Keigo Higashino
Il sospettato

The Devotion of Suspect X - Keigo Higashino - 2012

Made in Japan thriller. The writer, Keigo Higashino, was born in Osaka. And he is considered a cult writer in Japan.

Here's the plot.
Yasuko, a woman with a teenage daughter, lives in a suburb of Tokyo and has been trying to escape from her ex-husband, the violent and alcoholic Togashi, for years.
One day, her husband shows up at the door with the usual oppressive demand for money. Togashi makes the mistake of using force with Yasuko's daughter. Yasuko reacts by killing him, using an electric cord from an appliance.
The neighbor, Ishigami, attracted by the noise coming from the apartment, shows up at Yasuko's house.
Ishigami, known as the Buddha for his posture always bent over the desk, a mathematics professor, has secretly been in love with Yasuko for a long time.
He decides to help the woman by disposing of Togashi's body and devising a scenario to mislead the police.
Only the mathematical mind of Dr. Yukawa, an old university friend of Ishigami and a police collaborator, manages to guess the diabolical plan.

The novel may seem daunting due to the difficulty of memorizing the characters' names. But 5 names can be easily remembered. The story is homogeneous and the reading is very fast-paced. The intrigue crafted by Ishigami is incredible.
He uses a stratagem (which I won't reveal) to divert the police investigation, managing to provide a solid alibi for the murderer.

With this novel, you have the opportunity to observe the very respectful dialogues of Japanese culture.
If you need to give a gift, The Devotion of Suspect X will be highly appreciated.