A Midsummer’s Equation

Edgar-finalist Higashino’s excellent third whodunit featuring Manabu Yukawa (after 2012’s Salvation of a Saint) takes the brilliant physicist to the dying Japanese resort town of Hari Cove, where Yukawa (aka Detective Galileo) offers his expertise at hearings on an offshore drilling proposal that promises to boost the nation’s economy by providing access to rare metals. Locals who fear the effects of the resulting environmental damage, which also threatens the area’s fishing industry, are against the plan. As the corporation behind the mining operation holds meetings to win over opponents, Masatsugu Tsukahara, a fellow guest at the hotel where Yukawa is lodging, is found at the base of a seaside cliff, apparently dead from an accidental fall. An autopsy reveals that Tsukahara actually died from carbon monoxide poisoning, and the mystery deepens when Yukawa learns that the dead man was a former homicide detective. Superb fair cluing and a nicely enigmatic lead will appeal to golden age fans. (Feb.)