The Devotion of Suspect X

Ishigami is a high school teacher who is harboring feelings for his neighbor, a divorced single mother named Yasuko. When Yasuko’s abusive ex-husband unexpectedly shows up at her door, he winds up dead, and Ishigami comes to the family’s aid, helping to cover up exactly what happened. The case surrounding the man’s death eventually makes its way to the desk of Detective Kusanagi, who calls in a physicist friend to help him with the investigation. What ensues is a brilliantly constructed puzzle mystery as Ishigami works to outsmart the police and protect the woman he loves. It’s a high-wire act that constantly pushes readers to question where their allegiance should lie. The 2005 novel was a runaway hit in Keigo Higashino’s native Japan with more than two million copies sold. It also won the Naoki Prize, a prestigious Japanese literary award. In 2011, The Devotion of Suspect X was translated into English by Alexander O. Smith, and in 2012, it was named the best mystery novel of the year by the American Library Association. —Annabel Gutterman

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