nkz21752's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sanitakacuba's review
4.0
One of the best thrillers I have read lately.
The writing is great. The author has used different viewpoints skilfully, which makes this book more special.
Recommended for an easy beach read as well as a quality example of the distinguished Asian writing style.
The writing is great. The author has used different viewpoints skilfully, which makes this book more special.
Recommended for an easy beach read as well as a quality example of the distinguished Asian writing style.
fidoe's review
5.0
Week 51 Book 86
Malice by Keigo Higashino
Rating 5/5
This may not be his most celebrated work, but I really enjoyed reading this book. Rating a book 5 after a long time.
Malice is about the death of a famous writer, and the murderer and his motive. To say more would mean giving out spoilers so I'll just say: Higashino is a master crafter of stories. As you keep reading the book you realise nothing is as it seems. I'm truly bowled over. Unnecessary to say, it's much recommended, a must read.
Malice by Keigo Higashino
Rating 5/5
This may not be his most celebrated work, but I really enjoyed reading this book. Rating a book 5 after a long time.
Malice is about the death of a famous writer, and the murderer and his motive. To say more would mean giving out spoilers so I'll just say: Higashino is a master crafter of stories. As you keep reading the book you realise nothing is as it seems. I'm truly bowled over. Unnecessary to say, it's much recommended, a must read.
megabyte117's review
3.0
(3.5/5) An engrossing read to the end, even though the ending sequence felt somewhat contrived. The alternating perspectives and formatting was an entertaining means to provide the reader with the tools to solve the mystery before the detective character.
crazygoangirl's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
2023 Review
Re-read this one as part of a project I’m doing with my cousins - re-reading Higashino mysteries and possibly other mysteries if we feel like it.
Malice is the first in Higashino’s Kyoichiro Kaga series and was a quick, engaging read. Although I’d read it before in 2016, I couldn’t remember anything at all, so it was as good as a first-time read. The first 5 chapters were predictable but with a fair undercurrent of suspense. I was right alongside Detective Kaga as he followed the trail of clues to the killer.
Kunihiko Hidaka, a famous author is found murdered in his office, a day before he and his wife are all set to migrate to Vancouver. His friend and fellow author Osamu Nonoguchi, finds his body and Kaga is called in to investigate. Kaga, who was once a school teacher before he joined the police force, recognises Nonoguchi as a colleague from the middle school where they both taught. The murder itself is fairly simple and quickly solved, but Kaga is plagued by feelings of having missed a solid motive for the crime. To find that, he must delve into the past of the victim and the killer and piece together the inconsistent memories of old friends, neighbours and colleagues to complete the big picture.
I must confess once again, that only in Japanese crimes does one find such elaborate plots and weird, far fetched motives! It is to Higashino’s credit that even these far-fetched plots and unbelievable motives keep me engaged 😆 probably because I really like Kaga as a character. His characters are unlikeable, and his narrator, unreliable, but his writing style is very engaging. Often I’m unsure how I feel on finishing the book - a mixture of incredulous disbelief and reluctant satisfaction describes it best! I mentioned in my previous review that Kaga reminded me vaguely of Poirot because he exerts his little grey cells, but this time he didn’t.
Devotion of Suspect X still remains my favourite Higashino but Malice is head and shoulders above Salvation of a Saint!
2016 - Review
I read this book in a couple of hours. It was the perfect antidote to the Neapolitan series by Ferrante that left me with a serious headache!
The Japanese are master minimalists in most areas and prose is thankfully one of them! Such a relief to be able to get to the point in a minute rather than get caught up in an endless rigmarole. That being said...the story was just okay and the extra star is because it felt good to read a book from cover to cover without overtaxing my brain in a couple of hours!
I've read both of Higashino's previous novels. The Devotion of Suspect X still remains my favourite. It belongs to my favourite genre and the plot twist was novel and ingenious. Most authors stick to a tried and tested formula once they find it...and Higashino is no different - but he's still an interesting read and forces me to face up to an assortment of human traits that only exist on the very periphery of my conscience. I cannot imagine myself going to the lengths his characters regularly do, for any purpose...but he makes me believe it's not only possible but probable. I guess that's why I read him!
So here again, he tackles a relationship that isn't quite what it seems, mutable motives and the ease of committing seemingly perfect murder. The devil or in this case, the proof is in the innocuous details, and the way Detective Kaga approaches the case and gets to the final truth is the crux of the story. Kaga reminds me vaguely of Poirot, because he notices everything, disregards nothing, and thinks out the mystery in his head first...unraveling the threads and braiding them at last into a perfect plait. Oops...sorry for the corny metaphor!
