Detective Kaga has just been transferred to a small precinct
in an area of Tokyo. However, he is interrupted in his attempts to get to know
his new home by a murder investigation. A middle-aged woman was found dead in
her home, the victim of strangulation, and the police have no leads as to the
perpetrator. However, with his objective perspective and uncanny ability to
piece together the smallest details, Kaga dedicates himself to finding the
killer.
In the process of investigating the murder, he comes
across various people with a link, however small and intangible, to the murder.
Kaga does his best to acquire answers to questions these bystanders never
thought to ask, and attempts to give them peace and solace in the place of
grief.
Despite being an immensely fun whodunit, Newcomer is a surprisingly feel-good
read, with a heart-warming plot and characters. Keigo Higashino cleverly illustrates
that no man is an island, and that a community, like a family, needs each
other, and is shaped by those around them. A violent action that taints a small
town evolves under Higashino’s guide into a lesson of the importance of
forgiveness, love, and peace, and the delicate thread which holds these aspects
in a precarious balance.
Newcomer is
an easy and thoroughly enjoyable read, and I doubt anyone will be surprised
when they start it to discover that they cannot book the book down. A single
sitting was all it took me to delve into the Kaga’s world, and I loved every
minute. Higashino is a very talented storyteller who is rewriting the detective
story, one thoughtful action at a time. In a world where there is so much
darkness, his characters and their actions shed a hopeful light, and is is pure
bliss to follow. Enjoyable is an understatement - this book will change the way you see crime drama, and most assuredly for the better.
Newcomer by Keigo Higashino is published by Little, Brown Book Group, a
Hachette Company, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball
Publishers.
