The Devotion of Suspect X: A Detective Galileo Novel (Detective Galileo Series, 1)

Keigo Higashino’s The Devotion of Suspect X completely flipped my expectations of a mystery novel. Unlike Agatha Christie, who keeps you guessing about the identity of the culprit until the very end, Higashino tells you upfront who the suspect is. And yet, the suspense doesn’t fade—instead, it only deepens. You’re left wondering how the investigation will play out, and that’s where the genius of this novel lies. From the start, I was hooked by how brilliantly the story unfolded. Ishigami, the math teacher at the center of it all, is far more than he seems. The way he manipulates not just the investigators but also the reader is pure genius. I found myself second-guessing every assumption I made, only to realize that Ishigami had been ten steps ahead the entire time. By the end, I was screaming internally, utterly caught off guard by the twists and turns. What really surprised me was how much I ended up sympathizing with Ishigami. His intellect and quiet devotion made it impossible not to root for him, even knowing what he’d done. I was torn between wanting justice and wanting him to succeed in his meticulous plans. Higashino crafted such a complex character that I couldn’t help but take his side, which left me with a mix of emotions long after I finished the book. If you’re looking for a mystery that’s not just about solving a crime but also about understanding the depths of human nature, The Devotion of Suspect X is a must-read. It’s one of those rare books that will keep you thinking, guessing, and feeling long after you’ve turned the last page.

A novel that is part psychological profile, part murder mystery, Keigo Higashino’s The Devotion of Suspect X is a masterfully written novel. The novel, originally published in 2005 and translated into English in 2011, is a standout in the world of mystery fiction, offering a plot that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant. We have three central characters: Ishigami, a brilliant but socially isolated mathematician; Yasuko Hanaoka, a single mother trying to escape her abusive ex-husband; and Yukawa, a physicist and college friend of Ishigami, who becomes involved in the investigation of a murder. When Yasuko's ex-husband, Togashi, shows up at her doorstep and threatens her, a violent confrontation ensues, leading to his death. Ishigami, who is secretly in love with Yasuko, offers to help her cover up the crime, devising a seemingly foolproof plan to mislead the police. While the tone of the novel starts out as a Christie-like cozy, it rapidly turns into a dark noir. Higashino’s narrative is a fascinating exploration of logic and emotion, presenting a battle of wits between Ishigami and Yukawa. The novel’s brilliance lies in its ability to subvert the reader’s expectations; what appears to be a straightforward whodunit quickly evolves into a much deeper and more complex story. The tension between the characters is palpable, and Higashino skillfully explores themes of unrequited love, sacrifice, and the moral dilemmas faced by ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. The pacing of the novel is meticulous, with each revelation peeling back another layer of the mystery, culminating in a shocking and tragic conclusion that lingers long after the final page. Higashino’s translated prose, though straightforward, is effective in conveying the inner turmoil of his characters. Overall, a very engaging. it will be interesting on how this compares to the rest of the series.

This is the first book I've read by Keigo Higashino and it won't be my last. It's a very complex story. While I guessed about half way through what one of the characters was going to do by the book's end, I didn't guess his reason. This was critical, not only to the story itself, but to the joy of reading this book. I read "The Devotion of Suspect X" (Devotion) because it was assigned in a class I'm taking. As the professor anticipated, several of us taking the class were bound to read ahead. That was certainly true for me. The story was so compelling that I read it in a couple of days. My reviews are completely for myself, to help me remember what I liked about a book, and to jot down key impressions. The book's professionally written description will tell you what I would have said to describe it. Read it to help you decide if you want to read it. All I will say is that if you enjoy a complex murder mystery, you'll enjoy this book as much as I did. I've already bought a couple of other books by Higashino so that I have them on my shelf when I'm ready to read another mystery. That's going to be very soon based on my reading of Devotion. One note about translations: "The Devotion of Suspect X" was translated by Alexander O. Smith. I've found that the quality of the translation makes a huge difference to me, especially when it came to books written in Japanese. I've read other Japanese book translations and found the writing to be dull and simplistic, lacking metaphors, similes, and even descriptive adjectives. Japanese is, in fact, a beautiful language, full of gorgeous imagery. Read a few pages to see if the translation you are thinking about reading is of the quality you're expecting.

An intelligent read with a well constructed plot I was glad I read this book. Two stars are missing for character development. I'm not sure if this was a translated story or not but the characters for whatever reason seemed to lack depth. The most development was between the university alumni while the detective and female lead remained disappointingly flat. The ending was satisfactory but if the characters had been more identifiable it would have been absolutely monumental. If you are a fan of Japanese contemporary fiction read this book. Three stars is a solid rating from this reviewer. Mr. Higashino, if you are reading this, if the character development was as strong as your plot and inner monologues this would be a different beast altogether. Keep it up!

