When a man's body is discovered at the base of some cliffs in the small resort town of Hari Cove, the police at first suspect a tragic accident, a misstep that cost the man his life. However, when the victim is found to have been a former policeman and that the cause of death was actually carbon monoxide poisoning, they begin a murder investigation.


Manabu Yukawa, the physicist known as 'Detective Galileo', is in Hari Cove to speak at a conference on a planned underwater mining operation, and finds himself drawn into the case. Did the murder have something to do with the fight of the small community to rebuild itself, or does it have its roots in the town's history?


In a series of twists as complex and surprising as any in Higashino's brilliant, critically acclaimed work, Yukawa uncovers the hidden relationship behind the tragic events that led to this murder.

"An engaging mystery full of surprising shifts and twists from one of Japan's most successful thriller writers. Highly recommended." - Irish Independent

"A Midsummer's Equation satisfyingly builds on the achievement of his [Higashino's] earlier works and adds some new elements . . . the novel throws off a series of jaw-dropping narrative twists . . . has some surprising resonances with the golden age of British crime fiction but there's nothing wrong with that. What is fully in place, however, is the narrative acumen that has distinguished early entries in the series." - Independent