Malice by Keigo Higashino

A locked room. A murdered novelist. A detective who knows the killer all too well.

When acclaimed bestselling author Kunihiko Hidaka is found brutally murdered in his locked office—within his locked home—on the eve of his move to Vancouver, Police Detective Kyochiro Kaga arrives at a crime scene that defies logic. The victim’s wife and best friend discovered the body, both with seemingly airtight alibis. But Kaga recognizes that “best friend”: Osamu Nonoguchi, once his colleague when both men taught at the same public school years ago.

As Kaga peels back the layers of the case, he discovers the friendship between the two writers was far darker than anyone knew. The question isn’t just who or how—it’s why. In this brilliantly constructed battle of wits, detective and killer circle each other through shifting truths and buried secrets. If Kaga can’t prove the motive, justice may slip away forever.

Keigo Higashino, Japan’s master of the twist ending, delivers one of his most acclaimed novels—a psychological chess match that has captivated readers across Asia. Library Journal calls it “a true page-turner… Higashino continues to elevate the modern mystery as an intense and inventive literary form,” while Publishers Weekly praises its “fiendishly clever” construction and “artful” plotting.

Perfect for fans of intricate mysteries where nothing is quite as it seems, Malice proves that sometimes the most dangerous lies are the ones we tell ourselves.

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