Keigo Higashino's first novel translated into English is a fun, absorbing read. There's a murder early on and cover up layered with deceit, feints in the wrong directions and lots of dead ends. Somewhere where eastern Tokyo turns into the suburbs of Chiba the real downtown of Tokyo exists; a seedy place of where fading second acts confront total loss and failure. In a cheap, typically thin walled, poorly built 5 story walk up lives high school math teacher Ishigama-san. Next to him the very attractive, mid (late?) 30's Yasuko Hamada and her teen age daughter have moved in. The both have their own baggage. Yasuko works at a take out stand catering to locals. The story of these 2 develops after a murder is committed. Then we are introduced to Police Inspector Kusanagi and his friend a brilliant physics professor Yukawa of Imperial University (a stand in for Tokyo University?). Yukawa is sometimes consulted on difficult cases. For some reason he takes a personal interest in this case. The story moves along very well. Yasuko's background as a former bar hostess means there are is always the potential for unsavory characters to show up from her past. Ishigama's brilliance at math is legitimate and plays well into the story as does Yukawa's speciality and a peculiar connection to them both and Kusanagi. This is a classic Japanese crime procedural. There are those of committed the murder and those who are pursuing them. I liked the characters. They felt real. The plot twists were interesting. The story moves along well. The language is simple. Some might find it pedestrian. The characters "frown", "grunt", "shrug" etc. But it works. The investigation unfolds with an effective use of dialogue particularly between Kusanagi and Yukawa. Ishigama is an enigma that gradually unfolds. There are some points where a reader can guess the direction things are going but even if you are right it doesn't seem to detract as this is not meant to be a US style mystery. If you like Miyuki Miyabe (All She's Worth) or Natsuo Kirino (Out, Grotesque) then I think this would be appealing.

This is the first of the original novels upon which one of my long-time favorite Japanese TV series - "Galileo" - was based, and since that TV series remains... well, one of my favorite television shows of all time (a little like an old friend,) I will have to admit to a definite bias here. (If you have a subscription to a certain popular streaming service I highly recommend watching "Galileo" because it's excellent entertainment of the brain-teaser type, starring Masaharu Fukuyama of "Ryomaden" fame. Caveats on Season 2 however - a cast-change diminished somewhat the quality of that one IMO.) [Also: My reading of this book happened to have coincided with jury service at a local court, so that coincidence was excellent serendipity. I won't know 'til tomorrow whether I'll be on the jury or not, but reading this book in the halls of a courthouse in downtown Los Angeles was a unique experience. Digressions! Sorry.] This book is unusual in that it begins with a murder and reveals everything (?) about that murder right from the outset, so you the reader know the details of the crime immediately. What makes the book fascinating are the conflicting efforts of a.) the police to solve the murder and b.) the criminal party to conceal the facts of the murder. Interjected into all of this is of course Manabu Yukawa-sensei, professor of physics at the fictional Teito University and frequent adviser to the police on difficult cases, nicknamed "Detective Galileo" for his brilliant intellect. He suspects more is going on than meets the eye, and man is there *ever*. There is a plot-twist at roughly 85% into the novel that is positively jaw-dropping. Yeah, an excellent read, and I'm diving into the next in the series, stat. Highly recommended. [P.S. - It's sad to learn that author Keigo Higashino died just seven weeks ago - on July 23, 2026 - at age 68.]

Yasuko Hanaoka is a single mother just trying to get ahead. She's finally working a more respectable job and raising her teenage daughter, Misato, as best she can. Her sleazy ex-husband, Togashi, is making that difficult. As much as she tries to distance herself, he keeps coming around, extorting money in order to go away. This time, however, the altercation becomes physical when Misato hits him. He attacks the girl, and both mother and daughter wind up in a life-or-death struggle that finds Togashi strangled on the floor. Panicked, the two are discussing Yasuko turning herself into the police when a knock comes at the door. It is Ishigami, the smitten teacher who lives next-door. It seems he *will* do anything for Yasuko--including move bodies. And so a plot is hatched. Ishigami is much more than a high school math teacher. At one time, he was a bona fide mathematical genius and it seems he's still got a talent for logic and strategy. Will it help them all get away with murder? Enter "Detective Galileo," the nickname of physicist Manabu Yukawa. Yukawa earned his moniker helping out the police on occasional cases. He's got Holmesian intellect and observational skills, though considerably better people skills than the famed detective. And, back in their college days, he and Ishigami were friends and rivals. While Yukawa is not officially on the case, his personal connection draws him in. But rather than working with Detective Kusanagi, for the first time he seems to be following his own agenda. Thus begins a high-stakes chess game between two brilliant men. Says the physicist: "When an amateur attempts to conceal something, the more complex he makes his camouflage, the deeper the grave he digs for himself. But not so a genius. The genius does something far simpler, yet something no normal person would even dream of, the last thing a normal person would think of doing. And from this simplicity, immense complexity is created." I'm not generally a huge fan of police procedurals, but this one had a lot going for it. At the very top of the list is the plotting. The cat-and-mouse aspect to the investigation kept tension ratcheted--especially as readers knew exactly how the murder went down from the novel's opening pages. But each of these men had surprises up their sleeves, and the dénouement was a thing of beauty. Also, this was largely a crime of self-defense (apparently not a big concept in the Japanese legal system, as it was never brought up once as a mitigating factor), and therefore the perpetrators were quite sympathetic. As a reader, at times it was hard to know who to root for--and that's just interesting. This was definitely not a black and white crime novel. Character development is a little trickier. I always have some trouble getting a feel for Japanese characters simply due to cultural differences. And whatever the culture, Ishigami is not your average Joe. I liked Yukawa quite a lot, but can't say that I feel he's a wildly unique creation. At least not yet. Author Keigo Higashino has had a second Detective Galileo mystery published in English, Salvation of a Saint. As I was reading, I thought to myself, This must not be the first novel in the series. But checking Wikipedia, it appears there were only a series of short stories featuring the character prior to this novel. Additionally, there's a third novel in the series not yet released in America. Based on this introduction, I'd be very open to further investigations.

