Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2016
368 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Edgar-finalist Higashino's excellent third whodunit featuring Manabu Yukawa takes the brilliant physicist to the dying Japanese resort town of Hari Cove.
Manabu Yukawa, the physicist known as "Detective Galileo," has traveled to Hari Cove, a once-popular summer resort town that has fallen on hard times. He is there to speak at a conference on a planned underwater mining operation, which has sharply divided the town. One faction is against the proposed operation, concerned about the environmental impact on the area, known for its pristine waters. The other faction, seeing no future in the town as it is, believes its only hope lies in the development project.
The night after the tense panel discussion, one of the resort's guests is found dead on the seashore at the base of the local cliffs. The local police at first believe it was a simple accident-that he wandered over the edge while walking on unfamiliar territory in the middle of the night. But when they discover that the victim was a former policeman and that the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning, they begin to suspect he was murdered, and his body tossed off the cliff to misdirect the police.
As the police try to uncover where Tsukahara was killed and why, Yukawa finds himself enmeshed in yet another confounding case of murder. In a series of twists as complex and surprising as any in Higashino's brilliant, critically acclaimed work, Galileo uncovers the hidden relationship behind the tragic events that led to this murder.
"Starred Review. Superb fair cluing and a nicely enigmatic lead will appeal to golden age fans." - Publishers Weekly
"Less playful and more labored than its predecessors but just as ingenious in working one twist after another in a case that seems absolutely twist-proof." - Kirkus
"Higashino's mysteries are intellectual pursuits, with motive key to solving crime, and this one is further distinguished by its scientific bent and nuanced morality." - Booklist
This information about A Midsummer's Equation was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Keigo Higashino is a bestselling author in Japan with over three dozen bestsellers, hundreds of millions of copies of his books sold worldwide, and nearly twenty films and television series based on his work. He won the Naoki Prize for his first novel featuring Detective Galileo. He lives in Tokyo.
Alexander O. Smith has translated a wide variety of novels, manga, and video games, for which he has been nominated for the Eisner Award, and won the ALA's Batchelder Award. He studied at Dartmouth College and holds an M.A. in Classical Japanese from Harvard University. He lives in Vermont.
Link to Keigo Higashino's Website
Name Pronunciation
Keigo Higashino: ke-ee-go hee-ga-shee-no
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