“His best twist is his death” Keigo Higashino dies… tributes pour in, including Ryu Seung-ryong over his connection to “The Name-ya General Store”

‘Keigo Higashino’ dies of colorectal cancer… “The final twist” that moved 760 people

His previously unpublished final work “Eternal Memory” is set to be released next month, after taking over No. 1 on Aladdin’s bestseller list

The master of Japanese mystery literature, Keigo Higashino, died on the 23rd after battling colorectal cancer. Against the backdrop of deep grief spreading across local bookstores and the entertainment industry, as one reader mourned with the heartbreaking line, “My best twist is the author’s death.” Next month, readers will find the last work that carries his final breath.

The departure of a master, a bestseller of mourning swept through bookstores

On the 28th, major local bookstores such as Kyobo Bookstore, YES24, and Aladdin opened tribute pages to Keigo Higashino and marked his literary footsteps. Aladdin prepared an online tribute space along with a dedication calling him “a mystery-literature master Koreans love.” As of 5:30 p.m. on the 28th, about 760 readers left farewell messages and recalled the late author on that bulletin board. In particular, reactions such as “I was happy with all the books pouring out every year, but I’m devastated now that I can’t enjoy that happiness anymore” dominated.

Public sorrow quickly turned into a surge in reading. Kyobo Bookstore and YES24 seized the No. 1 spot in their real-time search rankings, while on Aladdin’s bestseller ranking, the latest entry in the ‘Galileo’ series, ‘Transparent Spiral’, climbed to No. 1. Meanwhile, the timeless classic ‘Malice’ rose to No. 7, showing unwavering affection for the late author.

A connection carried through the screen… with ‘Eternal Memory,’ the late work arriving next month, to achieve eternal life (永生)

Tributes from figures in the cultural and arts world, who previously brought the world inside the late author’s printed works to the screen, also continue to pour in. Ryu Seung-ryong, the starring actor in ‘The Miraculous Shop Nammi-ya’ reinvented as a Disney+ original series, expressed wishes for eternal rest through social media. Broadcaster Oh Jeong-yeon and former announcer Oh Sang-jin also sent their condolences in their own spaces. Amid the renewed spotlight on a story involving V of the group BTS, who previously said he pored over Keigo Higashino’s books while serving in the military, fan disappointment is deepening.

Born in Osaka, Japan, in 1958, he debuted in a dazzling fashion in 1985 by winning the Edogawa Ranpo Prize for ‘After School’. After that, with each release—‘The Secret’, ‘The Night Journey’, ‘Devotion of Suspect X’, and others—he perfectly blended literary depth with mass appeal, ruling the world as a global master storyteller.

Even in the face of the illness called colorectal cancer, his determination to keep writing did not waver. Next month, on-site in Japan, ‘Eternal Memory’, the latest long-form installment in the ‘Galileo’ series and the late author’s final work, will be released. Although the author has left the world, his meticulously crafted sentences will be etched forever in the minds of readers.