Author : Keigo Higashino
Publisher : Hachette India
ISBN : 978-0-3491-3934-0
Number of Pages : 377
Price [INR] : 350
Genre: Crime Fiction
Overview: When a man is discovered dead by poisoning in his empty home his beautiful wife, Ayane, immediately falls under suspicion. All clues point to Ayane being the logical suspect, but how could she have committed the crime when she was hundreds of miles away? As Tokyo police detective Kusanagi tries to unpick a seemingly unrelated sequence of events he finds himself falling for Ayane. When his judgement becomes dangerously clouded his assistant must call on an old friend for help; it will take a genius to unravel the most spectacular web of deceit they have ever faced.
Review : I have read the author’s first book The Devotion of Suspect X which was a fast paced murder mystery and was simply unputdownable. When I got an opportunity to read and review Keigo Higashino’s second book, Salvation of a Saint, I was thrilled.
With high expectations, I started reading Salvation of a Saint and I was hooked after the first few pages. There are some similarities between the two books. Both the books have the quirky physics professor Manabu Yukawa, the “Detective Galileo” who reviews all the evidence the cops have gathered and keeps proposing theories till one of them works out. However, in the second book, Detective Kusanagi and Kishitani are supported by a new lady detective Utsumi who relies a lot on her female intuition.
Just like The Devotion of Suspect X, in the very first chapter of Salvation of a Saint, the motive of the killer is known and in the second chapter a man is dead.
The book is like a jig-saw puzzle, where the reader knows the larger picture but has to arrange the smaller pieces so as to form the picture. Essentially it means that while you know who the killer is but you are trying to decipher clues and figure out how this perfect crime was committed. And you keep turning page after page to solve the mystery which unravels itself towards the very end.
The story line is novel and the characterization is good. The language is crisp and the narration flows easily.
A few things that really intrigued me in this story and it makes you wonder about the deceit and the dark thoughts that can be harbored in a human mind without anybody knowing about it for so long.
Overall a book which will compel you to keep reading till the mystery is solved.
Rating : 4/5
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27 Responses
What a neat review. Hope I can lay my hands on that book very soon. 🙂
Have you read the earlier book by Keigo Higashino, Bhavya?? Check that out too! Thanks 🙂
I loved the book too!!!
This book is simply unputdownable! 🙂
Sounds like an interesting book but somehow lately I am unable to read mysteries!!!! Sigh!!! One day!
I loved this one. Have you read the first book. What are you reading now-a-days?
Seems to be a great howdunit, been hearing a lot about it of late…Got to lay my hands on it 🙂
read it to believe it, Reshma 🙂
Okayyy time to buy it then. Both X and Y? ur review is good
PhenoMenon
http://capturedalive.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/balance/
Yes, you must read both… first read Devotion of Suspect X and then this one…. you will enjoy reading both! 🙂
Sounds like an interesting book – will put it on my to read list. Nicely written review.
It sure is, Suzy! Very engrossing and very interesting 🙂
Thanks 🙂
I am not a avid reader of detective / thriller novels.
Danbrown and agatha christie r my favs. I heard abt that devotion suspect X
May b I should buy that. I shud apply for book reviews too !
Its been long 🙂
Nice review
I love Dan Brown and Agatha Christie too. Try the Devotion of Suspecy X and then this one… you will like it! 🙂
Nice review, Shilpa. I was tempted to offer to do this one, but mysteries are not usually my cup of tea.
Oh! I know you are more into non-fiction! 🙂
Hmm…clever whodunit. I was pretty disappointed with the previous book from Blogadda, but this one sounds promising. Japanese authors are somehow very intriguing. Thanks for this one Shilpa, will check this out.
Oh! Which book was that?
This is my second book from the same author. Haven’t read any other Japanese author. Have read Memoirs of a Geisha… that gave a lot of insights about the Japanese culture. But the book is written by an American author!
Do check this out, whenever you can.
Good review. . Even I liked devotion of suspect x. . Looking forward to reading this. .
Thanks Rohan. If you liked Devotion of Suspect X, you will like this one too, for sure! 🙂
Nice review! Love mysteries. Couldn’t apply for the book as I was traveling. Would like to get my hands on this one! I liked the Devotion of Suspect X!
🙂
Since you liked Devotion of Suspect X, Vidya, you must definitely read this new one. You will love it! 🙂
I loved Devotion of Suspect X!
I’m so going to read this one! I love mysteries and thrillers! 🙂
Do that, Pixie… you will enjoy this one too 🙂
Sounds like an interesting book!!
Adding to my to-be-read list 🙂
Yeah, do check it out, whenever you can! Have you read the earlier book by this author?