Shinju

The pacing of the mystery is great. Because there really aren't any subplots, the story-telling is straightforward, and the mystery is always front and center. Yet, as it unfolds, the reader is never bored. It's a very well thought-out plot. A word of caution to the wise: there are some gritty elements to the story, so if you get squeamish or want all the good people to be live happily ever after, then I would read something else. There were definitely moments when I needed to take a break, and I had needed to take a moment after I finished the book.

I very much enjoyed this book (and indeed the whole series). A medieval samurai detective sounds kind of far off, but the books are well written and well researched (I had my Japanese exchange students verify that). The book is well paced, the plot well scripted, and the characters fleshed out. The actual murderer is always a revelation, the mark of a good mystery writer. You were SURE it was so-and-so, and here.....

I have had a number of friends recommend reading this book, so after a while, I decided to pick it up and give it a chance. I enjoy historical settings and wanted to be immersed into a Rowland's Edo Japan. Immediately, the reader is introduced to Sano Ichiro, who is not your typical samurai and allows his personal sense of duty and curiosity override his obligation and duty more than an ordinary samurai should. However, his departure from tradition is pointed out as a break from the norm and even he struggles with his break with the Code of Bushido. The reader has a very urgent sense of doubt and a seeking of identity for the character, which the character finds at the end. I would also like to remark on the other characters you are introduced to throughout the novel. Lady Wisteria, Cherry Eater, Midori, Dr. Ito and many others fill the pages and show promise of being fleshed out in subsequent books. The setting is intricate and interesting. Rowland is able to introduce it to the reader bit by bit so concepts are not overwhelming, and she goes to effort of explaining new ideas, educating the reader, without feeling like she is putting in a lot of exposition. The plot has interesting twists and keeps the story moving. When you think things cannot get worse for Sano, they do. Occasionally, you may wish that the character had more self-confidence, but I believe that the character's doubt makes him even more believable. I've already rushed out and bought Bundori, so I would definitely recommend this book. It is a nice historical mystery with interesting characters and a strong plot.

When I picked up this book, I was a little worried that it would fall into the trap of concentrating so heavily on historically accurate details that the idea of a mystery (or plot in general) would be lost. Happily, that isn't the case. Laura Joh Rowland sets a solid mystery in an interesting period of time. She manages to give us a flavor of era and still present a great read. I highly recommend this novel. If you are interested in the Sano Ichiro series, definitely start with this book.

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and now I am hooked! 'Shinju' is a mystery about a supposed ritual double lovers' suicide (the title is the term that is used to refer to that act) that is in actuality a murder. Ichiro Sano, a young man recently appointed 'yoriki'(policeman) is assigned to a cursory investigation of what most of his colleagues and superiors view as a dishonorable and distasteful incident. Sano's takes his duties seriously, however, and almost loses his life -- and more importantly -- his honor in uncovering both a disturbing crime and a treasonous plot. Set against the backdrop of the Tokugawa Shogunate, this novel is educational as well as entertaining, and I really didn't know where the plot would take me as I read; the hero gets in some pretty dangerous situations. Rowland really paints a realistic picture of Japan in the 17th Century, with its dependence on personal obligation and honor. It's both frustrating and eye-opening for the reader to discover that although the hero knows 'whodunnit', his society prohibits him from bringing the guilty party (or in this case 'parties') to justice.

The author's imagery worked very well for me. I quickly connected with Sano Ichiro's humility-tempered persistence. Though his misplaced loyalties and devotion to Bushido lead him deeper and deeper into the tangled web of the paranoic, machiavellian shogunate, his iron will, sense of rightness, and remembrance of promises made, lift him out of certain doom and into the good graces of the shogun himself. Will Sano's promotion be the well-deserved ending we hoped for? I can't wait to read more! Laura Joh Rowland has given us a new hero worthy of a hopefully long and prosperous series. Thanks!Note: I picked up "The Samurai's Wife" for a quick read. After a few chapters, I simply had to go out and find Shinju to start at the beginning of this enchanting series . . . It took some digging to find "Bundori" (No. 2) and "The Way of the Traitor" (No. 3?). "The Concubine's Tattoo" is still available. I'll report back after reading these. It should not take long!