Crime Master Alfred Hitchcock once said - “I’m
full of fears and I do my best to avoid difficulties and any kind of
complications. I like everything around me to be clear as crystal and
completely calm.”
The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino resembles more
of a clever Alfred Hitchcock plot rather than a gory Stieg Larsson escapade as
says the cover page of this book.
The Plot
The plot is simple. Yasuko leads a simple life as a waitress
in a little diner supporting her young daughter Misato as a single mother. One
usual day of work, her alcoholic ex-husband Togashi makes an appearance
toppling her world. As he harasses Yasuko and Misato with his demands for money,
an aggrieved Misato attacks. In the ensuing scuffle, Togashi falls dead. Next door, an infatuated genius mathematician
Ishigami listens and understands. He calmly steps in to protect his lady love
and support her to get away. He weaves a brilliant story and creates circumstances that baffle the detectives
and clues that lead to nowhere.
Even though the reader knows the murderer and how it was
done, it makes for a thrilling read as the police investigator Kusangi tries to
unravel the web that Ishigami has woven.
Ishigami ensures that the prime suspect mother-daugher duo have
irrefutable alibis, and has a chain of clues that lead to absolutely nowhere
and far away from Yasuko and Misato. Even as he stakes all to win Yasuko’s heart,
little does he know that there is already someone else in her life. To add to
Ishigami’s anxiety, comes along an old friend, Yukawa, a brilliant physics
professor who has studied in the past with Ishigami. As the usually reclusive
Ishigami meets with his old friend, he realizes that Yukawa is an aide to the
police investigating the case and to add to the irony of the situation;
Yukawa seeks Ishigami’s help in investigating Yasuko!
The emotional turmoil that the characters go through is
well-placed in this otherwise fast-paced plot. Thankfully it is not really
sappy or too sentimental and one can almost picture the geeky Ishigami in love and
seeking to protect his damsel in distress quietly and unobtrusively while
hoping she accepts him.
Elements of a best seller are a good story that keeps the
readers on tenterhooks, strong characters with well delineated emotions and
crisp editing. The Devotion of Suspect X had all these factors in its favor and
the very unexpected twist at the end ensured that the reader will not forget
the story for a long while. However perhaps it is a little unbelievable that any
person would do so much for his love, especially when it is not even
reciprocated or even known. But that
apart, I think most of the story was very believable, and everything stacked up
well with no loose ends.
The Verdict –For a story well told, with all elements of a
commercial potboiler- drama, pretty woman, damned villain, mystery, and last
but the best of all, an original twist in the tale I will give 4/5 stars.
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