What do readers think of The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino? Write your own review.

An outstanding cat-and-mouse crime novel in which, I swear, you will read with one eyebrow raised the entire time! Keigo Higashino points out that "Theories and logic are all very well, but intuition's one of the best weapons in a detective's arsenal." True, but is it possible that this weapon may misfire?

Though Higashino has written many novels in Japan, covering almost all genres, very little has been translated into English and what has is difficult to find. It is with great hope that we will see more of this great and talented, award-winning author's work translated, and dare I hope, that we will see more adventures from Detective Kusanagi and physicist Professor Yukawa (aka Detective Galileo)? That would truly be a dream come true.

The writer of this mystery, unlike many modern works written for an English-speaking audience, takes a leisurely approach with many layers. The story begins by establishing the relationship between two Japanese neighbors before a murder occurs and continues with a game of cat-and-mouse between one of them and a police consultant who understands how his mind works. The murder cover-up is the real focus of the story. Recommended for the plot, but pacing may be slow and characters too thin for some readers.

The Devotion of Suspect X is certainly not your run-of-the-mill thriller. I have to admit at first I found the premise a little far fetched, however by the time I was 50 pages into the story I was hopelessly hooked. Intelligent characters and plenty of twists and turns to keep even the jaded thriller fan happy.

The plot of this novel strains credulity even more than most mysteries, but I still found it compelling. This is a Japanese novel in translation, and the elements of Japanese culture, as contrasted with American culture, that affect the plot are interesting. Also, all three of the major characters--our murderer; her devoted neighbor, our "Suspect X"; and a scientist who helps the police--are sympathetic and believable. We learn right away who killed our victim and why; it is how the murder is covered up and how the police are led astray that provide the mystery.

The novel is engaging and fast paced--not to mention a great puzzle. It's not often I don't see the end coming in crime fiction, but I honestly had no idea what to expect as the events unfolded in "The Devotion of Suspect X". Seeing the two geniuses at work, both Yukawa and Ishigami, as one tried to solve the crime and the other to hide it, I was reminded a bit of Sherlock Holmes.

I love foreign mysteries and have read several Japanese ones so I was anxious to review this one. It did not disappoint. Very Hitchcockian in the way you saw what was coming and slowly but surely your worst fears were realized. The book was a great example of unwavering devotion going too far! The characters' names get a bit hard to keep straight but definitely worth the effort.

Like a math problem itself, two geniuses are pitted against each other as one tries to hide a murder, while the other tries to solve it. Starting somewhat slowly, I quickly found myself jumping ahead worrying how the characters would end up. It resolves only at the very end.

I found this Japanese mystery to be mediocre. The plot had some unusual twists and turns but it was not an easy book to stay interested in. I do not think the characters were sufficiently developed to really understand any of them. Perhaps the cultural differences were the true obstacle. The ending was unsatisfactory. I would not recommend it.