Cover Keigo Higashino has died at 68 (Photo: Namuwiki)
Keigo Higashino has died at 68 (Photo: Namuwiki)
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Celebrating the life, legacy and unforgettable novels of Japan’s undisputed master of crime and intrigue, Keigo Higashino, who has died at 68 from colon cancer
The literary world is in mourning following the death of Keigo Higashino, who died at the age of 68 from colon cancer on July 23, 2026. Renowned across the globe as Japan’s reigning king of crime fiction, Higashino leaves behind an extraordinary body of work that redefined the modern mystery genre. His final work, Eternal Memory, is set for publication in August.
Born in Osaka in 1958, Higashino grew up in a working-class family and initially pursued a technical career, graduating with a degree in electrical engineering from Osaka Prefecture University. He worked as an engineer for an auto-parts manufacturer while writing stories on evenings and weekends. His big breakthrough came in 1985 when his debut novel, Hōkago (“After School”), won the prestigious Edogawa Rampo Prize. This success prompted him to quit engineering and move to Tokyo to write full-time.
Over a stellar career spanning more than four decades, Higashino authored over 100 novels and short story collections. He was best known for his meticulous, emotionally complex plots that prioritised human psychology and moral dilemmas over simple “whodunits”. Serving as president of the Mystery Writers of Japan from 2009 to 2013, he achieved vast international success, winning prestigious honours including the Naoki Prize and the Honkaku Mystery Award. With tens of millions of books sold worldwide and dozens of screen adaptations, his influence on international crime writing remains unmatched.
Here are five essential books to understand the genius of Higashino.
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1. Naoko (1998)
Above ‘Naoko’ by Keigo Higashino (Image: Wikipedia)
‘Naoko’ by Keigo Higashino (Image: Wikipedia)
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Originally published in Japanese as Himitsu, Naoko is a haunting blend of mystery and supernatural drama. Following a tragic bus accident, a man’s wife dies, but her soul reincarnates inside the surviving body of their young daughter, forcing the pair into a complex, tragic domestic dynamic.
Published in 1998, Higashino wrote the book after exploring the psychological implications of body-swapping and shared memories, wanting to examine how grief transforms love and family obligations. The novel won the Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1999. It was adapted into an acclaimed Japanese film the same year and an English-language French remake, The Secret, starring David Duchovny in 2007.
2. The Devotion of Suspect X (2005)
Above ‘The Devotion of Suspect X’ by Keigo Higashino (Image: Kobo)
‘The Devotion of Suspect X’ by Keigo Higashino (Image: Kobo)
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One of his most celebrated works, The Devotion of Suspect X is a cat-and-mouse thriller featuring Higashino’s iconic creation, Detective Galileo, who is otherwise a physics professor called Manabu Yukawa. When a single mother accidentally kills her abusive ex-husband, her genius mathematician neighbour concocts an airtight alibi to protect her.
Written in 2005 at the height of his career, Higashino set out to invert the traditional mystery structure by revealing the killer immediately, forcing readers to marvel at how the crime was concealed. The novel won the Naoki Prize and the Honkaku Mystery Award in 2006. It was adapted into a smash-hit 2008 Japanese film, a South Korean film and the 2023 Bollywood hit Jaane Jaan.
3. Newcomer (2009)
Above ‘Newcomer’ by Keigo Higashino (Image: Amazon.ca)
‘Newcomer’ by Keigo Higashino (Image: Amazon.ca)
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Newcomer is a cozy yet meticulous police procedural where Detective Kyoichiro Kaga investigates the murder of a woman in Tokyo’s traditional Nihonbashi district by uncovering the subtle, everyday secrets of the neighborhood shopkeepers.
Written in 2009, Higashino aimed to celebrate Tokyo’s historic shitamachi (low city) culture, demonstrating how a detective can heal a community while solving a crime. The book topped the rankings of Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! (“This Mystery is Excellent!”), which is an annual mystery fiction guidebook in Japan, in 2010, and was adapted into a highly rated Japanese television drama series starring Hiroshi Abe as Detective Kaga.
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4. The Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2012)
Above ‘The Miracles of the Namiya General Store’ by Keigo Higashino (Image: Amazon.com)
‘The Miracles of the Namiya General Store’ by Keigo Higashino (Image: Amazon.com)
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By the 2010s, Higashino stepped away from dark murder procedurals to write a story centred on kindness, fate and human connection during a time of global uncertainty. In 2012, he wrote The Miracles of the Namiya General Store, which is a heartwarming, time-bending mystery following three petty delinquents who hide in an abandoned shop, only to discover a mail slot that receives letters written by people seeking life advice 30 years ago.
The book was a massive commercial success, with over 10 million copies sold worldwide. It won the Central Public Prize and was adapted into major feature films in both Japan (2017) and China (2017, starring Jackie Chan).
5. Eternal Memory
Above ‘Eternal Memory’ by Keigo Higashino (Image: Note)
‘Eternal Memory’ by Keigo Higashino (Image: Note)
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Keigo Higashino’s latest novel, Eternal Memory (Eien no Kioku), is slated for release on August 5 this year. The book marks the 11th full-length entry in his hugely popular Detective Galileo series and serves as a major landmark—celebrating the 30th anniversary of the series’ debut and representing Higashino’s 106th published work.
The narrative kicks off with a chilling predicament: Detective Kaoru Utsumi is unexpectedly stabbed. Her assailant—a man in his seventies—attempts a failed suicide jump following the attack and subsequently maintains absolute silence under police interrogation. As the investigation unfolds, detectives uncover a young woman harbouring a deep-seated grudge against Utsumi.
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Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
