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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not quite able to pinpoint why I enjoyed this meandering police procedural so much. The pay-off at the end isn't great as far as pay-offs in general go. Even the long list of similar sounding Japanese names and confusing designations could not keep me from discarding this book. Only one killing (that I can recall) and one natural death, no blood and gore, very little violence, seemingly inane office politics, a fairly open-ended climax. Why did I like this (over 500-pages long) book exactly? That is probably a bigger mystery than the one in the book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this a lot bc I am interested in bureaucracy and I couldn't tell where it was going, which made it exciting.
slow-paced
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Procedural/kidnapping story set in Media Relations department of a Japanese police force. Pretty unputdownable even when I found it to be a bit too convoluted. There was a massive emphasis on interdepartmental politics which made Six Four really stand out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a ride, 600+ pages describing the events of a week. Many things happen, many thoughts are thought. It has an ending, but I wasn't really satisfied. Some elements seemed unnecessary, like the missing daughter. I suppose it's supposed to make Mikami more involved with the case, but honestly it was such a tiny element. He was way way more focused on his work and everything happening there, which would've been enough to drive a wedge in his marriage. It's like a full web that never fully untangled itself, even though the writer presents it as though it is.
Those negatives aside, it is a slow book but it oozes tension. You constantly feel the nerves Mikami has, the insecurities and unknowns. Quite impressive to keep that up in a 600 page book, especially towards the end you can feel the manic state everyone is in. The story is complex, but well thought out, things related to the case connect to each other well. I did have some trouble keeping all the names apart, even with western names it probably would've given me some trouble. So. Many. Characters. And also with similar sounding names (obviously with a very clear reason as you near the end, but it didn't make it easier to read ).
Those negatives aside, it is a slow book but it oozes tension. You constantly feel the nerves Mikami has, the insecurities and unknowns. Quite impressive to keep that up in a 600 page book, especially towards the end you can feel the manic state everyone is in. The story is complex, but well thought out, things related to the case connect to each other well. I did have some trouble keeping all the names apart, even with western names it probably would've given me some trouble. So. Many. Characters. And also with similar sounding names (
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When you leave your protagonist unchecked, he ends up taking a full hour to ramble about his exact position in the police department. As if I'm HR.