Confessions by Kanae Minato is one of the books where the synopsis doesn't do the story justice. It sounds as if you're getting a straightforward thriller/revenge story, but why Minato presents the story is so much more than that. 

Middle school teacher Yuko Moriguchi's young daughter has been killed by two of the students in her class. The first chapter lays out exactly how this happened, and I was almost to the point where I started to think "there's still quite a lot of book left, and it looks like she's writing herself into a corner." 

But the transition from the end of the first chapter into the second is a huge turning point where you see how Minato is going to handle the rest of the book. She shows you the murder from all different angles and POVs, and even though the big question is answered early on, she keeps showing you more and more until everything comes into very sharp focus. 

This was such an intense and creative way to approach what could have been a straightforward and boring read. Minato keeps the surprises and twists coming, but not in an obvious or lazy way. 

Confessions was a great way to start off my #januaryinjapan  after a slightly delayed start, and it's a journey I'm still very much enjoying!