[1Z8]≫ PDF The Devotion of Suspect X [Paperback] [Jan 01 2012] Keigo Higashino Keigo Higashino 9780349138732 Books

The Devotion of Suspect X [Paperback] [Jan 01 2012] Keigo Higashino Keigo Higashino 9780349138732 Books

Download As PDF : The Devotion of Suspect X [Paperback] [Jan 01 2012] Keigo Higashino Keigo Higashino 9780349138732 Books

The Devotion of Suspect X [Paperback] [Jan 01 2012] Keigo Higashino Keigo Higashino 9780349138732 Books

The author Higashino has a talent for inducing intense emotional trembles through mere descriptive writing. Such brilliance lies not so much in the art of language (like Shakespeare's), but in the beauty of multidimensional retrospective and speculative logic. All the logical reasoning driven by and entwined with passion and sentiments is stunningly aesthetically pleasing. The structure of the story as a whole is similar to that of a mathematical proof, which begins by disclosing all details of the murder, and is followed by series of nonlinear hypotheses and speculations as Ishigami and Yukawa (the investigator) dive into an intellectual wrestle. Everything is brought to an end as several blind spots in the protection web Ishigami built for his love, Hanaoka, are revealed. The way the author Higashino constructs his web of storylines and the way his character Ishigami calculates potential risks and corresponding measures are, in essence, the same. Both are highly skilled in giving false leads, creating distractions, making use of blind spots, and planting seeds as precautions for future use or urgent defense. Nevertheless, it is for sure that the author grasps insights into the operations of human hearts far better than his character does.

Personal thoughts:
For an exceptionally intellectual mind with few sensors for emotional stimuli, love could take the form of religion, in which the rational mind worships the beloved one in awe from afar. One of the main reasons is that a genius' love language is inevitably too obscure for the average people to understand. The tragedy lies in how no one, including his loved one, can never ever acquire the level of intelligence required to fully comprehend the complexity of his love embroidered into webs of calculations. There is no difference between Hanaoka and a student who has neither the patience nor capacity to fully understand the proof of a mathematical theorem, and so its brilliance is to be neglected by its primary audience till the end of time.

This is a layered tragedy told in a mathematically beautiful and concise manner, generating waves of aftershocks.


Tags : The Devotion of Suspect X [Paperback] [Jan 01, 2012] Keigo Higashino [Keigo Higashino] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Yasuko hanaoka accidentally kills her ex-husband, when circumstances rose to an unendurable level of ghastly behaviour from him. What follows is an elongated and witty brain-game between the investigator and her accomplice,Keigo Higashino,The Devotion of Suspect X [Paperback] [Jan 01, 2012] Keigo Higashino,Abacus,0349138737,Literature & Fiction - General

The Devotion of Suspect X [Paperback] [Jan 01 2012] Keigo Higashino Keigo Higashino 9780349138732 Books Reviews

Yasuko Hanaoka is a single mother just trying to get ahead. She's finally working a more respectable job and raising her teenage daughter, Misato, as best she can. Her sleazy ex-husband, Togashi, is making that difficult. As much as she tries to distance herself, he keeps coming around, extorting money in order to go away. This time, however, the altercation becomes physical when Misato hits him. He attacks the girl, and both mother and daughter wind up in a life-or-death struggle that finds Togashi strangled on the floor.

Panicked, the two are discussing Yasuko turning herself into the police when a knock comes at the door. It is Ishigami, the smitten teacher who lives next-door. It seems he *will* do anything for Yasuko--including move bodies. And so a plot is hatched. Ishigami is much more than a high school math teacher. At one time, he was a bona fide mathematical genius and it seems he's still got a talent for logic and strategy. Will it help them all get away with murder?

Enter "Detective Galileo," the nickname of physicist Manabu Yukawa. Yukawa earned his moniker helping out the police on occasional cases. He's got Holmesian intellect and observational skills, though considerably better people skills than the famed detective. And, back in their college days, he and Ishigami were friends and rivals. While Yukawa is not officially on the case, his personal connection draws him in. But rather than working with Detective Kusanagi, for the first time he seems to be following his own agenda. Thus begins a high-stakes chess game between two brilliant men. Says the physicist

"When an amateur attempts to conceal something, the more complex he makes his camouflage, the deeper the grave he digs for himself. But not so a genius. The genius does something far simpler, yet something no normal person would even dream of, the last thing a normal person would think of doing. And from this simplicity, immense complexity is created."

I'm not generally a huge fan of police procedurals, but this one had a lot going for it. At the very top of the list is the plotting. The cat-and-mouse aspect to the investigation kept tension ratcheted--especially as readers knew exactly how the murder went down from the novel's opening pages. But each of these men had surprises up their sleeves, and the dénouement was a thing of beauty. Also, this was largely a crime of self-defense (apparently not a big concept in the Japanese legal system, as it was never brought up once as a mitigating factor), and therefore the perpetrators were quite sympathetic. As a reader, at times it was hard to know who to root for--and that's just interesting. This was definitely not a black and white crime novel.

Character development is a little trickier. I always have some trouble getting a feel for Japanese characters simply due to cultural differences. And whatever the culture, Ishigami is not your average Joe. I liked Yukawa quite a lot, but can't say that I feel he's a wildly unique creation. At least not yet. Author Keigo Higashino has had a second Detective Galileo mystery published in English, Salvation of a Saint. As I was reading, I thought to myself, This must not be the first novel in the series. But checking Wikipedia, it appears there were only a series of short stories featuring the character prior to this novel. Additionally, there's a third novel in the series not yet released in America. Based on this introduction, I'd be very open to further investigations.
Absolutely gorgeous writing, clear and concise without oversimplifying. Knockout of a story. It may surprise you even if you think you know where it's going, and it's a tremendous character study. I will look for more by this author.
The author Higashino has a talent for inducing intense emotional trembles through mere descriptive writing. Such brilliance lies not so much in the art of language (like Shakespeare's), but in the beauty of multidimensional retrospective and speculative logic. All the logical reasoning driven by and entwined with passion and sentiments is stunningly aesthetically pleasing. The structure of the story as a whole is similar to that of a mathematical proof, which begins by disclosing all details of the murder, and is followed by series of nonlinear hypotheses and speculations as Ishigami and Yukawa (the investigator) dive into an intellectual wrestle. Everything is brought to an end as several blind spots in the protection web Ishigami built for his love, Hanaoka, are revealed. The way the author Higashino constructs his web of storylines and the way his character Ishigami calculates potential risks and corresponding measures are, in essence, the same. Both are highly skilled in giving false leads, creating distractions, making use of blind spots, and planting seeds as precautions for future use or urgent defense. Nevertheless, it is for sure that the author grasps insights into the operations of human hearts far better than his character does.

Personal thoughts
For an exceptionally intellectual mind with few sensors for emotional stimuli, love could take the form of religion, in which the rational mind worships the beloved one in awe from afar. One of the main reasons is that a genius' love language is inevitably too obscure for the average people to understand. The tragedy lies in how no one, including his loved one, can never ever acquire the level of intelligence required to fully comprehend the complexity of his love embroidered into webs of calculations. There is no difference between Hanaoka and a student who has neither the patience nor capacity to fully understand the proof of a mathematical theorem, and so its brilliance is to be neglected by its primary audience till the end of time.

This is a layered tragedy told in a mathematically beautiful and concise manner, generating waves of aftershocks.