Newcomer by Keigo Higashino, Guest Review

Do you like surprises? No, I mean real surprises. Like getting a mixed assortment of chocolates and expecting a caramel filling, and eyes closed, taste buds open, you get - cherry liquor – whaat? Your senses rebel – this is not what you were after! But give it a few seconds and let your senses adjust to the surprising taste, hmm…. Hmmmm… I wonder if there is another one of those in the box? But do not worry, your sweet cakes do not contain wasabi paste and the surprising content of this book will leave you longing for more.

Newcomer by Keigo Higashino is a book with just such surprising content – a Tokyo police detective who solves a murder. So far so normal you think. What´s the surprising deal? Apart from the exotic setting in Tokyo´s Nihonbashi neighbourhood, where shop keepers go about their traditional Japanese days and characters savour banana juice, ice coffee, rice crackers and almond jellies…

 This is not only a crime book but also a police detective with a difference. Detective Kyoichiro Kaga does not just solve crimes, he rights wrongs; and therein dear readers, lies the difference. Kaga´s laser-like intensity and sharp deduction skills uncover not just lies and obfuscations – he sees into the hearts and minds of the inhabitants of his new precinct. Kaga uncovers fears, hopes and longings, he resolves personal differences, forges new-found family unities and brings out the best in people. Kaga is not just a sharp detective, this all-Japan Kendo champion is a murderer-catching guardian angel, whose impact goes far beyond the solving of crime.

Between the pages of this book you will wander the streets of Nihonbashi, meeting shopkeepers, bakers, chefs, accountants and more… you will be at Kaga´s side as he unravels the complex knots of people´s existence, leaving them living their lives with more integrity, honesty and compassion than before. That indeed is more the work of a guardian angel than a police detective, but who says that compassion does not play a role in policing or indeed in crime writing? As Kaga himself says, ´when a terrible crime like murder is committed, of course we need to catch the person who did it. But we also need to follow through until we´ve figured out why the crime happened in the first place. Unless we can identify the cause, there´s nothing to stop someone else from making the same mistake. Learning the truth can teach us all sorts of valuable lessons.´

The valuable lesson that I have learnt from this book is that I want to read lots more about this crackingly smart detective with the samurai good looks and the heart of a guardian angel.

Little, Brown, Paperback, 13.99

´Keigo Higashino is the single bestselling, best known novelist in Japan and around Asia, with numerous television and film adaptations of his work appearing in several languages. He´s the author of the Devotion of Suspect X, which was the finalist for the Edgar Award for best novel and Malice, among many others. He lives in Tokyo, Japan.´

Review by Sylvia Campbell