Book Review - The Devotion of Suspect X

This is a Japanese thriller novel by Keigo Higashino published in 2005 and has been made into a cult film in 2008.

Once in a while it happens that you come across a novel that captivates you completely and I’m really glad I found one last Friday night. I read this book with a single break......speaks a lot about the glued thriller content it has to offer! The book is a refresher for the writing style, the varied characters and the complicated web of human relations it has tried to portray maintaining the discreet pace of a suspense narrative.

The story revolves around a murder and the investigation procedure that follows.  The characters are a mother and her teenage daughter, a brilliant mathematician, a police detective and a physics Professor who is helping the police solve the case. Each niche and detail about the murder, the leads involved is finely fabricated with a witty description. The remarkable part is that reader is well aware of the murderer and yet he is captivated by the story as the outsmarting chase between the criminal and the police unfold. The mathematician and the Physics Professor have been beautifully used and their mental power struggle to outwit each other is the charm of the story.

 The book is pacy with new twists and turns in every chapter. No wonder it has sold so many copies! Revealing anything about the plot will defy the purpose and fun of reading.... The first few pages might seem irrelevant and boring but the book soon picks up momentum and it will be interesting to note that the early depiction make up for a very solid frame base for the later part. So far I've no complaints except two….the end of the novel is quite filmy and purely off track the theme…it somehow disappoints the reader and gives an impression it was just scribbled off quickly to finish (Apologies to the author for being crude but as the pitch of the story is built up, I expected a more sharp and clever finale)  ...I also wish I knew Japanese and could read it in original. If the translated version is so engrossing, the original would be entirely riveting! Nevertheless, the English version has also provided enough insight for a reader to sneak peek into the Japanese culture and despite its Japanese setting the story is effortless to follow. Kudos to the author for such a tight and entertaining detective story.

I would recommend this novel for every person craving for some classic suspense thriller. My rating would be 3.8 stars of 5.

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