A Death in Tokyo

In Higashino’s disappointing third mystery featuring Insp. Kyoichiro Kaga (after 2018’s Newcomer), Kaga helps his homicide detective cousin, a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, investigate the murder of Takeaki Aoyagi, a supervisor at Kanseki Metals, who was knifed in an underground passageway before staggering onto a nearby bridge and dying. The subsequent discovery of Aoyagi’s wallet on the person of Fuyuki Yashima, a former Kanseki Metals employee, makes Yashima the logical suspect, with theft his apparent motive. This find, however, came only after Yashima, spotted by a cop hiding in a park, was hit by a truck when he fled into the street and was left in a coma. Kaga’s digging suggests that Yashima may be innocent, despite the circumstantial evidence against him, and that the killer targeted Aoyagi for reasons other than theft. Higashino does his usual fine job of imbuing even walk-on characters with depth, but this entry, unlike his best work, lacks the logical and fair surprises that are his trademarks, and will prompt few to gasp in astonishment at the final reveals. Higashino falls short of his own high standards. (Dec.)