In a brilliantly realized tale of cat and mouse, the detective and the writer battle over the truth of the past and how events that led to the murder really unfolded. Nonoguchi confesses to the murder, but that’s only the beginning of the story. There he finds evidence that shows that the two writers’ relationship was very different than the two claimed. But Kaga thinks something is a little bit off with Nonoguchi’s statement and investigates further, ultimately executing a search warrant on Nonoguchi’s apartment. Kaga went on to join the police force while Osamu Nonoguchi left to become a full-time writer, though with not nearly the success of his friend Hidaka. Years ago when they were both teachers, they were colleagues at the same high school. Police Detective Kyochiro Kaga recognizes Hidaka’s best friend. His body is found in his office, in a locked room, within his locked house, by his wife and his best friend, both of whom have rock solid alibis. Even if they’re dead.Acclaimed bestselling novelist Kunihiko Hidaka is found brutally murdered in his home on the night before he’s planning to leave Japan and relocate to Vancouver. Malice works great as a separate story, but if you enojy it, more adventures of detective Kaga are waiting. The titular malice and the power of creating the world that literature has – this is how the first volume in the series of books with detective Kaga in the lead role could be summed up.

Based on their testimonies, together with the detective, you will create in your minds an image of an unpleasant literary star and the misfortune he brought upon himself. Kaga examines the closest surroundings of the deceased – his young wife, his colleague, his neighbour, his editor and a few friends from the past. The investigation is led by Detective Kaga, a former teacher who, under the influence of certain events, decided to change his profession. The day before moving abroad, a well-known Japanese writer, Kunihiko Hidaka, is murdered in his villa. From the beginning, the proverbial nail in the coffin was not where we thought. When the intrigue begins to form in the reader’s head and it seems like you have already seen everything through, Higashino cleverly leads you out of this blissful (un)awareness. There is nothing more enjoyable in a detective story than being led astray.

Don’t be put off by the underwhelming cover – Keigo Higashino’s Malice is an interesting detective story that won’t disappoint even the most seasoned fans of the genre.

Malice japanese book