Description: Yoshitaka, who was about to leave his marriage and his wife, is poisoned by arsenic-laced coffee and dies. His wife, Ayane, is the logical suspect--except that she was hundreds of miles away when he was murdered. The lead detective, Tokyo Police Detective Kusanagi, is immediately smitten with her and refuses to believe that she could have had anything to do with the crime. His assistant, Kaoru Utsumi, however, is convinced Ayane is guilty. While Utsumi's instincts tell her one thing, the facts of the case are another matter. So she does what her boss has done for years when stymied--she calls upon Professor Manabu Yukawa. But even the brilliant mind of Dr. Yukawa has trouble with this one, and he must somehow find a way to solve an impossible murder and capture a very real, very deadly murderer.
Brief description: KEIGO HIGASHINO (1958 - 2026) was one of Japan's bestselling novelists. His books have been published in more than 41 countries and territories and widely adapted for film and television. He achieved international recognition for his Detective Galileo mystery series (The Devotion of Suspect X) and his Kyoichiro Kaga series (Malice). His work was a finalist for both the Edgar Award and the CWA Dagger, and he won many awards in his home country. Born in Osaka, he lived in Tokyo, Japan.
Review Quotes:
"Brilliant ... While readers of classic mysteries will be delighted with the elegant solution, the book will also appeal to fans of procedurals that carefully develop the relationships among the investigative team members." --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"A retro puzzler that recalls Anthony Berkeley's classic The Poisoned Chocolates Case." --Kirkus Reviews