Human Nature and Truth in Detective Fiction

Introduction

NHK reported that the Japanese mystery writer Keigo Higashino died on July 23 at the age of sixty-eight. He was exceptionally prolific, publishing almost every year over four decades, sometimes two or three books or more in a year. Readers’ annual encounters with a new Higashino novel have come to an end.

This prompted the idea for a session on detective fiction. We might discuss—

What is your favorite mystery?

How do detective stories from different countries differ?

Do we enjoy solving the puzzle, or looking into human nature?

Is the killer the only guilty party, or can society also produce crime?

If you knew the whole truth, would you reveal it?

Are law, justice, and morality different things?

Can someone be understandable but unforgivable?

Can we ever know the truth in everyday life?

Why do fewer contemporary mysteries center on a heroic detective?

We would like the discussion to extend beyond a single work.

Bring Holmes, Agatha Christie, Matsumoto Seichō, Higashino, or another mystery that stays with you. Beyond identifying the culprit, we can ask what becomes visible once the puzzle is solved.

See you on Friday evening.