‘Guilt’ by Kiego Higashino

Published by Abacus,
9 April 2026.
ISBN: 978-0-34914861-8 (PB)

Contemporary Japan, and Tokyo detective Tsutomu Godai and his sergeant Nakamatchi are investigating the murder of Kensuke Shiraishi, who was found dead in his car. Shirashi was a lawyer with his own firm, and no known grudges held against him. Soon, Godai has his suspect, and even a confession – but is his case too good to be true? 

This police procedural is written in the third person, and from multiple points of view, so that we come to sympathise with all the people affected by Shiraishi’s death. At first the novel focuses on Godai, and we follow his growing suspicions of Tatsuro Kuraki, who comes across as suspiciously confident, and who’s obviously telling lies about his connection with the place the lawyer was last seen. Then there’s the gradually uncovered link to an old murder case in 1984. Kuraki’s son Kazuma comes into prominence after the arrest, and we see both the reactions of others to him and his own feelings about his father. The victim’s daughter, Mirei, also finds it hard to believe Kuraki’s account of events.

The story moves quickly, and the ending is totally unexpected. One particularly interesting aspect of this novel was the “victim participation system” in Japanese courts, where the dead man’s family are allowed to be part of the trial, and to have an advocate to question witnesses on their behalf. 

A cleverly plotted Japanese police procedural which also looked at the effect on the families of both victim and killer.
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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor 

Keigo Higashino was born 4 February 1958 in Osaka. He started writing novels while still working as an engineer at Nippon Denso Co. He won the Edogawa Rampo prize for writing at 27, and subsequently quit his job to start a career as a writer in Tokyo. He served as the 13th President of Mystery Writers of Japan from 2009 to 2013. 

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.  

Click on the title to read a review of her recent book
An Imposter in Shetland

www.marsalitaylor.co.uk