Higashino Keigo created an amazing series of novels known as the Galileo series that tells the story on a scientist named Manauba Yukawa who helps the Tokyo police solve cases using science and his quick wits. The novels inspired a two season drama, and two films which stared J-Rock legend Fukuyama Masaharu. "A Midsummer's Equation" is the third book in the series(by of way that America is releasing these novels.) that is the base for the live action film by the same name. I watched the live action movies before I found out that there even was a novel version. Most people don't know of the films state side because Suspect X and Midsummer Night's Equation never had official releases here.(I'm a collector so I Import.) So I went in reading these novels already knowing the answer to the outcomes but I don't recommend you do what I did. You will enjoy the novels more if you go in being completely blind.
The Galileo series isn't your normal run of the mill murder mystery stories. If your a constant reader of the genre, you know that mystery is all about who done it and finding out who did what. Higashino goes against this concept completely hands the reader the names of the people who did what right away. Direct clues point the arrow directly at our main characters, a family who lives in the country ocean cove of Japan while running a rundown old Hotel. A boy named Kyohei comes to stay with the family for the summer and there he meets out scientist Yukawa who is there for an ocean sea project. The daughter of the hotel owner's family is involved in trying to protect the ocean from the under sea science project so she creates a group to try to stop it. In the mist of all this drama, a long retired detective who came to stay at the family's inn at the same time as Yukawa is found dead on the rocks near the ocean. Now the battle of wits began as the readers try to figure out how this man died? Was it an accident? or was it murder?
Higashino creates stories that don't focus on who did the murder is but HOW the murder was done and WHY. He is not afraid to let clues slip on who was involved in the murder but you won't care too much. Your mind will be more focused on how the murder was done and why. Yukawa is always a step ahead of the police but he doesn't get involved in cases unless it connects with science. It can become very nerve wrecking when Yukawa is acting like he is on to something but won't let the cat out of the bag during the novel till the end. Instead he leads the police in the right direction while being up close in the action since he is staying where the murder took place. The mystery also leaves space for the reader to have his or her own guess to what happened but don't think too hard. These novels take you around the world and back again then down the street and around the corner. By the time you get a bite on the truth your too shocked to function properly.
"A Midsummer's Equation" is told from different character's perspectives so you know what certain characters are thinking during certain times in the story. A select few character's thoughts are very important to uncovering the truth while other characters are just there to entertain the reader with their mindless thoughts. All the character's have personalities that are more self centered than most. Its only natural thanks to human nature but Higashino also is the master at building strong emotional bonds between people. There is a recurring theme in his novels about one doing everything in their power to make sure a loved one is happy even at the expense of their self. Love can be a very powerful emotion that can cause humans to do out of the ordinary things without using reason. What people tend to forget is that love has to be a two people sharing emotion in order to get the full amount of happiness you deserve. Causing your self to suffer while the other person is happy is not love to me. Love is a two way ordeal no matter what kind of relationship it is. Emotional character's also make for some of the most smartest murderers that you will ever come across in a mystery novel. I have never seen murder cases this complexed outside of a Galileo book. My head hurt after finishing this novel and I would read it all over again.
The plot pretty much followed the live action film or shall I say that the live action film followed the original novel. A few minor details were changed for the film but the performances did the novel so much justice to the point that I was imagining the movie scenes as I was reading. It was really fun and I enjoyed the novel even if I knew what was going to happen. Each chapters vary in length with earlier chapters being only about one or two pages long. As you read through the book, the chapters go from two three page chapters to five page chapters resulting in a quick read depending on your reading speed. I read a chapter a night only because I wanted to enjoy the story slowly. The different character's and story flow will make you want to keep reading all the way to the final page. Just know that this novel has some of most bittersweet relationships ever.
I recommend the whole series of Galileo from the movies, drama, and novels that started it all. When the new novel is released, a post will more than likely appear on here so be ready. Stay away from the two films until you read their novel counterparts then check them out. Truthfully, I have yet to finish watching the drama in its entirety. One of these days I will when I have nothing else better to do.
THANKS FOR READING!!!!!
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