On The Same Page: Higashino’s Newcomer Is An Unexpected Take On The Mystery Genre

PUBLISHED August 4th, 2020 05:00 am

Even with talks of potential vaccines and cures in the works, it’s difficult to forget that we are living in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. For some much-needed downtime, why not crack open a book and transport yourself to another world? This month, we dive into Newcomer, yet another absorbing murder mystery novel by Keigo Higashino.

Newcomer follows Detective Kyoichiro Kaga, who has been recently relocated to the low-profile and old-fashioned Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. Mineko Mitsui, a divorcée who had just moved into the neighbourhood and led a quiet life as a translator, has been found dead in her home. Investigators from the local precinct teamed up with the Homicide Division; however, too few clues present themselves, and the potential suspects are quickly cleared. It is at this point where Detective Kaga comes in, and we follow him as he ambles through the small district to uncover what has happened.

Higashino’s novel takes a different turn here from your traditional mystery. Instead of following the detective throughout the story, each chapter introduces new characters and a new perspective, as Kaga travels through a string of stores in Nihonbashi trying to piece together the victim’s last hours. Some of the clues end up rather unusual, such as sweet pastries spiked with wasabi and traditional spinning tops that are missing their strings.

This kaleidoscopic narrative allows Higashino to build up the lives of the side characters, and what’s interesting is that eventually, their problems take centre-stage, while the murder victim remains in the background. Each chapter can be read as a short story of its own, with its own conflicts and resolutions, and set of distinct characters. This is aptly reflected in the titles of each chapter: “The Girl at the Rice Cracker Shop”, “The Apprentice at the Japanese Restaurant”, and so on.

But even with each chapter seemingly being an individual story, it is always resolved neatly, and the overarching narrative of the murder also gains momentum as we move along. Structure and character intertwine with Detective Kaga – he is the only consistent character throughout all the chapters – as through solving these little mysteries, he inadvertently crosses out suspect after suspect to find Mineko Mitsui’s murderer. In solving these mysteries, he also resolves personal dilemmas, from estranged family members to absolving the guilt of Mineko’s close friend.

At the end of the book, Detective Kaga eventually solves the mystery. More fascinating than the reveal, however, is how the detective manages to bring all these individual stories together to construct a bigger picture. A crime does not affect a person and their family alone, it affects a community. As Detective Kaga says when asked about what he is doing, “Oh, I am investigating a murder; of course I am. But my job as a detective should go beyond that. People who’ve been traumatized by a crime are victims, too. Finding ways to comfort them is also part of my job.”

A genre-bending murder mystery, Newcomer is definitely a page-turner. While the book is said to be the second in a series, it holds up well alone – though you’ll probably be raring to pick up the next Higashino novel after this one.

Keigo Higashino’s Newcomer is available on Book Depository here.