Salvation of A Saint by Keigo Higashino

Synopsis :

Yoshitaka, who was about to leave his marriage and his wife, is poisoned by arsenic-laced coffee and dies. His wife, Ayane, is the logical suspect—except that she was hundreds of miles away when he was murdered. The lead detective, Tokyo Police Detective Kusanagi, is immediately smitten with her and refuses to believe that she could have had anything to do with the crime. His assistant, Kaoru Utsumi, however, is convinced Ayane is guilty. 

While Utsumi’s instincts tell her one thing, the facts of the case are another matter. So she does what her boss has done for years when stymied—she calls upon Professor Manabu Yukawa.

But even the brilliant mind of Dr. Yukawa has trouble with this one, and he must somehow find a way to solve an impossible murder and capture a very real, very deadly murderer.

Salvation for a Saint is Keigo Higashino at his mind-bending best, pitting emotion against fact in a beautifully plotted crime novel filled with twists and reverses that will astonish and surprise even the most attentive and jaded of readers.


This is what I say :

Right after The Devotion of Suspect X, I can't wait to start on Salvation of A Saint.  It seems to be a habit of mine that if I like the first title that I read, I would immediately try to read whatever other titles by the same author that I have.

It did take me awhile to read this. Slightly longer reading period than the first title but like The Devotion of Suspect X, I find Salvation of A Saint event better and equally refreshing.

Now I know why Keigo Higashiono is being regarded so highly and even as a translated copy,  the difference in him telling the story is quite different that other thriller authors.  He did not overuse his words and kept them to a minimal but at the same time managed to be such an animated storyteller.  

The plot of the thriller is simple. Who kill Yoshitaka?  Most probably his wife is the theme of the plot. Is it her? or could it also be someone else?  If it's her, how did she do it? If it's not her, who else can it be and basically that's it.  And if it's her, why would be a rather important consideration would you think not? And if not her, why not?  

The expectations are being built up very subtly and ingeniously by the author.  In it's simplicity, the author's skill and thoughts as a great storyteller shines through and I love every word in Salvation of A Saint.

I can't wait to see if I have future opportunity to read his work.

Purchase #2 - April 2019

Towards late April (last month) I  made my second book purchase for the year.  It was a pre-loved copy that flew all the way from Penang to where I am at.

For a pre-loved copy, the condition of The Governor's Wife is still quite good except for a section where there's a break towards the spine which the seller did not declare when I was making the purchase.  That kinda put a dent in my level of satisfaction with the purchase.

Anyway, it's not easy to get hold of Mark Gimenez's titles.  I have so far read about four of his titles and I have one more title which I haven't read yet.

This title will join it's friend on my shelf until such a time when I am ready for them....which I sincerely hope will be quite soon.

For personal record, I bought this for about US$3.00 inclusive of postage.

Book Drive in BCCK

I saw in the social media recently of a book drive for children's books that is ongoing in Borneo Convention Centre (BCCK).  The organiser did not specify an end date to the drive but rather, a box is just being placed near the escalator for the public to drop their books in. You can't miss it going up the escalator from ground level.  It was also mentioned in the social media that the book drive is part of BCCK's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and the books will be donated to various children's home.

When I was there about a week ago, the box was extremely empty except for a couple of Miss Sunshine books as you can see above. I have quite a bit of children's books that I can donate but they are at home but I do have some books in  my car so I went to check if what I have are relevant.  Unfortunately, they were not really relevant except for one or two.

Well, better one or two than none at all so I decided to drop in my Victorian Doll House book and a couple others just so that the books have each other for company and won't be too lonely.  I do wish I have more copies with me to drop them in.

I certainly hope in days to come with more people going to BCCK for the many events there that more books will be donated.

I also hope that I have a chance to be in BCCK again and you can be sure that if I do, I will bring a couple more to drop in the bin.

If you are in my city and books that you wish to clear off your shelves, you can try to drop them off at BCCK.

High Crimes by Joseph Finder

Synopsis :

Claire Chapman has it all. A professor at Harvard Law School, a high-powered criminal defence attorney, happily married with a six-year-old daughter, she has recently won the case of her career.

But this is all about to change. A random burglary sets off a terrifying chain of events. Tom is arrested and put on trial for a thirteen-year-old mass murder, and Claire puts her reputation on the line to defend him. But as the trial progresses, it becomes apparent that the Pentagon will let nothing stand in the way of Tom's conviction, and Claire's faith in the man she loves is tested to the limit.

This is what I say :


I discovered Joseph Finder's novels about three years ago with Buried Secrets being the first book that I read and from then on, I am on the lookout for his novels.  However, it's not very easy to find his novels in the mainstream bookstores  here where I am and it's only at stores such as Kinokuniya that I might find his titles and if that's the case, it would mean that I need to purchase retail which I can't always afford to do so.

I am  extremely happy to find his titles online as e-books through country national library where I can legitly check-out an e-copy of his title to read and return.  It's the same as checking out books at your local library with the only difference being this would be an e-copy.

That's how I read Moscow Club and there's about five more titles for me to check out.

80% of High Crimes take place in the military court.  If that's not your interest, you might find it slightly boring but if you are patience and read through, you will be rewarded by the author at the end of the last chapter with something unexpected.

Throughout this title, the question of whether Tom did commit the crime he was accused of remains unanswered and like a flower, even after peeling off all the petals, one can't be very certain until the last chapter where all is revealed.

If you are going to read this title, stay patient for the reward. 

Entering The Wolf's Den - Big Bad Wolf is in Town

Like what I mentioned in my earlier post, the Big Bad Wolf is currently in town.  It has been in town since 25 April and will be here until 5 May.

For various reasons, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go and pay the wolf a visit.  I was disappointed by the wolf last year but I guess I can let bygone be bygone and have a fresh start with this well know creature in the world of any bibliophile in the country.

Entrance

Anyway, during a recent public holiday and with dinner out of the way and nothing much else on the table, I though I shall check out what the wolf has to offer this year.  It's quite a dangerous move as I could be devoured by the wolf and has much to lose but the temptation is too great!

The location of the wolf's den is actually at a mall that I am not familiar with.  I have not been to that mall although I am aware of it's existence.  The location of the exact den within the mall itself is pretty disappointing.  It's actually at a basement car parking lot that has been barrier up.  Although there's air-conditioning, the whole place is still rather stuffy and dusty.  It wasn't long before the dust and environment caused an allergic reaction and the rashes on my arms flared up.

Inside the hall

My impression....there's more variety this time round.  However, there's not much selection where fictions are concerned.  Perhaps I am more jaded in my outlook on book fairs and book sales and perhaps my expectations and purchasing habits have changed,  but for whatever reason, my personal opinion is that I am rather disappointed.

Perhaps I went expecting to be 'wow' at many levels but that didn't happen.  The selection of novels generally consists of authors and titles that are not very well known although there are some well know title but rather sporadically.

Perhaps I also went expecting to be disappointed and as such it will take a lot to impress me and the wolf didn't meet my expectations and certainly failed to impress me..

If you are not that selective and are looking for some children's books especially the board books then you might be happier as there's quite a fair selections and extremely competitive price.  Other than that, there's also one whole sections dedicated to public examinations related materials (UPSR, PT3 and SPM) and although some are quite old prints which made me concern about it's relevancy in such public exams but I guess if one to use it just for some referencing then the materials are certainly worth purchasing as they are at a fraction of retail price.

Payment Counter

At the end of the day, I was there for less than an hour and I am happy to report that I emerged victories from the wolf's den.

ME 1 BBW 0