Silent Parade

[Blurb goes here]

I've been an avid Keigo Higashino reader for a quite a while now, enjoying Detective Galileo's adventures to no end. This book was different from the previous ones. The overall experience was disappointing. I think that the main issue comes from the—at times—mediocre translation. It almost feels as if it was translated using Google Translate or some other software, and then, who ever was behind the translation, fixed a few things.

This book had none of the distinctive qualities of Higashino's previous books.

I was dishearten by the whole experience. The poor translation turning the story into a run of the mill adventure, leaving me with a bad after-taste.

It is my opinion—a humble one, might I add—that this book's english version is far from ready. It is in dire need of editing and a thorough gramar check. There're quite a few sentences and some paragraphs, that simply don't make sense.

If, as it should be, this book gets an overhaul, I'll be honored to read it again. Higashino is—again, in my humble opinion-a writer that deserves more than this poorly translated work.

Thank you for the free copy!

Probably somewhere between a 4 and 4.5 stars - it's not quite topped Salvation of a Saint as my favourite in the series, but it's pretty close! Definitely on par with Devotion of Suspect X for me.

This has become my all time favourite mystery series - I really love our main trio and their dynamic, and Higashino's ability to make you think you know what's going on and then throw you in for a loop at the end is truly unmatched. Silent Parade is as much of a page turner as the previous books in the series, and I loved every minute of this.

What I really loved about this story in particular are the interconnected cases - we have a case from Kusanagi's past that ended in the culprit getting away with his crime because of the flawed justice system, a similar case in the slightly more recent past seemingly linked to this same killer, and then finally the murder of this suspect in the present day. I can see some people finding this a bit convoluted, but I personally really enjoyed this setup and seeing the links between the cases!

One thing I will say is that the further on in the series we get, the more obvious it is that the English translations are skipping books in the series. There are callbacks and character/relationship developments that are implied, but that I have no context for. I can only assume they took place in the books that weren't translated. If the publisher is reading this, please, I beg, give us translations of all the books in this series 😭

If you're a fan of crime procedurals and murder mysteries, I cannot recommend this series enough!

I was excited to read yet another thriller from one of my favorite crime writers. A young talented singer Saori goes missing and three years later her body was found in a burned down house. Despite lots of circumstantial evidence pointing to one man Hasanuma, he is not prosecuted. And the most frustrating thing for Tokyo police department is that he has done it before. Detective Kusanagi has met this man early in his career, where he was acquitted from a similar crime.

As the family of Saori suffers through this injustice, Hasanuma is found dead on the day of a famous parade in Kikuno. Though Detective Kusanagi hates him, he is forced to investigate his death. But every suspect and person of interest have a perfect alibi. Detective Kusanagi, turns to his friend Yukawa for help. So who killed Hasanuma?

What Higashino tried here is controversial, Would you care if the victim was a despicable person? Though I connected well with the characters in the book, I didn't care so much about Hasanuma's death. So I didn't want his killer to be punished? So, this book is about uncovering How Hasanuma was killed, rather than a whodunnit. As usual the plot was clever and everything was wrapped up well in the end. But I felt it wasn't as good as his previous novels.

Right from the start, I knew the pace of the novel is going to be slow , so if you are used to page turners, this might feel a bit drawn out. I loved learning about the Japanese Parade, their foods and culture. This is the thing that always fascinates me when I read books set on a different location.

If you havent read Higashino before, I suggest checking out his other books first. But regardless, it was a good read.

3.5 Stars

If your looking for a good murder mystery this is a must-read. It kept me guessing until the end. I loved this book so much, how it followed things from the past and the present. I enjoy a good murder mystery and this one did not disappoint at all.

I stumbled on Higashino with the publication of The Devotion of Suspect X. It was such an ingenious novel. Well, and simply, told. Since then I've read all of Higashino's novels published in English. So I was extremely happy when the publisher granted my request for Silent Parade.
Higashino is a master of the closed room mystery. The reader is always fairly certain they know what is going on, but then constantly discover that they really don't. Higashino manages to do this by giving you information, running with it, then giving you a new piece of information which runs contrary to what you already thought you knew.
In Silent Parade, Higashino has certainly done exactly this again. It's not until the final pages that you truly know what happened and yet, if you were to move back through the pages, you'd see that all the information you needed was there all along.
I will not go into a plot description because. like all of his novels, that is a large portion of the joy. Know you'll find many mysteries here. Wonderfully drawn characters. These people, even the villains, feel as real as people you know. And you'll find a kindness in 'Detective Galileo'. A humanity that is far too often missing from other fictional truth seekers.
I cannot recommend this novel (and all of Keigo Higashinos's novels) enough.

