3.5 stars, rounded down
This may be the 9th in the Detective Galileo series, but it’s the first I’ve read. But I had no trouble jumping into the series. This can easily be read as a standalone. I can’t remember reading another mystery that takes place in Japan. I found it interesting to see the differences in our justice and policing systems, which play a pertinent role in the plot. Higashino also does a great job of giving us a great sense of Japanese culture.
A talented young girl goes missing and her remains are discovered 3 years later in a burned out house. Despite lots of circumstantial evidence pointing to one man, he is not prosecuted. A few months later, on the day of a large parade, he is found dead.
“Detective Galileo” is actually Professor Yukawa, a professor of physics. He consults with the Tokyo detectives on the case. While his ideas are a key part of the book, he’s not a major character. The book had a Sherlock Holmes feel to it. Yukawa is able to fathom the clues that the detectives don’t quite see or understand.
The book is the opposite of fast paced. It introduces so many characters they are listed at the front of the book. While I was curious to see how the mystery would be solved and who was behind the death, it was a little slow for my taste. And parts of how the crime took place were easy to figure out. Others were totally out of the blue. And just when you think you see how it all played out, a wild twist is thrown in.
This is not a character rich book. I never felt I got a true feel for the personalities behind the main characters. While it was a decent read, I doubt I will follow through with reading the prior books in the series.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Publishers for an advance copy of this book.