Point Blank discussion

The discussion of "Out" reminded me of a Japanese novel I read a couple of months ago, "The Devotion of Suspect X" by Keigo Higashino. The premise is similar - A woman is attacked by her abusive ex-husband and is forced to kill him. Her next door neighbor is a genius math professor who offers his help in covering up the murder. The police investigate but the math professor has them flummoxed so they call in their own genius, a physics professor who moonlights as an amateur detective. So a battle of wits ensues. Most of the novel reads like an episode of Columbo, where you know whodunit but you don't know how they're going to get caught, however the ending is pure noir. Like a lot of Mysteries the book doesn't hold up if you think about it too much after you've finished but its very entertaining while you're reading it.

Robert,
It’s interesting that you brought “project x” up as that was a book I had considered covering. The mixed reviews were what led us to “Out.” In hindsight I might have stuck with that one or did I a little more digging. I think Japanese Noir has a lot to offer but requires a little more digging than usual.

I remember seeing this book a lot in Danish translation at local libraries, with cover art that looks like a Siouxsie and the Banshees "best of" compilation CD.