Invisible Helix: A Detective Galileo Novel

Higashino’s disappointing fifth whodunit featuring Manabu Yukawa (after Silent Parade) finds the physics professor helping the Tokyo police investigate the murder of a young video producer. After Ryota Uetsuji is found floating in Tokyo Bay with a bullet in his back, Chief Inspector Kusanagi—who was friends with Yukawa in college—takes the case. He soon learns that Uetsuji was the live-in boyfriend of florist Sonoka Shimauchi, who vanished after Uetsuji died. When the couple’s neighbors report that Uetsuji abused Sonoka, she becomes the prime suspect. Then Kusanagi learns that Sonoka was friendly with children’s author Nae Matsunaga, one of whose books references Yukawa’s work. That connection leads Kusanagi to enlist Yukawa’s help in tracking Sonoka down, believing she may have gone on the run with Matsunaga. Despite the strong setup, Higashino chooses the predictable path at every turn, leaving series fans waiting in vain for a twist worthy of Yukawa’s brilliance. Here’s hoping the professor’s next outing is a return to form. (Dec.)