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Malice
288 pages
A cerebral, locked-room puzzle that transforms into a tense psychological duel over the dark truths of the past.
What it feels like
This cerebral police procedural offers a deeply satisfying, methodical reading experience that prioritizes psychological depth over simple shock value. The narrative unfolds at a steady, deliberate pace, drawing the reader into a claustrophobic cat-and-mouse game where the central mystery isn't just how a locked-room murder was committed, but the dark, hidden motives behind it. The atmosphere is tense and shadowy, steeped in the bitter realities of professional jealousy and the inescapable weight of the past. With prose that is sharply focused on logic and investigation, it meticulously peels back the layers of a seemingly rock-solid alibi. It is a perfect match for readers who crave intricate, character-driven mysteries where uncovering the truth is a complex psychological battle.
- Mood
- suspenseful
- claustrophobic
- cerebral
- shadowy
- Tone
- analytical
- psychological
- tense
- methodical
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- hidden motives · professional jealousy · the weight of the past · deception and truth · complex friendships
- The writing
- Methodical and sharply focused, prioritizing the intricate unspooling of logic and motive over stylistic flourish.
- The arc
- Moves from the initial shock of a locked-room puzzle into a deep, unsettling psychological duel over hidden truths.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love cerebral, locked-room mysteries and psychological cat-and-mouse games where the motive is the ultimate puzzle.
Content notes
- murder
- police investigation
About the book
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. His body is found in his office, a locked room, within his locked house, by his wife and his best friend, both of whom have rock solid alibis. Or so it seems.
At the crime scene, Police Detective Kyochiro Kaga recognizes Hidaka's best friend, Osamu Nonoguchi. Years ago when they were both teachers, they were colleagues at the same public school. Kaga went on to join the police force while Nonoguchi eventually left to become a full-time writer, though with not nearly the success of his friend Hidaka.
As Kaga investigates, he eventually uncovers evidence that indicates that the two writers' relationship was very different that they claimed, that they were anything but best friends. But the question before Kaga isn't necessarily who, or how, but why. In a brilliantly realized tale of cat and mouse, the detective and the killer battle over the truth of the past and how events that led to the murder really unfolded. And if Kaga isn't able to uncover and prove why the murder was committed, then the truth may never come out.
Malice is one of the bestselling―the most acclaimed―novel in Keigo Higashino's series featuring police detective Kyochiro Kaga, one of the most popular creations of the bestselling novelist in Asia.
Description from Open Library.
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