One of the joys of reading translated novels is getting whisked away to another part of the world. It is also interesting to see how another country approaches a familiar genre. Here are a few mysteries written by some household names in Japan:
“Which is harder: devising an unsolvable problem, or solving that problem?” Right from the beginning, readers of The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino know that Yasuko Hanaoka is the murderer. They saw her strangle her abusive ex-husband with an electric cord. Readers also know that her neighbour, Tetsuya Ishigami, offered to help her get rid of the body. But knowing the identities of the culprits does not take away from the nail-biting suspense that Higashino has laid out for us. Turns out Ishigami is no ordinary high school math teacher. He is somewhat of a genius who spends his leisure working on unsolvable math problems. In the short few hours that followed the murder, he has provided Hanaoka with the perfect alibi story and a backup plan, and a backup to the backup. Only until the last few pages of the book will the full brilliance of Ishigami’s plan be revealed, and will we understand the meaning of the title.
In the novel Out, Yayoi Yamamoto does not have a mastermind to devise a foolproof plan for her when she murders her husband in a fit of rage after discovering he has gambled away all their money. She does, however, have three friends who work the same night shift at the bento box factory, and they have agreed to help her make the body disappear. Their sloppy plan, if one could call it a plan, falls apart almost immediately and spirals into a disaster. They were watched, followed and interrogated, not only by the police but also by other unsavoury characters who are looking to profit from the situation. These four desperate women have no choice but to persevere on the dark path they have started on. Out, by Natsuo Kirino, is decidedly not for the faint of heart — repeat: NOT for the faint of heart.
The Silent Dead by Tetsuya Honda is the first of many novels featuring homicide detective Reiko Himekawa but is the only one so far to be translated into English. Himekawa is a 29-year-old woman who has risen to the rank of a lieutenant with no family relations or connections, which is almost unheard of in the Japanese police force. As a result, she is bombarded with sexist and ageist discrimination on a daily basis. Her “intuition first, evidence later” approach also grates on other officers, especially when, more often than not, she is proved right. When a body is found in a pond, Himekawa is proved correct that this is not an isolated incident as more bodies start to surface, all having the same pattern of box-cutter wounds as the first. The detective has to join forces with another unit, headed by the misogynist Katsumata, who revels in humiliating her and in showing her how much he knows about her secret past. The Silent Dead is a well-paced and well-crafted mystery, perfect for fans of police procedurals.
Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama sold a million copies in six days in Japan. Six Four is the code name for the biggest botched operation in the history of the Japanese police. Not only did the police let a kidnapper get away with a $20-million ransom, they didn’t even manage to save the seven-year-old girl involved. After 14 years, the case has turned stone cold but, suddenly, the term Six Four is heard in hushed conversations among department heads and the commissioner visiting the victim’s family. Why now? Mikami, a detective now working in media relations, is determined to find out, fuelled by the fact his daughter has also gone missing.
Looking for more great crime fiction from other countries? Visit your local library.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Virginia McCreedy works at Port Moody Public Library.
