The Final Curtain: A Mystery

Keigo Higashino

Dec 2023 · The Kyoichiro Kaga Series Book 4 · Sold by Minotaur Books

About this ebook

From the acclaimed author of Malice and Newcomer, a confounding murder in Tokyo is connected to the mystery of the disappearance and death of Detective Kaga's own mother.

A decade ago, Tokyo Police Detective Kyoichiro Kaga went to collect the ashes of his recently deceased mother. Years before, she ran away from her husband and son without explanation or any further contact, only to die alone in an apartment far away, leaving her estranged son with many unanswered questions.

Now in Tokyo, Michiko Oshitani is found dead many miles from home. Strangled to death, left in the bare apartment rented under a false name by a man who has disappeared without a trace. Oshitani lived far away in Sendai, with no known connection to Tokyo - and neither her family nor friends have any idea why she would have gone there.

Hers is the second strangulation death in that approximate area of Tokyo - the other was a homeless man, killed and his body burned in a tent by the river. As the police search through Oshitani's past for any clue that might shed some light, one of the detectives reaches out to Detective Kaga for advice. As the case unfolds, an unexpected connective emerges between the murder (or murders) now and the long-ago case of Detective Kaga's missing mother.

The Final Curtain, one of Keigo Higashino's most acclaimed mysteries, brings the story of Detective Kaga to a surprising conclusion in a series of rich, surprising twists.

Ratings and reviews

This was a new to me author, and I would definitely be looking for more of his works. Although at times, it seem like the story did not run smoothly, but that could’ve been because of the translation and I know we use words different than they do. This is supposed to be the last book of this series but the way it ended kind of makes me think maybe it’s not, I could be wrong. I would recommend this to anybody who enjoys reading mystery and suspense. I received an ARC of this book from NetGall

a little bit similarity with under the midnight sun, but still a great read.

About the author

KEIGO HIGASHINO is one of Japan's best-selling novelists, his works translated into more than twenty languages. He's best known for this Detective Galileo mystery series (The Devotion of Suspect X) and his Kyoichiro Kaga series (Malice, A Death in Tokyo). His work has been a finalist for both the Edgar Award and the CWA Dagger, along with many awards in his home country. He lives in Tokyo, Japan.