I liked this book overall. The pacing was good. The plot twists were very obviously foreshadowed but still surprising. I didn’t guess what happened.

I didn’t like that the characters all felt flat - when they spoke bit felt interchangeable. (Maybe that is in the translation. Also there are some typos and translations that are grammatically incorrect and some places where the wrong name has been used and it threw me for a loop!)

Not my favorite Detective Galileo novel but it was a decent read. A bit wordy for the mystery itself but the end wrapped up nicely. Would have liked to have heard more from the Detective himself, his role in this book is a more of a side role than usual. But still fun to have him back.

The author was unfamiliar to me. What a shame. This book was so good that I will go out and buy the first three books in this series. If you want character development it is here. If you want speculative logic it is here. If you want deductive reasoning like Hercule Poirot it is here. A plot that will twist and turn until the end it is here. I am a big mystery fan. The author, Keigo Higashimo, now goes will now go to the top five that I will always read.

I've read all of Higashino's English translated works, and Silent Parade ranks on the lower end for me. Many of Higashino's hallmarks are here - the twists, the secrets, the final reveal, justice vs punishment, the glimpse into Japanese culture - but the mystery just didn't grip me like his previous works. It was very reminiscent of Murder on the Orient Express, and if you're familiar with that story while reading this one you can figure out a good deal of what is going on in the present day story.
I was surprised regarding the original (inciting action) murder, because I had figured out part of the reason for the murder but picked the wrong perpetrator.
In conclusion, this wouldn't be in the top 5 of Higashino books that I'd recommend, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading it. I look forward to reading whichever translation comes out next.
Thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an arc for review.

Am totally loving this book of Heigashino's. It is an absolute delight to read this novel. Just like his other books, I enjoyed the nuances of different characters and the plot as well. Looking forward to more such books.

Kiego Higashino is one of my favorite authors. He has a remarkable imagination. This mystery has a number of twists and turns that I could never have anticipated. The translation had a few awkward moments, but it did not distract from the page turning quality of the story. Another winner!

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. Thanks for the early read opportunity, in exchange for my review.

Finished this one earlier today, and then found out my husband has been enjoying Keigo Higashino in audiobook format for years! Guess I know where to look for my next read!

First off, I appreciated the cast of characters listed at the front of the book. It really helped me keep everyone straight in my mind through the first part of the complicated plot. If you are an English-only speaker like me, being able to flip back to this cast of characters at will would be a good reason to purchase this title in physical form.

What a plot!! It's like peeling away the layers of an onion, slowly revealing more of the backstory, the relationships between characters and how tragedy can beget tragedy. And when I thought everything was nicely resolved, I was like "wait a minute, there's still 30% of the book to go" and then more layers of the the onion were peeled away. I did NOT see that ending coming.

I also appreciate this book for its depiction of Japanese culture - the tradition of small gifts, respect for elders, the names of dishes served at the family restaurant, how cosplay has grown in popularity over the past couple of decades, how police investigations work, etc. I'm inspired to learn more (takiawase recipes, anyone?).

It's always a delight to come across a new-to-you author whose work you enjoy and then discover older titles that you can delve into for you next read! I look forward to getting to know Professor Manabu “Galileo” Yukawa better. It's too bad that only 4 of 9 "Detective Galileo" titles have been translated to English.

3.75/5

It's still a mystery crime book as normal but Keigo always left me a mixed-feeling in the end.

This book has a huge plot and the writing style is quite different to the Keigo's style we normally see. The reason that I say this book is different is the story doesn't follow the normal rule we usually see in Keigo's books. The way that he links two old cases is odd enough but this plot is even not in order. In this book, the good news is Galileo is portrayed even better than in Salvation of a Saint. Keigo did a good job in expressing the characters and he usually never fails me in that one.

In this book , the mystery crime factor dominates the society factor and the plot twist is surprising enough. This book has a strong start but a weak end and the author left some of the events' outcome for the reader to figure out themselves but that decision of Keigo is not as good as in Journey Under the Midnight Sun.

In the end, Tomoya Takagaki is the lamentable one.

