The resulting plan by Ishigami is unlike any other I’ve read in detective fiction. When Yasuko is approached by her abusive ex-husband, his threatening behavior begets a life-changing act. Little does she know that he harbors a secret affection for her as few words are spoken between them. Her neighbor Ishigami frequents her workplace everyday as it is near the high school where he teaches. She wishes to distance herself and her teenage daughter from her former life and acquaintances. Formerly a club hostess, she now works at a lunch-box restaurant. Yasuko – a divorced single mother – and her daughter have moved into Ishigami’s apartment building. Then, just when he intends to end his personal torment, a knock at his door… it is his beautiful new neighbour and her daughter coming to introduce themselves. His dissatisfaction with his career and lack of personal life has left him extremely despondent. A high school mathematics teacher who sacrificed his dream of being a math guru/researcher to look after his aged parents.

Ishigami is a middle-aged loner who wants nothing more of life than to be able to be left alone to do his mathematics research. This was an EXCELLENT murder mystery! The characters were well drawn and the plot nothing short of ingenious!

WOW! Just goes to show how wrong a person can be. With the narrative set in Japan, it did not appeal to me – not even a little bit. It was the required reading of my “Whodunit” bookclub. First off, I have to say, this title was not MY choice.

The devotion of suspect x goodreads