Newcomer - (Kyoichiro Kaga) by Keigo Higashino (Paperback)

About the Book

Newly transferred to a precinct in the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo, Detective Kyochiro Kaga, while investigating the puzzling murder of a woman, soon discovers that nearly all the people living and working in the business district of Nihonbashi are suspects.

Book Synopsis

International bestseller Keigo Higashino returns with his latest mindbender--Newcomer--as newly transferred Tokyo Police Detective Kyochiro Kaga is assigned to a perplexing murder.

A woman is found murdered in her new apartment in the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo. Living a quiet life, with nothing remarkable in her past and no known enemies, this newcomer's murder is as baffling as it was unlikely.

Detective Kyochiro Kaga of the Tokyo Police Department is also a newcomer to area--recently transferred to the Nihonbashi precinct. Assigned to the task force investigating the murder, Kaga interviews the various local people somehow connected to the victim--the insurance salesman whose card was found at her apartment; the local coffee shop she frequented; the boy who delivered a box of pastries; her estranged son, the would-be actor, among others. But the more Kaga pulls on the loose threads of a simple life, the greater the number of potential suspects emerge.

To prevent the murderer from eluding justice, Kaga must unravel all the secrets of the local residents, finding out the truth behind their interactions with the victim. Buried somewhere in the woman's seemingly uncomplicated life--her past, her friends, her family history, and the last few days of her life--is the one clue that will lead to the murderer.

Review Quotes

"His hero is an insightful detective whose disarmingly awkward charm helps him uncover the truth. Higashino's writing is emotionally charged and intellectually rewarding." --Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

"Classic yet inventive... Newcomer will appeal most to fans of classic detective stories by the likes of Agatha Christie and Georges Simenon. Higashino's intricate plotting and a vivid setting come together in an absorbing mystery that will leave readers guessing until the very end." --Bookreporter

"Kaga, a modern day Poirot, thinks even further outside the box than his Belgian predecessor, to the great delight of mystery aficionados" --Bookpage

"Delightful... Fans of classic whodunits should introduce themselves to this newcomer immediately." --Shelf Awareness

"Exotic, original... highly recommended." --Japan Times

"Newcomer is a cerebral puzzler's delight that, like Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries, offers a thought-provoking take on the tension between modernity and traditional culture and leaves a trail of mended relationships in its wake." --Booklist

"Rewarding... [readers] will appreciate Higashino's graceful prose and willingness to push the limits of the genre." --Library Journal

"Clever and charming." --The Sunday Times (London)

About the Author

KEIGO HIGASHINO is the bestselling, best-known novelist in Japan and around Asia, with numerous television and film adaptations of his work appearing in several languages. He's the author of The Devotion of Suspect X, a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel, and Malice, a finalist for the Audie Award. He lives in Tokyo, Japan.