A Little Desert Apartment

Over the last few weeks, my computer has been acting funky.  I suspected it was the PSU and my brother thought maybe it was the motherboard.  We were both right.  He fixed it last weekend and unfortunately, due to some unforeseen hardware issues- had to install new Windows and lost allll my files.  ALL of them.  Lesson 

PSA: back up your files.  I had an external harddrive but for some reason, my pc wasn't recognizing it so I couldn't back up.  I procrastinated on everything and I have paid the price.  I have a laptop but I hate writing on it hence the lack of desire to truly blog.  I DID get some great reading done.

The other day I stopped at a local used bookstore and my eyes fell upon a cover and I read the words "The Japanese Stieg Larrsen".  The book's title: The Devotion of Suspect X.  The back cover synopsis lured me in.  I set my expectations low but the book is definitely worthy of its so-called cult status (who knew?!).

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo it's not but engrossing it is.  Be Yoda I want to.



The Devotion of Suspect X is part of a Japanese crime series starring Detective Galileo (who isn't really a detective but an assistant physic professor who is a genius) who finds his college "buddy" (a mathematical genius and high school teacher) has fallen on the radar of the police due to his neighbor's ex husband's murder.

Synopsis via (affiliate) Amazon:

Yasuko Hanaoka is a divorced, single mother who thought she had finally escaped her abusive ex-husband Togashi. When he shows up one day to extort money from her, threatening both her and her teenaged daughter Misato, the situation quickly escalates into violence and Togashi ends up dead on her apartment floor. Overhearing the commotion, Yasuko’s next door neighbor, middle-aged high school mathematics teacher Ishigami, offers his help, disposing not only of the body but plotting the cover-up step-by-step.

When the body turns up and is identified, Detective Kusanagi draws the case and Yasuko comes under suspicion. Kusanagi is unable to find any obvious holes in Yasuko’s manufactured alibi and yet is still sure that there’s something wrong. Kusanagi brings in Dr. Manabu Yukawa, a physicist and college friend who frequently consults with the police. Yukawa, known to the police by the nickname Professor Galileo, went to college with Ishigami. After meeting up with him again, Yukawa is convinced that Ishigami had something to do with the murder. What ensues is a high level battle of wits, as Ishigami tries to protect Yasuko by outmaneuvering and out-thinking Yukawa, who faces his most clever and determined opponent yet.

This isn't a whodunnit.  We know who did it.  It's the end that takes your breath away.

The beginning feels kind of... juvenile.  I think that's the best way to describe it. It seems kind of corny and I think it has to do with the translation.  Ishigami's obsession with math is a bit much but it plays into his personality.  

Once the story got moving and the suspense starts building... I couldn't put it down.  Frankly, not a single character is truly likable but the suspense is.  I was kidnapped by the plot and the unknown- will they get caught? HE DID WHAT? OH MY GOD... I didn't see that coming.

Every. Single. Page. was worth it.  WORTH IT.  

Pick up a copy.  You won't regret it.  Find a copy here. 


Have you read this book?
Have you read the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo books?
Have you ever purchased a book because of the cover?