일본 추리 작가 협회상 장편 부문 후보에 오른 히가시노 게이고 본격 미스터리의 백미『학생가의 살인』. 퇴락해가는 대학가에서 벌어지는 연쇄 살인을 배경으로, 방황하는 청년의 성장기를 아름답게 묘사한 『학생가의 살인』은 오늘날 ‘일본 미스터리 소설의 제왕’이라는 타이틀을 얻기까지 그 도화선이 됐다고 할 수 있는 서른 살 전후 청년 히가시노 게이고의 진면목을 보여 준다. 때론 아직 순수하고 풋풋하며, 때론 최근작에서 볼 수 없는 치열한 작가정신이 번득이는 걸작 장편 소설이다.
Keigo Higashino (東野 圭吾) is one of the most popular and biggest selling fiction authors in Japan—as well known as James Patterson, Dean Koontz or Tom Clancy are in the USA.
Born in Osaka, he started writing novels while still working as an engineer at Nippon Denso Co. (presently DENSO). He won the Edogawa Rampo Prize, which is awarded annually to the finest mystery work, in 1985 for the novel Hōkago (After School) at age 27. Subsequently, he quit his job and started a career as a writer in Tokyo.
In 1999, he won the Mystery Writers of Japan Inc award for the novel Himitsu (The Secret), which was translated into English by Kerim Yasar and published by Vertical under the title of Naoko in 2004. In 2006, he won the 134th Naoki Prize for Yōgisha X no Kenshin. His novels had been nominated five times before winning with this novel.
The Devotion of Suspect X was the second highest selling book in all of Japan— fiction or nonfiction—the year it was published, with over 800,000 copies sold. It won the prestigious Naoki Prize for Best Novel— the Japanese equivalent of the National Book Award and the Man Booker Prize. Made into a motion picture in Japan, The Devotion of Suspect X spent 4 weeks at the top of the box office and was the third highest‐grossing film of the year.
Higashino’s novels have more movie and TV series adaptations than Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum, and as many as Michael Crichton.
Three murder cases that seemed to be committed by the same serial killer, which turned out to be a case inside another case. Higashino always knows how to surprise you with a twist near the end of his stories, and warms your heart with life wisdom that you should hold on to.