Keigo Higashino is again within the land of police procedurals, with a new detective as well. In case you cherished The Devotion of Suspect X (which allegedly impressed the Ajay Devgn-starrer Drishyam), you will see that your self proper at house with Guilt, the Japanese bestselling creator’s newest work.
The new detective, becoming a member of the ranks of legendary figures akin to Detective Galileo and Detective Kaga within the Higashinoverse, is Tsutomu Godai of the Murder Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Aiding him in his investigation is Detective Sergeant Nakamachi, whose first identify is rarely revealed. In a little over 400 pages, the duo makes an attempt to resolve the thriller behind what at first appears to be a easy confession of guilt.
A whodunit that morphs into a whydunit!
Guilt begins with Godai and Nakamachi investigating the homicide of a lawyer, Kensuke Shiraishi, whose physique has been present in a automobile. Shiraishi appears to have been a revered and well-loved particular person, so each detectives battle to search out a motive for his homicide as they interview completely different folks linked to him.
The homicide appears to be solved when one of the folks they meet on this course of not solely confesses to the homicide of Shiraishi, but additionally claims to have killed him to cowl up one other homicide he had dedicated greater than thirty years in the past. That earlier homicide had by no means been solved, however a suspect who had been arrested in connection with the crime had dedicated suicide in jail.
Keigo Higashino’s Guilt begins with Godai and Nakamachi investigating the homicide of a lawyer. (Generated utilizing AI)
That ought to have been the tip of the matter, and even Godai appears satisfied by the confession. However that is a Keigo Higashino e-book, so certain sufficient, there may be a twist within the story. Not solely does the son of the confessed assassin discover gaps in his father’s confession, however curiously, so does the daughter of Shiraishi, the sufferer he claims to have killed. Additionally coming into the scope of the investigation are the spouse and daughter of the suspect who dedicated suicide. They now run a café, and one of their most common and beneficiant clients is the person who confessed to each murders.
As Godai and Nakamachi, alongside with the kids of the alleged assassin and his sufferer, dig deeper and attempt to uncover the reality, what appeared to be an open-and-shut case seems to have hidden dimensions — and a assassin nobody had suspected.
Twists and turns and completely different senses of…guilt
It’s the relationships amongst all these folks, the son of the confessed assassin, the daughter of one of the victims, and the family of a homicide suspect who took his personal life that kind the core of the e-book.
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As one reads deeper into it, one realises why it’s known as Guilt. Emotions of guilt pervade its pages, whether or not belonging to the one who has accepted accountability for the homicide and his son, to the one who benefited from the suicide of a suspect, or to the mom and daughter who needed to transfer and begin life anew when their breadwinner was falsely arrested for homicide.
Guilt comes with the subtitle A Thriller, however it’s actually about not simply the investigation of a crime but additionally the emotions of the folks concerned in your complete course of. Higashino takes us into conferences between detectives as they work out what to do, the workings of the general public prosecutor’s workplace and the function the sufferer’s household performs in it as half of the sufferer participation programme, and most of all, into what passes via the minds of all these related with the case.
And simply as in The Devotion of Suspect X, there are folks attempting to guard the assassin out of concern for these associated to them. There may be additionally a trace (however solely a trace!) of romance.
Suspense, sleuthing, however with sensitivity
Regardless of its broad canvas of characters, locations, and subplots (protecting monitor of the names might be a bit of a job if one is just not acquainted with Japanese), Higashino retains Guilt flowing easily. This isn’t a feverish page-turner, however we discovered ourselves hooked at any time when we picked it up, just because issues preserve taking place.
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There are not any huge twists within the plot, however in a method very reminiscent of Agatha Christie, Higashino inevitably drops a shock in the direction of the tip of most chapters, tempting one to start out the subsequent.
Whereas the interpretation is mostly excellent, it does have its tough spots, a lawyer offers a “crisp nod of apology,” and upon listening to of an essential growth, one character says to a different “I’m to listen to the small print” in a method that appears extra suited to a company boardroom than a personal dialog.
We additionally want there have been larger chemistry between the 2 foremost detectives, Godai and Nakamachi, who appear pleasant sufficient however lack the spark seen in different relationships within the e-book. Slightly oddly, we’re advised nothing about their personal lives in any respect, and their conversations appear a little picket. Hopefully that can change within the books that observe.
Its mix of suspense and sensitivity makes Guilt one of the most effective thriller books of 2026 to this point. Followers of The Devotion of Suspect X will find it irresistible. It’s also a very promising debut for maybe the subsequent nice detective on this planet of suspense. Tsutomu Godai has an moral, environment friendly, and empathetic air about him that’s reminiscent of Rendell’s Inspector Wexford, a detective value studying about. It may effectively “encourage” a few movies too.
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Guilt: A Thriller by Keigo Higashino
Minotaur Books
416 pages
Rs 699
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