"Malice" Author: [Japan] Higashino Keigo Publisher: Nanhai Publishing Company

Introduction · · · · · ·
Malice is a long masterpiece by Keigo Higashino that challenges the limits of writing. It is one of the four masterpieces of Keigo Higashino, along with White Night Walk, The Devotion of Suspect X, and The Little Shop of Sorrow. Malice deeply reveals human nature. The boundless malice in the story is bottomless, like an abyss that makes people shudder. I have never encountered such a case: killing is not the purpose, but the means; death is not the end, but the beginning. After reading Malice, I can truly know Keigo Higashino.

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A best-selling author was murdered the night before he was going abroad, and the police quickly identified the murderer. The man confessed that he committed the crime on impulse. The case could be closed. But the police officer Kaga, who was handling the case, didn't think so, because he couldn't find the murderer's motive, and the murderer kept avoiding talking about the motive. Kaga didn't want to close the case hastily, so he visited a lot of people. The truth that gradually emerged made him feel cold -

"You harbor a deep hatred for him that you cannot even explain. It is what led to this crime. Where did this hatred come from? I have investigated very carefully, but I can't find any logical reason. What kind of mentality is this! Even if you are not afraid of being arrested, you will achieve your goal even if you risk your life. This is really an amazing idea, which is unheard of."

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Keigo Higashino cleverly sets up one twist after another in Malice, and the ingenious design from the implementation of the conspiracy to the revelation of the truth has amazed readers. ——Publishers Weekly (USA)

In Malice, Keigo Higashino perfectly combines Dostoyevsky-style psychological realism with Agatha Christie-style classic detective mystery stories. ——The Wall Street Journal (USA)

Just when you think Keigo Higashino has exhausted all possibilities of trickery, he surprises you with a new one. ——Kirkus Reviews (USA)

As a mystery novel, Malice is extremely complex and meticulous; at the same time, it deeply reveals human nature, reaching a depth that many pure literary works cannot reach. Malice can be read in comparison with Red Fingers, a work by the same author. In Malice, evil has no bottom line; in Red Fingers, goodness remains below the bottom line of evil. ——Zhi An

Lurking beneath the story of "Malice" is a black river called human "malice". Although you can hear the faint sound of flowing water, you can't easily see its flow. - Kirino Natsuo