations.

[Mome_Rath]

So unsurprisingly, between mathematics and emotions, only one is more dependably rational. Or, put another way, you can't always solve for XX (or XY, for that matter).

I enjoyed this mystery, even if I found the ending didn't equal what I had hoped for. Yes, one connection in the plot was a bit coincidental, but said variable was necessary to unbalance the equation and push the resolution into uncertainty.

I'm curious now what the other mysteries with Detective Galileo are like, since he was tangental to this mystery, rather than the protagonist. I'm wondering if his character is developed more in some of the earlier mysteries (of which this is the third, but the first translated into English).

[Carol]

Of Higashino’s novels translated into English, this is the earliest in the series. A Midsummer's Equation and Salvation of a Saint are the only others in the series to be translated into English. He’s more essential and most developed in Equation. Each works well as a stand-alone, eg there’s no life event that orders the books.

[Mome_Rath]

Good to know — thanks!