Japanese mystery novelist Higashino Keigo. [AFP]
Japanese mystery novelist Higashino Keigo. [AFP]

Higashino Keigo, the Japanese mystery novelist who died after a battle with cancer, was the best-selling foreign novelist in South Korea over the past decade, according to new data.

Kyobo Book Centre said Wednesday that an analysis of fiction sales over the 10-year period from July 27, 2016, to July 26, 2026, showed Higashino ranked first among foreign novelists by a wide margin. When domestic and foreign authors were counted together, he placed second, just behind Han Kang.

His top-selling title at Kyobo Book Centre over the period was "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store," followed by "Murder in the Masked Mansion," "Fabricated Criminal," "You Killed Someone" and "The Devotion of Suspect X." Titles including "Laplace's Witch," "The Guardian of the Camphor Tree," "Wings of the Kirin," "The Course of Love" and "Snowbound Cabin" also sold consistently. The steady performance across both his signature works and more recent releases shows the enduring support readers have given his writing over the years.

Readers in their 30s were the largest buyers of his books over the decade, accounting for 30.0 percent of purchases, followed by those in their 40s at 26.3 percent, their 50s at 23.0 percent, their 20s at 12.8 percent, those 60 and older at 7.4 percent, and those under 20 at 0.5 percent.

By gender, female readers made up 59.7 percent of buyers compared with 40.3 percent male, with particularly strong support from women in their 30s through 50s.

Meanwhile, Han Kang ranked first overall among fiction authors at Kyobo Book Centre during the same period. Hermann Hesse placed third behind Higashino, with Haruki Murakami, Kim Ho-yeon, Bernard Werber, Lee Mi-ye, Yang Gwi-ja, J.K. Rowling and Albert Camus rounding out the top 10.

"Higashino Keigo is a defining foreign author who helped bring mystery fiction to a mainstream audience in Korea," a Kyobo Book Centre official said. "We extend our deepest condolences, along with the readers who have cherished his work for so long."

Higashino died Thursday at the age of 68 while undergoing treatment for colon cancer.

According to publisher Kodansha, he completed 106 works during his lifetime, excluding co-authored titles, and had a new book, "Eternal Memory," set for release on Wednesday.


pink@heraldcorp.com