Tuesday 30 April 2013

Book Review- Salvation of a Saint- Keigo Higashino

  
Author- Keigo Higashino
ISBN- 978-0-3491-3934-0
Price- MRP Rs 350/-
Publisher- Hachette India www.hachetteindia.com

I had the privilege to review "The Devotion Of Suspect X" here all thanks to Blogadda and now I am reviewing the sequel. The last one by Keigo Higashino had me hooked all night and I couldn't sleep before finishing it. Well, comparison is natural and I am glad to say that this one is better than the last one. While the last one was a tug-of-war between an intelligent murderer and an experienced detective, this one is more of a Whodunnit and also a Howdunnit ie how the killer actually committed the murder. 

About the author
 Keigo Higashino is an engineer and that attention to detail attitude is visible in his work. There are no lose threads. He is also a Japanese author and these books are translations. Thankfully very little is lost in translation and the thrill and pace of the plot is intact. His "The Devotion of Suspect X" was nominated for Edgar award 2012 and Barry award 2012.

About the plot
Detective Kusanagi and junior detective Kishitani are back with new female recruit Utsumi and department head Mamiya. They have their hands on this new case which spins their heads right off their head. A business-man Yoshitaka is found dead and the two prime suspects are his girlfriend and his wife. Next comes an intricate plot of alibis, doubts and revelations. The book cannot be simply put down once you pick it up for reading. Detective Kusanagi is well on his way to become a cult character with a fan following. New character Utsumi keeps impressing with her keen observation and attention to detail. The way she joins the threads, you are left craving for more such novels with her in the center.

About the cover
The cover is simple with white and black theme and a face looking downwards as if laden with guilt. The red back-cover introduces you to the plot and features accolades for the previous and the current novel. The styling is neat with no frills. I personally am likely to pick such books from the rack.

About the language, style and pages.
Hachette India lives up to its name. The pages are crisp and good quality, there are no printing mistakes, misprints or problems with paper. The language has been kept simple, sentences are short and lucid. First time readers will like it very much. Fonts are big and there will be no difficulty reading or understanding the text. The author has used italics to highlight the sentences which are either muttered under the breath or not spoken at all. Sometimes, it may seem abrupt but you'll get used to it.
The characters are well-defined. We already have been introduced to the detectives so no time has been wasted introducing them again. For the first timers, it's enough to know that they are really smart people with great observation skills. The characters of the two prime suspects- Hiromi (the girlfriend) and Ayane (the wife) are well-drawn and there is an air of sympathy created around both of them. It is interesting to see the air change as the plot progresses.

So, all in all, I recommend the book and suggest that you finish it in one or two sittings to maintain the continuity and excitement. A great companion for long train journeys, but careful, you might miss your station!

Happy reading.
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1 comment:

  1. Sounds very interesting!! Well done on the review.

    ReplyDelete

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