Book 34: Dark Maze (黑暗迷宮)

Title: 三色貓黑暗迷宮

(Dark Maze -- Tricolor Cat)

Who wrote it: 赤川次郎 (Jiro Akagawa)

Whom I borrowed it from: Queens Library (Forest Hills)

What is it about:
A group of policemen has been going after
a criminal who has killed 3 people.
On a fateful night, an almost-retiree fired his gun
in the dark, thinking that he had shot the criminal,
but it turned out to be a young policeman...

The scene was witnessed by the criminal,
and the retiree gave in to the threat of being exposed,
in exchange of helping the criminal escape.

Little did he know, the criminal would
lure his only daughter into a romantic relationship...

What went through my mind:

- Akagawa caught on to an essential trait of mankind:
do anything possible to cover up our mistakes.

If only the retiree was courageous enough
to admit that he shot the wrong person,
his family's life / his health / his dignity...
would all be so dramatically different.

In the same way, when we lie,
we often have to lie some more
to cover up the previous lies.
Sometimes, unnecessary serious consequences
result from what might seem harmless & best
in the beginning.

When will we learn this important lesson,
to tell the truth at all times,
even when the stakes seem high?

- This novel was a typical Akagawa one.

Quick read, fast pace,
an easy past-time entertainment.

What came out of this:

* Reminder: Be courageous in being honest!

Why Should you read it, too?

If you liked the other Akagawa books,
you'd like this one too : )

Book 13: Face (顏)

Title: 顏 (Face)

Who wrote it: Hideo Yokoyama (橫山秀夫)

Whom I borrowed it from: Fafa

What is it about:
This book is composed of a series of short stories,
in which a young policewoman is the main character.
Aside from the various crime cases
that she participated in investigating,
power struggles among the reporters/
policemen & -women/
criminals & the public...
were also carefully portrayed.
On top of a suspense/detective kind of fiction,
this also reads like a social case study.

What went through my mind:
- Everybody has some God-given abilities : )
The main character specializes in drawing
portraits of the criminals,
according to the victims' verbal descriptions.
She has a co-worker that's really talented in
gun-shooting, so much so that she was chosen
to take part in trainings for the Olympics.
-> What are my special gifts,
and how am i developing/utilizing them?
- One of the book's focuses was on
gender inequality, esp. in the police force.
I can't help but wonder,
if God designed us men & women to be different,
yet the same (as humans),
then how are we to attain that careful balance?

Why Should you read it, too?
If you're interested in the topics mentioned above,
or just wanna pick up an easy read : )