Guilt: A Mystery by Keigo Higashino;
translated by Giles Murray
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press,
Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of Keigo Higashino’s
latest mystery novel, Guilt. I was excited to read this book because I’ve
generally enjoyed Higashino’s books, and this is the first book that features
Detective Godai, a police detective in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police
Department. Higashino is well known for his other mysteries featuring “Detective”
Galileo and Detective Kaga, two distinct characters who have their own logic
and methods for solving murders. Detective Godai doesn’t have quite the same presence
or investigative skills that Galileo or Kaga have, but this was a solid mystery
story that left me wondering about the killer and their motivation.
Godai is called in to investigate
the murder of Kensuke Shiraishi, a lawyer that everyone seems to agree was a good
guy. While Godai and his partner Nakamachi initially think Shiraishi might have
been killed by a disgruntled client, they can’t find any evidence of
disgruntled clients. Shiraishi actually checked in on some of his clients to
make sure everything was going ok for them prior to his death. Their
investigation eventually leads them to Tatsuo Kuraki, an older widower who met
with Shiraishi regarding questions about estate law and wills. After some
investigation, Kuraki eventually confesses to the murder of Shiraishi as well
as the 1984 murder of Shozo Haitani, a financial schemer who entangled Kuraki
in paying for medical expenses and transportation after hitting Haitani while
he was riding a bike. Although Kuraki was one of the individuals who discovered
Haitani’s body, he had an alibi, which led the police to arrest Junji Fukuma,
an innocent electronics store owner, whose false arrest eventually led to his
suicide while in custody. Kuraki has lived with this guilt for years, and eventually
befriended Fukuma’s wife and daughter, although they did not know his identity.
He was planning to leave his inheritance to the Asabas (Fukuma’s widow and
daughter), but under Japanese law, Kuraki’s son was legally entitled to at
least half of the inheritance if he wished to contest the will. This is why Kuraki
sought the advice of the lawyer Shiraishi. However, after Shiraishi learned
more about the situation and the murder, he apparently encouraged Kuraki to
confess to the 1984 murder, even though the statute of limitations had expired.
Fearing for his freedom and feeling threatened, Kuraki met with Shiraishi, but
killed him because of Shiraishi’s attempts to get him to confess. Although
surprised at his confession, the police checked his story and were amazed at
Kuraki’s knowledge of the specific details that were not released to the
public. Furthermore, they were even more surprised to learn about the older
murder. Although the motive seemed somewhat specious, they seemed happy to have
a suspect under arrest and in custody.
Although the investigation seems
wrapped up, others involved with both the victim and the accused were not
satisfied. Shiraishi’s daughter Mirei questions Kuraki’s account, contesting
that her father would not have pushed Kuraki to confess. Rather, she recognized
that his work as a lawyer would have encouraged Kuraki to maintain his innocence.
Likewise, Kuraki’s son, Kazuma, also questions his father’s involvement in both
murders, noting that his father was not a killer and seemed incapable of
murder, especially as an elderly widower. Will the specter of false accusations
and arrests impact this investigation? Will the police and public’s desire for
identifying the murderer drive Detectives Godai and Nakamachi to further investigate
this strange case where murders were committed nearly 40 years apart? Or will
they quickly accept Kuraki’s confession? I was surprised how involved I became
with this case, especially after Kuraki confesses so early on in the book. However,
it’s Mirei and Kazuma’s insistence that the police misread their fathers’
intentions and actions that kept me reading. In fact, I was also surprised that
while this is billed as a Detective Godai mystery, it’s Mirei and Kazuma who do
most of the investigation and its their work that leads to challenges to Kuraki’s
narrative. The short chapters that focus on different characters give readers varied
perspectives from which to observe these crimes and their implications for both
victims and the families of the accused. In fact, it seems like that was an
underlying message for this story, examining how society, in particular Japanese
society, will often castigate the family of an accused murderer, and these
families often suffer as much as the victims when they often have no
involvement and are also grappling with the implications of the crime. Kazuma
ends up having to take a leave from work because of the negative attention his
father’s case might have on the firm. He wears a disguise out. Likewise, when
Fukuma is accused and eventually dies in police custody, his case is never
resolved, and despite no conviction, he is guilty in the court of public opinion,
which limits opportunities for his widow and daughter, who not only have to
grow up without a husband and father, but also have to grow and live under the
shadow of being a murderer’s relative. Higashino seems to be raising questions
about this kind of treatment and harsh speculation, looking at how murder
implicates all, and often the accused’s families become victims as well.
The book was an interesting read,
and since this was originally published in Japan, there are many significant
cultural practices that might seem different or out of place in American
society. The guilt of family members is one. I also at times found Kazuma, the
accused’s son, to be frustrating at times. He is easily duped by a reporter,
and possibly because of cultural practice, welcomes the reporter in, feeling
bad that he might turn down his interview requests. Similarly, Kazuma feels bad
about the negative attention his father’s case brings to his advertising firm,
questioning whether he should quit or not. However, readers should keep in mind
the context of the novel. Nevertheless, I was really surprised that Kazuma
consented to the interview, especially with his concern about publicity for the
case and how it would affect his boss and co-workers. Maybe he was trying to
create some positive publicity, but it ended up backfiring. There are also some
interesting arguments about the statute of limitations for crimes like murder as
well as what constitutes guilt and restitution. Kuraki’s lawyer is always
looking for angles with which he can show his client demonstrating a level of
care or remorse about his crimes. There’s a close scrutiny of the crime scene
and the behaviors of the accused, and I enjoyed this level of analysis on these
details. Overall, this was an interesting and surprising mystery. If you’ve
ever read Higashino’s other mysteries, this is among some of the best, however,
the detectives don’t engage with the case in the same way that Detective
Galileo or Kaga do. Additionally, the story is complex, involving 2 murders
that are nearly 40 years apart, and there are many culturally relevant details
that might not be familiar to American readers. However, Guilt is an
enjoyable mystery which I gladly recommend.
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