Chinese fans mourn Japanese author

The death of Keigo Higashino, one of Japan's best-selling mystery writers, has left his fans in China — the largest overseas market for his novels — devastated, with heartfelt tributes to his literary genius pouring in on social media.

Higashino, who was best known for his crime thriller The Devotion of Suspect X, lost his battle to colon cancer on July 23. He was 68. His publisher, Kodansha, announced the news of his death on Monday.

As the heartbreaking news circulated, the celebrated author's representative works — The Miracles of the Namiya General Store, Journey Under the Midnight Sun and Malice, besides The Devotion of Suspect X — entered the top 10 most-searched titles on WeRead, one of China's leading e-book platforms.

Higashino began his writing career in 1985, with the mystery novel After School, which won the prestigious Edogawa Rampo Prize. By the time of his final novel, Eternal Memory, which is scheduled to be published on Aug 5, he had authored 106 books.

As of 2023, his works had sold more than 100 million copies in Japan, and had been translated into 37 languages, reaching readers in more than 41 countries and regions. International sales totaled 68 million copies. China emerged as his largest overseas market, where sales hit nearly 50 million copies.

Chinese publisher Thinkingdom Media Group, which is known for its mystery titles, has published 52 of Higashino's books, with combined sales exceeding 23 million copies. The simplified Chinese edition of The Miracles of the Namiya General Store, which was released in 2014, sold more than 10 million copies within four years, while Journey Under the Midnight Sun sold more than 9 million copies.

In 2017, Higashino earned 22 million yuan ($3.2 million) in royalties from China, surpassing British author J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter series, to become the country's highest-earning foreign writer that year. Higashino topped the list of the richest foreign authors in China for three consecutive years — from 2017 to 2019 — earning 42 million yuan in royalties in 2018 and 30 million yuan in 2019.

Many Chinese fans shared memories of discovering his works and the impact that these works have had on their lives. A reader, who uses the name Lakuda on WeRead, recalled reading Higashino's novels first in junior high school. "You have put down your pen, but the gentleness, clarity and empathy you left to millions of readers will remain in the world forever. Thank you for accompanying me throughout my youth," the reader wrote.

Chinese mystery writer Zijin Chen reposted the news on Sina Weibo, saying that The Devotion of Suspect X introduced him to detective fiction. "I read it in 2012. It was my first encounter with detective fiction, and it inspired me to start writing my own novels. I'm shocked by the sudden news and feel a deep sense of loss," he wrote.

Another Weibo user, AnniweianVivian, commented under a China Central Television news post to highlight how Higashino's novels use suspense as a framework while exploring the complexity of human nature through love, hatred, choices and obsession. "I deeply admire Higashino's works, including Mysterious Night and The Miracles of the Namiya General Store, and will always treasure them."

Yet another fan, Wangdaotiebarry, thanked Higashino on Weibo for creating "such profound emotional worlds".

"Journey Under the Midnight Sun drew me into the world of crime fiction. Works such as Malice, The Devotion of Suspect X ... have amazed me time and again. You constantly pushed beyond your comfort zone to reach new creative heights and will remain a lifelong role model for me," the reader wrote.