Keigo Higashino, courtesy of translator Giles Murray, bring us THE FINAL CURTAIN, which features Japan's answer to Hercule Poirot: Detective Kyoichiro “Kyo” Kaga. Though he may not have the famous Belgian sleuth's handsome moustache, he does share his gift of deep thinking and ability to see what others might not in any case he works.

This fourth entry in Higashino’s always reliable series is by far the most personal yet for Kyo as part of the mystery involves the truth behind the disappearance and eventual death of his long-departed mother. The opening sequence is a lengthy backstory featuring bar/restaurant owner Yasuyo Miyamoto and the day she hired a resourceful young woman named Yuriko Tajima.

"The novel’s finale provides an ingenious and highly satisfying resolution to both mysteries and connections that only someone with Kyo's abilities could make."

Yuriko was far more than just another employee to Yasuyo; they became close friends. Yasuyo recalls Yuriko’s sad demise, as well as Watabe, the boyfriend she had for years. She learns that Yuriko was running away from something and left behind a husband and a young son to start her life over again. Yuriko never got over abandoning her child, and this drove her feelings of depression. One day, after not responding to calls, Yasuyo had Yuriko's apartment unlocked only to find her lying dead on the floor, the apparent victim of a heart attack. Yasuyo suspected something else was at play and tried to connect with Watabe, who only provided her with cryptic answers and was never seen or heard from again.

Now, in the present day, Kyo and his squad are working on a new case --- the strangulation of Michiko Oshitani. There does not seem to be any reason for the young woman’s murder, but it may be tied to another strange death in the area. Kyo and his cousin/police colleague, Matsumiya, handle the bulk of the investigation and begin interviewing people from Michiko's life. This includes actress and director Hiromi Asai, an old classmate with whom she had recently reconnected.

In the midst of this investigation, we are privileged to witness a flashback scene where a younger Kyo is contacted by Yasuyo to pick up his mother’s possessions and ashes. She was able to connect that he was the son Yuriko had abandoned. It is the first time they meet, and Yasuyo fills Kyo in on what Yuriko was like, as well as the strange man she had been dating. Kyo visits the flat where Watabe had been living, but he is long gone. He notices a piece of paper with different area bridges listed on it, one for each month of the calendar year.

When Kyo goes to Hiromi’s home, he finds the same bridge list hanging there. This brings on an entirely different set of clues for Kyo and his team to follow that might involve crimes around the various bridge ceremonies that happen each year. Kyo knows that Hiromi is hiding something but is not sure what that could be. He also suspects that the title of her play, “Love Suicides at Sonezaki: A Reimagining,” might provide another hint.

With Kyo of two minds, one trying to find a solution to Michiko’s murder and the other surrounding the death of his own mother and the mysterious Watabe, he notices parallels between the cases. This is where the true brilliance of THE FINAL CURTAIN is allowed to shine and should have readers gripping the pages as they continue.

The novel’s finale provides an ingenious and highly satisfying resolution to both mysteries and connections that only someone with Kyo's abilities could make. Once the final curtain is pulled back on both Hiromi's play and the case, all will be revealed. Higashino has proven once again why he is a not-to-be-missed author who never ceases to amaze.