The Final Curtain

The Kyoichiro Kaga Series, Book 4

By: Keigo Higashino

Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan

A decade ago, Tokyo Police Detective Kyoichiro Kaga went to collect the ashes of his recently deceased mother. Years before, she ran away from her husband and son without explanation or any further contact, leaving her estranged son with many unanswered questions.

Now in Tokyo, Michiko Oshitani is found dead many miles from home. Strangled to death, left in the bare apartment rented under a false name by a man who has disappeared without a trace. Oshitani lived far away in Sendai, with no known connection to Tokyo—and neither her family nor friends have any idea why she would have gone there.

Hers is the second strangulation death in that approximate area of Tokyo—the other was a homeless man, killed and burned in a tent by the river. As the police search through Oshitani's past for any clue that might shed some light, one of the detectives reaches out to Detective Kaga for advice. As the case unfolds, an unexpected connective emerges between the murder now and the long-ago case of Detective Kaga's missing mother.

The Final Curtain, one of Keigo Higashino's most acclaimed mysteries, brings the story of Detective Kaga to a surprising conclusion in a series of rich, surprising twists.

©2014 Keigo Higashino; Translation copyright 2023 by Giles Murray (P)2023 Tantor

Very average overall

This one was quite labored and long, with many names to keep track, which does not help. Overall it was very average, not nearly as good as Malice for example, the first Kaga outing by Higashino. The narration is passable, but not very exciting and slightly annoying delivery. Skip this one.

Outstanding

I’ve loved this series. Detective Kaga is such a fascinating character. The puzzle pieces all come together and this book is highly recommended!

Good, Not GREAT like Mallice

I have really loved this series, but I’m not sure about this as a fitting “conclusion” for Detective Kaga. It was an interesting plot for the most part, but once the piece’s began falling into place, the ending wasn’t as intriguing as before you knew what was really going on. The ending for his previous book “Malice” was truly jaw dropping, and that’s what I was hoping for here (but it fell short). I’ve seen complaints about the narration, but I thought his voice had a very “Japanese” feel to it (kind of a polite monotone which I feel fits the culture as I understand it of not standing out too much in general society unless you drift into sub-cultures like Kawaii or Manga/Anime). I could totally wrong about that but I digress. I don’t regret listening to it, but it wasn’t my fave either.

The complexity of the story

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Final Curtain by Keigo Higashino in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. It felt like a tangle of Christmas lights in the beginning, then Higashino slowly unraveled the cord and created a beautiful, complex story. Very well written.

Great story, awful narration,

I got through it as I am a fan of the author, but the narrator uses the same inflection no matter what he is reading, and it is really grating.

Audio is outstanding

Story is awesome but the audio is outstanding.
I listened to all of Kaga audiobook and the narrator does outstanding job with Kaga’s voice. It is very distinct so you know exactly who is speaking and you also know something important or plot wise intriguing is going to happen.

Good Keigo story but not his best

Well worth the read. I rank it below a few others he’s written. For reference Malice and The Devotion of Suspect X are my two favorites. If you like the author definitely give this one a read/listen. But don’t expect it to be in the same tier as the two I mentioned.

Bad reader selection

The fact that a Japanese book has American accent readers with terrible American accents and no tribute to Japanese culture

Least plausible of the plots so far

Detection process holds up well as does the convergence of multiple stories. But the underlying mystery is unconvincing and the characters were more superficial that I remember from the previous 3 books