A DEATH IN TOKYO is a stunning mystery that helps to secure Keigo Higashino’s status as a modern Master of International Mystery. We are privileged to spend time once again with Tokyo Police Detective Kyoichiro Kaga, who is tasked with unraveling a case that makes little sense and has no known witnesses.

"What raises A DEATH IN TOKYO above other mysteries is Higashino’s writing. Through the unique work of Kaga, the reader is able to marvel at a detective with a mental acuity that seems to rival that of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot."

A police officer who is manning the famous Nihonbashi Bridge follows a man who has collapsed beneath the statue of a kirin, a Japanese mythical beast. He was stabbed in the chest and never regains consciousness, dying in the hospital. Detective Shuhei Matsumiya learns of his identity: Takeaki Aoyagi, a well-respected businessman.

That same night, a young man named Yashima is clinging to life and in a coma after being injured in a car accident. Puzzlingly, Aoyagi’s wallet was found on Yashima. The Tokyo PD only has Aoyagi’s family and Yashima’s girlfriend to question, which makes the investigation tricky and confusing. So they decide to team up Matsumiya with Kaga, who happens to be his cousin.

Kaga has an intuitive and cerebral approach to the art of police detection, and it is a pleasure to see him at work. He and Matsumiya pay a visit to Aoyagi’s company, Kaneseki Metals, to see if there is any connection between the victims there, but they come up empty. Then they learn of Yashima’s passing, which is the kind of setback that could kill a case in ordinary hands. But Kaga remains unphased and continues to press on.

It turns out that Aoyagi had been paying respect at the shrines of various statues around the city known as the Seven Lucky Gods. In fact, the statue he was found under had a special connection to water. Without giving anything away, it is a brilliant feat of expert detection that leads Kaga to solve this baffling case. Trust me when I say that you will not see it coming.

What raises A DEATH IN TOKYO above other mysteries is Higashino’s writing. Through the unique work of Kaga, the reader is able to marvel at a detective with a mental acuity that seems to rival that of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. This is the sort of mystery that fans of the genre need to read and savor.