『新参者』is the 8th (out of 10) book of the detective Kaga series (加賀シリーズ). The series feature detective Kyoichiro KAGA (加賀恭一郎). The series spans 30 years, the first novel was published in 1986 (it was Higashino's second novel) and the last one was published in 2016. Setting Detective Kyoichiro Kaga has just been dispatched to the police..
Book Review: 『ガーディアン』by Gaku Yakumaru
Gaku Yakumaru is a popular author of mystery novels and thrillers. Recently, one of his novel has been a huge best-seller in Korea (where I live). The novel is 『誓約』 , and I have read and liked it. When I was in Japan for a short trip earlier this year, I saw that Gaku Yakumaru..
Book review: 『模倣の殺意』by Sin Nakamachi
Sin NAKAMACHI (1935-2009) was an author of crime fiction. 『模倣の殺意』was first published in 1973 under the title "新人賞殺人事件". In 2004, 創元推理文庫 brought this mystery novel to the public again and gave it its present title. Setting An introductory chapter sets the facts: A man called Masao SAKAI dies on July, 7th at 7pm. He was..
Book review: 『6月31日の同窓会』by Yukiko MARI
Setting The main topic of the book is that former students of the same school receive an invitation for the "６月３１日の同窓会" and die soon after. Review: Liked it, but expected more... First of all, the setting was very appealing to me: when it comes to genre fiction, I like mysteries and murders, but most of..
Book Review: 『メゾン・ド・ポリス』by Miaki Kato (加藤実秋)
This is the first book of the series 『メゾン・ド・ポリス』. It is a unique detective novel where the protagonists are retired police detectives sharing a house: the maison de police.
Book Review: 『誓約』by Gaku Yakumaru
Gaku Yakumaru is a well-known author of thrillers and mystery novels in Japan. The Korean translation of『誓約』is a huge hit, it was the top-selling novel of the biggest online and offline bookshops of the country. Setting Satoshi MUKAI lives with his wife and daughter and works in the same bar for 15 years. One day,..
Book Review: 『誰か』by Miyuki Miyabe
First novel in the Saburo Sugimura series,『誰か』is a slow-paced investigation that introduces the reader to the protagonist Saburo Sugimura as he still works as a salary man and has nothing to do with crime and investigation.
Book review: 『ジャッジメント』by Yuka Kobayashi
An engrossing novel that sets a fictional setting to ask the question: how far should retribution go?
Book review: 『継続捜査ゼミ』by Bin Konno
A seminar directed by an ex-detective, five students eager to solve old criminal cases, mysteries happening in the campus… If this appeals to you, you must read『継続捜査ゼミ』by Bin Konno!
Book review: 『推理作家（僕）が探偵と暮らすわけ』by Shiki Kuzumi
『推理作家（僕）が探偵と暮らすわけ』by Shiki KUZUMI (久住四季) is a light novel and a detective story. If you like the series Sherlock from the BBC, you will certainly like this novel.
Book Review: 『リカーシブル』by Honobu Yonezawa
I have finished 『リカーシブル』by Honobu Yonezawa (米澤穂信), and with it, I have completed both my reading challenge for the year and my goals for the month of December. A novel with various themes 「この街は確かに、どこかおかしい」(p.394) Haruka, her mother and younger brother Satoru have to move back to the mother's native little town. While Haruka, who starts..
Book Review: 『往復書簡』by Kanae Minato
『往復書簡』(おうふくしょかん) is a collection of four epistolary short stories by Kanae Minato (湊かなえ) published by 幻冬舎文庫 (げんとうしゃぶんこ). A journey to the past With the exception of the fourth story, which is very short and a little different than the others, the three main short stories all follow a similar pattern: several people who share a..