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The Devotion of Suspect X

By: Keigo Higashino, Alexander O. Smith Translated by
Narrated by: David Pittu
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Publisher's summary

Yasuko Hanaoka is a divorced, single mother who thought she had finally escaped her abusive ex-husband Togashi. When he shows up one day to extort money from her, threatening both her and her teenaged daughter Misato, the situation quickly escalates into violence and Togashi ends up dead on her apartment floor. Overhearing the commotion, Yasuko’s next door neighbor, middle-aged high school mathematics teacher Ishigami, offers his help, disposing not only of the body but plotting the cover-up step-by-step. When the body turns up and is identified, Detective Kusanagi draws the case and Yasuko comes under suspicion. Kusanagi is unable to find any obvious holes in Yasuko’s manufactured alibi and yet is still sure that there’s something wrong. Kusanagi brings in Dr. Manabu Yukawa, a physicist and college friend who frequently consults with the police. Yukawa, known to the police by the nickname Professor Galileo, went to college with Ishigami. After meeting up with him again, Yukawa is convinced that Ishigami had something to do with the murder. What ensues is a high level battle of wits, as Ishigami tries to protect Yasuko by outmaneuvering and outthinking Yukawa, who faces his most clever and determined opponent yet.

©2005 Keigo Higashino (P)2010 Macmillan Audio. A Macmillan Audiobook from Minotaur Books
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Editorial reviews

On one level, The Devotion of Suspect X channels the vogue for offbeat psychological thrillers: a cerebral criminal, a physicist who moonlights as detective, lengthy mathematical discursions, all framed by a prose style that is as cool as a blade’s surface. But behind this is an essentially conventional tale of obsessive love and loneliness, and it’s this which drives the narrative onwards the quasi-intellectual trappings don’t quite mesh with the narrative to make an organic whole. Even a significant twist towards the end doesn’t fundamentally alter how we perceive the preceding events. Columbo-like, we know the identity of the guilty party from the start: the pleasure of the story is in seeing if and how they deal with their consciences and the police investigation.

The excellent David Pittu works hard at extracting every nuance, shade, and layer from the serviceable text. He seems to be able to anticipate the listener's own imaginative perception just where you'd imagine a tremor in the voice, or something spoken through gritted teeth, or with a sigh, he delivers just that, and right on time. It's uncanny. Where he comes up short is his performance of Yasuko, the single mother victimized by her ex-husband. Pittu portrays her with a tongue-tied gentleness, all downcast eyes and suppressed sighs; this sorrowful passivity in such a central character grates, becoming a reductive reminder of her victim status. But its author Higashino who must take the blame for this; Yasuko is a former nightclub hostess, which opens up all kinds of character possibilities and tensions that just aren't present here. Her relationship with her teen daughter is vitally important to the plot, but the daughter herself gets short shrift until a dramatic development only serves to underscore her absence from the book's main narrative.

Another cipher is Dr. Yukawa, the physicist who is called in to offer gnomish words of wisdom in some kind of consultancy capacity. He’s the star of a series of books published in Japan, and it’s a testament to the underlying efficiency and dramatic pull of the core story here that, despite the limited ambitions of this particular outing, listeners will certainly want to hear more from this potentially gripping franchise. Dafydd Phillips

Featured Article: 10 Famous Japanese Authors You Have to Hear


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What listeners say about The Devotion of Suspect X

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

P vs. NP (In the library with a candlestick)

In a Tokyo apartment, a man lies dead at the hands of his ex-wife and step daughter. Their neighbor, an introverted mathematician and virtual stranger, offers to help hide their involvement in the death. He then orchestrates an intricate cover-up to safeguard the child and her mother.

As the Tokyo police begin a murder investigation, a brilliant physicist - who has consulted for the police in previous cases – is brought into the mix. When the physicist learns that the neighbor of the suspect is, in fact, his old college friend, his interest is piqued. He begins to investigate independently.

And so we reach the central players of our chess game; two brilliant old friends, the mathematician, and the physicist. One believes he has created the perfect puzzle – the other is determined to solve it. Pitted against each other in this classic game of cat and mouse, both men struggle to fulfill their perceived “duties”, despite the feelings of friendship and respect they both feel for the other.

The Devotion of Suspect X is a rare jewel of the mystery genre; one often sought, but rarely found. It’s a mystery crafted out of many character’s points of view, and even more layers of reality. If you want answers, you’ll have to wait until the end; because like all great mysteries, the truth waits until the final unveiling.

For this particular selection, I have to thank fellow reader Howard (a great member to follow for fantastic reviews) for bringing this novel to my attention.

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43 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

Any additional comments?

Intellectually and emotionally, the story works at the highest levels. I felt stunned and moved by the final scene. I hope to see more from this author on audible. Preferably with the same reader.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

well worth it

This was a good book. There is quite a bit of depth that a person might miss, it will appeal to people that like to ponder things. As the end wraps up it brings questions to mind about how each persons choices effects another.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Japanese mastermind

Why women in Japanese literature must act like naive girls without a brain I don't know. Anyway, the battle of 3 smart guys has several good twists.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

WOW!!

THE PACE OF THIS BOOK IS STEADY AND INTENTIONALLY MEDIUM PACED..YOU KNOW WHO THE MURDERER IS RIGHT AWAY..BUT THE DYNAMIC OF FOLLOWING HOW THE COPS COME TO THE CONLCUSION IS GENIUS!! LOVE THE READER AS WELL,

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting but sad

I guess I don't like stories with sad endings. And the characters weren't fleshed out enough for me. Good idea, but just didn't quite get there.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Its almost

great but turns out to be very good.... the story was intresting and the ending was not what I thought it would be. worth the time and credit

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

amazing

definitely worth checking out. is it harder to create the unsolvable problem? or to solve that problem?

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Straight up procedural..satisfying in that respect

This is a no-frills detective investigation story that has the somewhat non-conventional aspect of having a Columbo style beginning where the reader knows who the murderer is. The story is simple and the characters are for the most part non-complicated. The narrative is largely dialogue driven which makes for a compelling listen. The narrator is also very buttoned down with a minimum of acting flair but for this type of story and writing style it really works. An added bonus: the book is concise at just 8 hours.

This review may sound like this book is largely conservative in scope and style but this is why it is such a satisfying experience. For crime fiction fans this book is similar to reading a Connelly or Lehane work - it is straight-up detective fiction without trying to be too much and a concise story that will leave you satisfied.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very good, very sad

Where does The Devotion of Suspect X rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have read many many mysteries/thrillers, this is one of the saddest but also one of the best. Be warned: Good but sad

What did you like best about this story?

The characters...

Have you listened to any of David Pittu’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He was fine

Who was the most memorable character of The Devotion of Suspect X and why?

Suspect X

Any additional comments?

I would recommend but with a caveat.

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