Typical crime-meets-tragedy thriller. What propels the novel is the withholding of how the crime was committed - but as the reader finds out more about the killer, she becomes more interested in the villainy/culpability of those who were involved in the murder, but didn't actually commit the crime. Sometimes there's a disconnect in translation, but that's mainly due to the cultural diff. b/t US and Japan. Loved the side story of elder scams.