Keigo Higashino writes murder mysteries in Japan. Very popular there.

In translation, his books don’t compare with the sophistication and subtlety of American and British writers. But there is something appealing about the slow pace. The simplicity of the scenes.

Also, his translators are not all that good. They get slang wrong most of the time.

Tokyo Police Detective Kyochiro Kaga is a super likeable protagonist.

Demoted, Kaga was transferred to a new precinct.

Newly arrived, but with a great deal of experience, Kaga is promptly assigned to the team investigating the inexplicable murder of a woman in her own home.

But the more he investigates, the greater number of potential suspects emerges.

It isn’t long before it seems nearly all the people living and working in the business district of Nihonbashi have a motive.

Though seemingly simplistic, a Japanese virtue, each of the 9 chapters of this book is a self-contained story, with its own conflicts, its own resolution. There is much more here than just a whodunnit.

21st book in the series. Possibly the best, so far.

It was one of Stephen King’s favorite 2021 summer reads.

This novel was written during pandemic lockdown on his ranch.

The author had plenty of time to write and fish.

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett must accompany a Silicon Valley CEO on a hunting trip–but soon learns that he himself may be the hunted …

When the governor of Wyoming gives Joe Pickett the thankless task of taking a tech baron on an elk hunting trip, Joe reluctantly treks into the wilderness with his high-profile charge.

But as they venture into the woods, a man-hunter is hot on their heels, driven by a desire for revenge. Finding himself without a weapon, a horse, or a way to communicate, Joe must rely on his wits and his knowledge of the outdoors to protect himself and his companion.

Meanwhile, Joe’s closest friend, Nate Romanowski, and his own daughter Sheridan learn of the threat to Joe’s life and follow him into the woods.

In a stunning final showdown, the three of them come up against the worst that nature–and man–have to offer.

CJBox.net

Yet another intriguing plot from the Canadian author.

This book did keep me interested throughout.

Tech millionaire Miles Cookson has more money than he can ever spend, and everything he could dream of—except time. He has recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and there is a fifty percent chance that it can be passed on to the next generation. For Miles, this means taking a long hard look at his past…

Two decades ago, a young, struggling Miles was a sperm donor. Somewhere out there, he has kids—nine of them. And they might be about to inherit both the good and the bad from him—maybe his fortune, or maybe something much worse.

… One by one, Miles’s other potential heirs are vanishing—every trace of them wiped, like they never existed at all.

Who is the vicious killer—another heir methodically erasing rivals? Or is something even more sinister going on?

linwoodbarclay.com