The Devotion Of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

 

Yasuko Hanaoka has a problem.  She hasn't seen her abusive ex-husband since she divorced him but he has found her and shown up at her work and at her home.  He has been abusive not only to her but her teenage daughter and she can't have that.  In a fit of rage and protection, she and her daughter strangle him, then are faced with the enormity of what they have done.

Their next door neighbor, Ishigami, has heard the fight.  He is a math teacher and has long had a crush on Yasuko.  He knocks on the door and tells them not to worry that he will take care of everything and he does.

When the police find the body and come to question Yasuko, she has an alibi ready.  She and her daughter know exactly what to say, their every word preplanned by Ishigami.  The inspector knows something is off but can't break Yasuko's alibi.  He consults his friend, a scientist who occasionally helps him.  It turns out that this man and Ishigami were friends.  He tells the inspector that Ishigami is a genius and since he is a friend, declines to help the police this time.  

This is a classic locked room mystery played out over the landscape of a city.  It also has many of the hallmarks of Japanese culture.  Every one is quite formal with each other.  The inspector relies more on asking questions of his suspect than forensic data or lie detectors.  Each statement is checked repeatedly looking for discrepancies.  The mental competition between Ishigami, the inspector and the scientist who is friends with them both, plays the major role in this book.  

Keigo Higashino is a well known author in Japan.  He has won many literary awards there and several of his books have also been nominated for the Edgar Award.  The work is less about chases and serial killers and more about classic mysteries that only can be solved with the application of much mental work.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.