A Thinking Man’s Novel

Silent Parade by Keigo Higashino is an intriguing Japanese contemporary crime suspense that enthralled me from the start. It is part of A Detective Galiled series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Keigo Higashino has produced a complex plotline which is extremely well thought out. It is definitely a thinking-man’s novel as there were twists and turns before the jaw-dropping reveal. Silent Parade is a roller coaster ride, buckle up and see where the author takes you!

The action is in a suburb of Tokyo as the reader is treated to an annual parade and ‘experiences’ the café culture.

In a close-knit neighbourhood, when one of their own is murdered, friends and neighbours draw together. When the culprit is apprehended and subsequently released, a vigilante culture emerges. Locals are determined to do what the police cannot.

A long list of suspects emerges but not one single perpetrator. If no one confesses, how will the police catch the guilty one?

A long buried cold case is unearthed in present day.  Lack of evidence put the case to bed twenty three years ago. Is history doomed to repeat itself?

We see the interactions between the residents, and also the interactions between the police and a physicist. The police unearth the evidence. The physicist comes up with a hypothesis. Where does the truth lie?

I thoroughly enjoyed Silent Parade which had me glued from the start. It is both a complex crime novel, and also reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple as a civilian is called on for his thoughts and to present the evidence to the reader. I was entertained throughout and will be hunting out more by Keigo Higashino.

JULIA WILSON