Taipei: Japanese mystery novelist Keigo Higashino dominated Taiwan's bestseller lists after news of his death was announced Monday, with his books claiming five of the top 10 spots at Books.com.tw, Taiwan's largest online bookseller.
According to Focus Taiwan, sales of Higashino's books on Monday exceeded their total sales for the entire month of July before Monday. Kodansha, Higashino's publisher, announced Monday that the acclaimed mystery writer had died of colon cancer at the age of 68 on July 23.
Over his career, Higashino published more than 100 books, which were translated and published in more than 40 countries and territories. On Monday, the bestselling Chinese-language editions of his novels were "Journey Under the Midnight Sun," "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store," "The Devotion of Suspect X," "Malice," and "Naoko."
Demand also surged for digital editions. Sales of Chinese-language e-books on Monday were 16.5 times higher than the previous day. As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, Higashino's novels occupied five of the top 10 spots on Books.com.tw's e-book bestseller list. "Journey Under the Midnight Sun" ranked third, followed by "The Devotion of Suspect X" in fourth, "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store" in seventh, "Malice" in eighth, and "Kakuhan" in 10th.
Books.com.tw said Higashino's readers have traditionally been concentrated in the 40-49 age group, but recent sales showed an increase among readers under 40. "The trend reflects a new wave of cross-generational readers discovering or revisiting Higashino's works," the retailer said.
Higashino has long been a fixture on Taiwan's translated fiction bestseller lists. His translated Chinese work "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store" remained in the retailer's annual top 10 bestseller list for five straight years following the publication of its Chinese edition in Taiwan in 2013.
Born in Osaka in 1958, Higashino worked as an engineer before making his debut in 1985 with "After School," winner of the Edogawa Rampo Prize. His 2006 novel "The Devotion of Suspect X" received both the Naoki Prize and the Honkaku Mystery Award, while "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store" was later adapted into a film.
Wintersun, a consultant of Mystery Writers of Taiwan, told CNA that Higashino redefined the mystery genre by moving beyond conventional whodunits. His novels explored human nature, love, family, education, and broader social issues, including the Fukushima nuclear disaster and long-term care, Wintersun said.
"His works captured the spirit of changing times and the lives of people. Whether in Japan or Taiwan, readers could see the era reflected in his stories," Wintersun said. Hsu Ting-ting, editor-in-chief of Crown Culture Corp., a major publisher of Higashino's works in Taiwan, said the author's enduring popularity stemmed from his ability to weave intricate mysteries into everyday social issues that readers could easily relate to.
Hsu said the publisher is continuing to work on some of Higashino's previously untranslated works, hoping to introduce more readers to the acclaimed author.