Keigo
Higashino’s novel is based in Tokyo in the summer and reveals a sinister secret. Detective
Kaga a newcomer to the area along with a variety of colourful and eccentric
characters he comes across in the murder investigation of a recently divorced
woman who is found strangled in her apartment in Kodenmacho a suburb of Tokyo.
In between iced coffees in traditional coffee shops, pastry stores and old
stores that sell wooden spinning tops we gain insights into the crime.
Best quotes
Food
“ You know
that old saying about how people who don’t work have no right to eat” p3
Mother
in Law/daughter in law
“ At first
Satoko was willing to overlook Naho’s various domestic missteps, but gradually
they started to get on her nerves. Nothing her granddaughter did was right. Satoko
criticized her and sometimes barged in and took control of things. Stubborn and
quick-tempered, she had no idea how to avoid hurting Naho’s feelings” p9
Doctor/Sickness/Hiding
information
“ The
doctor admitted to issuing two different medical certificates, one listing your
mothers actual condition, the other listing a false one” page 33
Tokyoite
“ I’m a
true born Tokyoite. I’d rather die than break a promise!” p35.
Customs
“ Shuhei
had to sprinkle the sidewalk outside the restaurant…..People who choose to come
to a restaurant like ours take atmosphere seriously. They love the sight of an
apprentice sprinling water from a bucket” p41
Service
“What are you standing around daydreaming for?
Can’t you see the glass of that gentleman over by the window is empty?” p44
Apprentice
Chef
“ Katsuya,
another apprentice who had started two years before him, had only just recently
been permitted to help out with the cooking. Shuhei would have to put up with
his present duties for a while yet” p44
Ningyo-yaki
/Japanese sweet made of pastry and red bean paste
“
Ningyo-yaki, were small snack cakes, baked in moulds – a Tokyo specialty” p47
Graduate
recruitment
“ Recently,
some companies have even been cancelling job offers to new graduates before
they start” p227
Language
“ If she
was talking to someone she knew well, then she would be very relaxed and
informal. Conversely, if she was dealing with someone, she didn’t know well,
she could be very proper an polite” p303
Other Reviews
"Classic yet inventive... Newcomer will appeal most to fans of classic detective stories by the likes of Agatha Christie and Georges Simenon. Higashino’s intricate plotting and a vivid setting come together in an absorbing mystery that will leave readers guessing until the very end." ―Bookreporter
"Kaga, a modern day Poirot, thinks even further outside the box than his Belgian predecessor, to the great delight of mystery aficionados" ―Bookpage
"Delightful... Fans of classic whodunits should introduce themselves to this newcomer immediately." ―Shelf Awareness
"Exotic, original... highly recommended." ―Japan Times
"Newcomer is a cerebral puzzler's delight that, like Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries, offers a thought-provoking take on the tension between modernity and traditional culture and leaves a trail of mended relationships in its wake." ―Booklist
"Rewarding... [readers] will appreciate Higashino's graceful prose and willingness to push the limits of the genre." ―Library Journal
"Clever and charming." ―The Sunday Times (London)
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