I was delighted to be given the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publisher. This book is one of the most clever mysteries I've ever read. As much as I liked the earlier books in the Detective Galileo series, this one was even better. The translation was excellent, but as an English-speaking American, I was slowed down by the names of the large cast of characters. Reading the book slowly let me appreciate all the intricate details of the story. The author brought the characters to life, and I could envision the setting and get immersed in the events. Higashino is one of my favorite mystery writers, and I highly recommend this book as well as his other mysteries.

Keigo Higashino's genius is such that his plotting is akin to driving through a labyrinth on a narrow road with many switchbacks covered in black ice. Silent Parade begins with the outcome of a trial for murder of a young girl which leads to a not guilty verdict, although there is no doubt among the police that it was the murderer who walked free. Although all circumstantial evidence pointed to one person, Hasunuma, he had remained mute and since he had not confessed, nor made any statement at all either to the police or in court, he was released.

Many years later, another young girl goes missing and her body is eventually discovered in a house destroyed by fire. In addition to the body of the young girl, Soiri, another body is found in the wreckage - that of an older women who appears to have been dead for years longer. The burned house belonged to the stepmother of Hasunuma. Once again, the police are sure he is guilty, but unlike the previous situation, there is no evidence of any kind linking Hasunuma to the crime, although he was known to have had an unhealthy interest in Soiri, frequently causing scenes in her family's restaurant to the extent that he was banned.

Soiri's death affected a great many people: her boyfriend, Tomoya, her parents, her sister, Natsumi. On the cusp of launching a career as a singer, Soiri was much beloved and famous in her neighborhood. As the detectives set out to prove Hasunuma's guilt in the death of Soiri, another death occurs which leads to a situation with more suspects - if, in fact, a crime occurred.

The detectives, of course, seek out Professor Yakuma as they try to unravel the mystery which goes from no suspects to many suspects. References to Murder on the Orient Express are tongue-in=cheek and yet another instance when Higashino is far ahead of his audience. As always, a pleasure to read.

Thank You NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Author for the chance to read this advanced readers copy for an honest review!

Got approved for this around afternoon time stopped what I was doing to read Silent Parade and I just finished this book at 1:43 am.

This was a very a unique book! I've never read Higashino's books before this one and I believe this could be read as a standalone.
To be honest I wasn't so sure about this book once I started it but once I got into the story it quickly picked up and became very interesting and intriguing.
The characters were amazingly done I couldn't have asked for better characters.
But what stood out most to me was the writing. Keigo knows how to rope the reader in and keeps them turning the pages. I couldn't keep up fast enough. I couldn't stop reading because I had to get to the bottom of this book. Its that damn good!
Now I'm on a mission to read the other books! I've got to.

So thank you again St. Martin Press, NG and Author for the amazing opportunity to read this book!
I will post to my Goodreads, Facebook and Bookstagram accounts closer to pub date!

Detective Galileo is back!
If you've read and enjoyed Higashino's previous works, I can guarantee that you'll enjoy this one as well. If you have not read previous works, this stands alone perfectly and is one of the more easier stories to immerse in. It takes place in an area of Tokyo that is just an average place and the townspeople are all close. When a popular restaurant's pretty daughter disappears and then is found dead some years later, the perpetrator of the crime is identified, but it seems impossible to make charges stick. There are so many twists and turns that it is hard to imagine the outcome. It all comes together in a very satisfying conclusion. Yes, there are a lot of names, but the author thoughtfully includes a guide to the characters. I could not put it down.

Interesting book. A Japanese murder mystery that will leave you guessing. Must admit, to my shame, that the names threw me a bit, and I had to rethink a few times who was who. Otherwise though, one I highly recommend.

352 pages

5 stars

DCI Kusanagi and his partner Detective Kaoru Utsumi catch a very difficult case which has ties to the past. When Kusanagi was just a beginning detective, he assisted on a case where the police knew without a doubt who committed the murder. However, the murderer was found not guilty in court.

Is he back? Could this latest murder of another young woman be his work?

This case is very complicated and the detectives need input from Manabu “Galileo” Yukawa, a very talented physicist who has a knack for police work.

When their main suspect turns up dead at a community celebration, the case is thrown into chaos. All of their suspects for his murder have solid alibis. So, who committed the crime?

This is an extremely well written and plotted novel. It is a complicated read, but stick with it. It is well worth the experience. Mr. Higashino is a master at the use of words to paint pictures. The reader is there witnessing everything. I really enjoyed this book and went immediately to Amazon to look at his other books. I look forward to reading more from him.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.