Here’s a short summary of Death Note:
A senior in high-school (who may or may not have a god complex), named Light Yagami, is bored. A god of death - a Shinigami - is also bored, and so, he drops a Death Note, right next to a Japanese school - Light’s school. Light picks up the Death Note one quiet afternoon. By writing a name into the Death Note, the user has the ability to murder anyone of their choosing. And, well, Light has always hated criminals...
Here's a short review of the novel:
Though this isn’t technically a full-on novel but rather a manga. However, I still consider this a book, and I will include it anyway. This manga was a graphic (and cinematic, if you want to include the brilliantly done anime) phenomenon. It starts with so many morally-grey themes that the manga unravels like wisps and strands of thread, quickly and swiftly through quietly, too. Light Yagami was a brilliantly written character; though he was only seventeen during the course of this manga, he was obviously not the victim. The reader could see his descent into the Death Note, showing how human nature can be corrupted by the simplest of things. All of the characters were easy to feel strong - not necessarily good or bad - emotions toward, proving the author to be able to showcase a whole list of character-induced emotions. The opposing character to Light Yagami was a young detective called L, anonymous for most of the duration of the story. The story goes in-depth about the push and pull of Light and L’s cat-and-mouse game, as neither knows each other’s name. This novel brutally shoved past all my expectations, being exceedingly intricate as a psychological thriller with paranormal aspects, as well as an occasional dot of dark humor.