This is a cleverly and carefully constructed novel with each and every paragraph contributing to the plotline. This novel has all the elements of a classic detective story. A murder in second chapter. There is a pair of inspector and a "consultant detective". While the detective is in the Sherlock Holmes/Hercule Poirot mould, the inspector is decidedly smarter than Lestrade. And the chemistry between them is different and much refreshing. And thankfully, there is no Captain Hastings/ Dr Watson to spend too many pages on wrong clues. However, the story is told in reverse. We, the readers, know the culprits. And the motive. If you are attentive, you will even know what must have happened that is keeping the police from closing in on the suspects. But by that time, you are intrigued by the motives of the main characters. And closely related to the main plotline are a couple of poignant love stories dealt in a very mature way which hold our attention. Although the author hides a few things from the reader, the reader does not feel deceived. Making it a satisfying read when all the dots are finally connected. However, the popular math bits and science information introduced into the narrative seemed a bit forced. For a math genius and a physics genius, they sure talk to each other about "P vs NP" and other things in a fairly childish fashion. Nevertheless, it does not take away too much from the novel. Mark it for those rainy afternoons and savour it with hot coffee.

Very good thriller. Had never read Japanese thriller before. Intelligent detectives and villain. Engaging

***SPOILER AHEAD*** I have now for a few months been a fan of Keigo Higashino. The Devotion of Suspect by Keigo Higashino is my 4th book by the author. Luckily for me, it so happened that I picked this up after his other lesser books, because for me, this one is a masterpiece and probably nothing can surpass it. Unless, of course, Mr. Higashino comes out with another masterpiece such as this. Or, someone keeps wiping off my memory of having read this book each time after I read it and I go back to the beginning and marvelling each time while technically already having read the book. Yasuko Hanaoka and her daughter Misato are trying to live a peaceful life. Now working in Benten-Tai, a lunch box restaurant, Yasuko only wants a bright future for herself and Misato. All seems well until the arrival of her ex-husband, Shinji Togashi. What does he want? Oh, just some money and some creating some troubles for the mother-daughter duo. What he doesn’t get is that they have had enough already and it is not good for him to bother them further. So, what happens? They kill him in a moment of rage and self-defence. Tetsuya Ishigami, a mathematical genius and Hanaoka’s neighbour, knocks then, and despite their efforts to hide it, the Hanaokas are left at his mercy to dispose-off the dead body. Ishigami takes it onto himself to clear the mess and keeps the Hanaokas out of the way. Needless to say, the police find a dead body and start investigating which leads them to Yasuko. The leading detective for the case is Kusanagi, and along with his friend and genius physicist Manabu Yukawa, they start playing a game of chess with Ishigami and the Hanaokas. What follows is a series of thought-of moves which they find themselves against, and a revelation that puts the intellect of a normal human to shame. Has the perfect murder been committed? Picking up this book was never my first choice. Having watched the Bollywood movie Drishyam based on the book, I was doubtful if I’d enjoy it as much even after having read a few books by the author and had loved them. But, I took my chances and picked this one up, lockdown to be blamed, and devoured it like a ravenous animal who sees food after many days. Higashino is a magician who knows his tricks well and yet there is a simple logic behind all the trickery which readers like me are never able to guess, even when they have watched a movie based on it. Although the movie was great in itself, it is nowhere close to this book. With this book, I bow down to him. A seemingly how-dunnit is easily blended into a what-dunnit and a why-dunnit. Having revealed the crime and the criminal a few chapters into the book, it was a matter of keeping the reader engaged till the climax. Just when you think you finally get it and start hurrying up to the end, the author blows away your thinking as lightly as a cotton pollen and reveals the trick behind his trick. The translation is lucid and the story, superbly mind blowing. I do believe that translation loses a lot of beauty, but one can only know so many languages! Based on the theme of a rock solid alibi of the murderer, the story is like a game of chess between two world champions. While you root for one, you crave for the other to make an intelligent step. A brilliant game is more endearing than the result itself. I rooted for the culprit here and I know so many others would have done the same. Like Higashino’s other books, this one too has elements of local flavour. And like others, this too has its too perfect to be true elements. The almost immediate pinning down of the culprits by the police, the romance bordering on infatuation (though I understand it was a part of the play by the master) and the coincidence of two geniuses on the opposing ends, all too good to be true. But for the thought behind all this, for the trick that the author has up his sleeve and for leaving the reader awestruck, I will overlook whatever downside the book has. For me, this is and will remain one of the best murder mysteries I have read till date.

