Detective Galileo, Keigo Higashino’s character from "The Devotion of Suspect X", returns in a complex mystery several murders, decades apart, with no solid evidence.
Detective Galileo is back in another compelling puzzle-box mystery from the great Keigo Higashino. Whether you are a big fan of the series or a newcomer, Silent Parade is a excellent entry point into these engrossing mysteries ... Methodical, full of wonderful characters and an excellent sense of place, Silent Parade is a winning mystery experience
... first-rate ... Higashino nimbly employs a wandering point of view to let readers access the minds of key characters, from the Tokyo detectives who lean on the bemused Detective Galileo to the individuals who loved the two young murder victims, and whose opportunities to seek revenge are of particular interest to the police. Readers may note that Higashino's characters dwell on concepts like honor and shame to an extent that isn't typical in thrillers set in the West; this only heightens the stakes in Silent Parade, a twist-and-turn mystery in which, for some characters, Detective Galileo is an enigma unto himself.
... a somewhat curious novel ... a quite satisfying resolution, once everything has been explained (not least in some more surprising connections among those involved) -- even if the road there is occasionally a bit rocky ... Higashino does the backstories of almost all of those involved well -- but the one black hole at the heart of the story is Hasunuma, presented as truly evil (and not having much to say to the police), but without sufficient character-building there, making him almost a cartoon villain (and victim) ... The closed-room murder mystery is an enjoyable nod to older classic crime stories, and 'Detective Galileo' works well as a figure separate from the different interest-groups -- the police and the various suspects --, making for a quite entertaining mystery, even as with its you-(and-the-police-)sort-of-know-whodunnit (or at least you think so, for almost the entire novel) it has a bit of an odd pacing. But at least Higashino does throw in some decent twists to shake things up as well ... If a bit lumpy, Silent Parade is still a quite enjoyable read.