Re-read this one as part of a project I’m doing with my cousins - re-reading Higashino mysteries and possibly other mysteries if we feel like it.
Malice is the first in Higashino’s Kyoichiro Kaga series and was a quick, engaging read. Although I’d read it before in 2016, I couldn’t remember anything at all, so it was as good as a first-time read. The first 5 chapters were predictable but with a fair undercurrent of suspense. I was right alongside Detective Kaga as he followed the trail of clues to the killer.
Kunihiko Hidaka, a famous author is found murdered in his office, a day before he and his wife are all set to migrate to Vancouver. His friend and fellow author Osamu Nonoguchi, finds his body and Kaga is called in to investigate. Kaga, who was once a school teacher before he joined the police force, recognises Nonoguchi as a colleague from the middle school where they both taught. The murder itself is fairly simple and quickly solved, but Kaga is plagued by feelings of having missed a solid motive for the crime. To find that, he must delve into the past of the victim and the killer and piece together the inconsistent memories of old friends, neighbours and colleagues to complete the big picture.
I must confess once again, that only in Japanese crimes does one find such elaborate plots and weird, far fetched motives! It is to Higashino’s credit that even these far-fetched plots and unbelievable motives keep me engaged 😆 probably because I really like Kaga as a character. His characters are unlikeable, and his narrator, unreliable, but his writing style is very engaging. Often I’m unsure how I feel on finishing the book - a mixture of incredulous disbelief and reluctant satisfaction describes it best! I mentioned in my previous review that Kaga reminded me vaguely of Poirot because he exerts his little grey cells, but this time he didn’t.
Devotion of Suspect X still remains my favourite Higashino but Malice is head and shoulders above Salvation of a Saint!
2016 - Review
I read this book in a couple of hours. It was the perfect antidote to the Neapolitan series by Ferrante that left me with a serious headache!
The Japanese are master minimalists in most areas and prose is thankfully one of them! Such a relief to be able to get to the point in a minute rather than get caught up in an endless rigmarole. That being said...the story was just okay and the extra star is because it felt good to read a book from cover to cover without overtaxing my brain in a couple of hours!
I've read both of Higashino's previous novels. The Devotion of Suspect X still remains my favourite. It belongs to my favourite genre and the plot twist was novel and ingenious. Most authors stick to a tried and tested formula once they find it...and Higashino is no different - but he's still an interesting read and forces me to face up to an assortment of human traits that only exist on the very periphery of my conscience. I cannot imagine myself going to the lengths his characters regularly do, for any purpose...but he makes me believe it's not only possible but probable. I guess that's why I read him!
So here again, he tackles a relationship that isn't quite what it seems, mutable motives and the ease of committing seemingly perfect murder. The devil or in this case, the proof is in the innocuous details, and the way Detective Kaga approaches the case and gets to the final truth is the crux of the story. Kaga reminds me vaguely of Poirot, because he notices everything, disregards nothing, and thinks out the mystery in his head first...unraveling the threads and braiding them at last into a perfect plait. Oops...sorry for the corny metaphor!
riani_0801's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
- P295 - Yang benar adalah bagaimana menggambarkan karakter supaya pembaca memiliki kesan tersendiri hanya berdasarkan gestur minimal dan dialog yang diucapkan karakter, itulah yang disebut "mendeskripsikan" manusia.
- P300 - Tidak ada yang menganggap kebenaran dokumentasi sebagai kebenaran "mutlak". Semua orang tahu bahwa "kebenaran" dalam dokumentasi ditulis berdasarkan pandangan subjektif si penulis. Kendati demikian, manusia memang mudah ditipu. Salah, lebih tepatnya bersedia ditipu.
- P302 - Hal-hal yang selama ini dianggap sebagai fakta ternyata palsu dan begitu pula sebaliknya, tak ubahnya pukulan pura-pura dalam pertandingan tinju, kadang pukulan itu hanya jebakan, tapi ada kalanya justru mengenai kita dengan telak."
- P305 - Cerita yang kita anggap sebagai sebuah metafisika ternyata merupakan isi hati terdalam si pengarang, yang disamarkan oleh kebohongan sedemikian rupa sehingga terlihat sebagai "pembenaran", dan juga sebaliknya. Benar-benar lihai sehingga sulit ditangkap "ekor"-nya.
holobri's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5