There's nothing predictable about this book. There's everything to enjoy. From the way the story progresses to the behavior of the characters and even the digressions into an orderly mathematical universe, everything contributes to the suspense of this gripping roller-coaster ride until you don't know what is true and what is false. And then, just when you think you had everything figured out, here comes that unpredictable human element capable of defeating even the most perfect of machinations, so everything changes again and nothing will ever be the same again. Needless to say, I loved every minute of it!

Since I started this book, I spent my days at work looking forward to go home and continue reading it, I read until I went to bed, and then again once I was awake and had to go to work, I didn't want to do anything else. Excellent writing with an unexpected ending.

Erwarten Sie einen Krimi, einen klassischen "Whodunit"? Wollen Sie blutrünstige Action, spektakuläre Szenen, atemberaubende Wendungen? Und vor allem: eindeutige Bösewichter und Gutmenschen? Dann rate ich Ihnen: Finger weg von diesem Buch! Es hat zwar seine Lobeshymnen und Höchstwertungen eindeutig verdient - aber eben auf die typisch japanische Art. Und die schert sich hier wieder einmal weniger darum, was "erwartet" wird - sondern vielmehr darum, was man alles aus einer altbekannten Form machen kann. Mörder, Tathergang und Motiv stehen von Anfang an fest. Yasuko hat in einer Notsituation, gemeinsam mit ihrer Tochter Misato, ihren Exmann ermordet. Der schon seit langem heimlich in sie verliebte Nachbar Ishigami findet dies heraus und bietet ihr an, ihr zu helfen. Insofern: alles erwartbar und verstehbar. Doch genau ab diesem Punkt verlässt das Buch ausgetretene Pfade und wird völlig unvorhersehbar. Man muss wirklich jede Seite, jedes Kapitel mit höchster Aufmerksamkeit lesen, weil sich die Sache zu einem Duell zwischen zwei kriminalistisch hochbegabten Gehirnen entwickelt: eben jenem verliebten Nachbarn, und dem Physiker Yukawa, einem alten Kollegen - der zu allem Unglück auch noch mit dem ermittelnden Polizisten befreundet ist... Das Lesen erfordert schon allein deshalb höchste Konzentration, weil es eben keine (!) spektakuläre Action gibt. Menschen begegnen sich, unterhalten sich, spekulieren, rechtfertigen sich, werden verhört. Beinahe jeder Satz ist wichtig, weil sich für den Leser in den Gesprächen nach und nach herausstellt, wie es gewesen sein könnte - und ob Yasuko nun gefasst wird, oder nicht. Eines kann ich aber garantieren: das Ende wird jeden überraschen. Ich war beinahe sprachlos. Sehr genial gemacht, wenngleich auch ein wenig tragisch endend. Die Sprache ist recht schnörkellos und klar, das trägt natürlich zur guten Lesbarkeit bei. Nachdenken muss man hier schon genug! Wundervoll getroffen sind auch die verschiedenen Charaktere: der Physiker Yukawa, der gerne einmal um die Ecke denkt (und schließlich als Einziger der Lösung nahekommt), Ishigami, der tatsächlich nur für die Mathematik und die Logik zu leben scheint, und der Polizist Kusanagi, der nichts anderes kann als dem bekannten Prozedere der Ermittlungsarbeit zu folgen - und der eben deshalb lange erfolglos bleibt... Ein gewisses Händchen oder Faible für Japan sollte man schon haben, denn das Buch verzichtet weitestgehend darauf, sich einem "westlichen" Geschmack anpassen zu wollen. Dafür glänzt es mit hintergründiger Spannung, großartigen Charakteren, und einem wirklich stimmungsvoll geschilderten Tokyo. Sehr zu empfehlen für alle, die das Besondere lieben!