Japan's Master of Mystery

 A Midsummer's Equation by Keigo Higashino

Tokyo Keonji Awa Odori by Michael Vito CC by NC-SA 2.0

I ended up reading another Higashino mystery last year around this time (The Name of the Game is Kidnapping). I always feel like I read his books in late winter/early spring, despite this book being about a summer vacation for a boy and a mysterious death that occurs in the early days the boy spends with his aunt and uncle at their seaside resort. This one is also a Detective Galileo mystery. The book was pretty easy to read and interesting. I was surprised by the ending and the way that things unfolded. I had some ideas and theories, and there was enough in the book to help lead me to these theories and ideas, but not enough for me to complete my ideas. Like his other books, Higashino gives enough to the characters to make them believable and interesting. I also thought that the way the story unfolded—dealing with issues surrounding the environment, local government control, changing times in traditional communities, and the rights of women—all added interesting social commentary on the topic. I didn’t think this book was as good as some of the other books from Higashino, but it was enjoyable and entertaining.