"A former detective who hunts down wanted criminals like a ghost has been murdered!" A masterpiece that captures the essence of police mystery × SF × boy's adventure × coming-of-age novel.

A former detective was murdered.
The murdered Tsukizawa Katsushi was a police special field expert known as "Detective Miatari."
He is a person who has honed his innate human intuition to the max, being able to deduce the life of a wanted criminal from just one photo.
At the same time that Tsukizawa Katsushi went missing, his son Rikuma happened to encounter Madoka Uhara, the "Laplace Witch," at the library.
Madoka tells Rikuma, who is worried about going home because of the sudden pouring rain, the exact time to leave the library.
This was so accurate that it was almost prophecy… … .


Meanwhile, the police intensify their search to find the crime scene, but fail to find any significant clues, and Wakisaka, a young detective on the investigative team, continues to conduct an independent investigation despite pressure from his superiors.
As the police investigation struggles, Madoka accurately deduces the location and time of the crime.
Rakuma, who meets Madoka again, sets out to find the culprit who murdered his father, along with his friend Junya, who bickers with the mysterious woman Madoka out of pure friendship.
Detective Wakisaka, who pursues the truth alone against the great darkness, and Madoka and Rikuma, who continue their own deductions.
What is the truth behind the incident they come across?


"Seven Days with the Witch" is a story that unfolds around two main themes: the "adventure" of a boy who is drawn to the mysterious Madoka and pursues his father's death, and the "pursuit" of detective Wakisaka who digs up the truth.
Each character is vivid and charming enough to be considered a standalone protagonist, and the pleasure of reading increases as hidden truths are gradually revealed.
Above all, the vivid sense of presence and the fast-paced development centered on the events, combined with Keigo Higashino's signature fast-paced writing, create explosive synergy.


A near-future Japan with enhanced AI surveillance systems.
“That summer, unbelievable things happened.”

The work is set in a near-future Japan where AI technology has deeply permeated society.
AI, which has devoured vast amounts of data, has brought wealth and leisure to humanity, but at the same time, it has brought about new confusion and anxiety.
The police, who used to be able to track down wanted criminals like ghosts, have now given way to CCTV cameras installed everywhere, various surveillance systems treat every citizen as a potential criminal, and individual lives have become fragmented.

In this era of great transformation, where hope and fear intersect, "Seven Days with the Witch" can also be read as a "literary attempt to explore the possibility of coexistence between AI and humans." It addresses major issues of modern society, such as jobs replaced by AI, ID cards recording every individual's personal information, the collection of all citizens' DNA, and facial recognition systems, and delves into the question of human dignity in the age of AI.
Through this, we are made to consider and think about what it means to be ‘human’ and what makes each individual unique.

Meanwhile, what is interesting about the work is the depiction of the main characters running around on their feet, drenched in sweat, chasing after the incident.
Their appearance is so 'analog' that it contrasts sharply with the cutting-edge digital age symbolized by AI.
In “The Fresh Power of Running Until the Soles of Your Feet Sweat,” the author may have been trying to find “a way to counter ‘humans who have lost their humanity’ who try to exploit the era of artificial intelligence that threatens human existence.”
This is because the work's temporal setting of seven days in the scorching midsummer sun in July has a great deal to suggest.


Keigo Higashino's definitive 40-year mystery series, "Laplace Series"
Writing another legend

"Seven Days with the Witch" is the third installment of "Laplace's Witch," published to commemorate the author's 30th anniversary since his debut, and was also chosen by Keigo Higashino as his 100th work.
This shows how much the author's affection for the Laplace series is.
Japanese critic Shinta Nishigami classified Keigo Higashino's works into six themes: science, science fiction, criminal psychology, family, love tragedy, and revenge, and commented that "the Laplace series is a masterpiece that includes all six of these categories."


The Laplace Series is a work that stands out for its unique concept, unexpected mystery, and uniquely heartwarming human drama through the activities of the main character, 'Laplace's Witch'.
The mysterious charm of the protagonist Madoka has stimulated countless imaginations since the first volume of the series.
Madoka, with her “small body and impressive large eyes with slightly upturned corners,” is a type of female character never seen before in Higashino’s works. She is neither a weak and passive woman like Yasuko in “The Devotion of Suspect X” nor a villainess obsessed with desire like Mifuyu in “Illusionary Night,” but rather a character with the most unique charm among the protagonists created by Higashino.
The author, who borrowed the motif from the 18th century mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace's hypothesis of an infinitely intelligent being, aka "Laplace's Demon," symbolically shows through Madoka that a brain with infinite abilities that "has not lost its humanity"—a being that "thinks and judges for itself"—will be the hope and future of humanity.


Of course, the work is not only about characters like Madoka who surpass the limits of human ability.
From a boy who becomes an orphan overnight after losing his father, to a young man exhausted by repeated job failures, to an office worker exhausted from frequent overtime work, to a lonely elderly person left alone at home, the film captures the vivid stories of each individual, focusing on the drama of ordinary people.
Just as each atom comes together to form the universe, the composition of each life coming together to ultimately complete the whole story of the event conveys an even more special emotion.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the "Laplace Series" is the culmination of 40 years of work by Keigo Higashino, who is undoubtedly at the pinnacle of the mystery novel world, and that it is also a novel that opens up a new world that he will continue to write in the future.

Overseas reader reviews

★ It contained a variety of issues, but I read it in one sitting!
★ Every single one of Keigo Higashino's works makes my heart race.
★ The culprit is an unexpected figure! Will any readers be able to guess this?
★ The ending and the climax are both amazing enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.

★ If visualized, it would be a spectacular work.

★ The only author who makes you want to read the next page is Higashino!
★ As expected, a masterpiece that reveals the true nature of the top mystery writer in the science and engineering field.
★ The two-track investigation between Madoka Uhara, a genius with special abilities, and a regular detective has also secured realism!
★ A story set in the near future, featuring AI-powered facial recognition systems, gait authentication, and DNA collection.
But it's more realistic than ever.