Search - Shinju (Sano Ichiro, Bk 1)

Set in Edo, Japan 1689, Shinju published 1994 is Laura Joh Rowland's 1st book in a continuing medieval mystery series. The 11th title Red Chrysanthemum came out in 2006. As is often the case, this initial book is best place to start series. Enjoyable light reading.

The mystery was well-conceived, but took an unfortunate turn into boring political intrigue. The resolution also took a little too long in coming.

This book has wonderful discriptions of Japanese life and culture. The mystery is well done and enjoyable. I thought it started a little slow, but soon picked up and kept me reading.

The author transports the reader not only to 17th century Japan but into the mindset of the Samurai philosophy and the culture. Rowland wraps all this in an intricate mystery of a supposed ritual double suicide of a noble woman and a commoner. Sano Ichiro once met is not easily forgotten. As the reader is propelled to the books conclusion there is the satisfaction of knowing that this is just the beginning of this wonderful series!

I am an advocate of reading series in order and have to admit I liked others in the series even more than this first entry so I had to leave a little room in the ratings. This first book sets up Sano's character and conflicts which lead to the higher enjoyment of others in the series.

My husband also enjoyed this book, proving this is a series for men and women. What drew him to Sano Ichiro was his quiet dignity and strength and how he used these to help him face a problem or situation. Learning the philosophy of the samurai and Japanese beliefs all added to the enjoyment of this taut mystery.

Not a bad book, but not great either.

It came across as well researched, which is a plus, but I was never able to connect to the main character, who had the annoying habit of wavering on whether to continue investigating several times throughout the book. Although I understand why this conflict of interest continued to reappear - he was constantly finding new information that raised the stakes of the investigation - I wasn't fully convinced in his doubt and never worried that he would seriously consider giving up. The passages where he decided to continue were weak; they appeared rushed, with no time for him to really consider quitting, and he would come to the realization that he couldn't walk away with a suddenness that rang false to me, making the whole thing appear more as a device to raise tension (will he or won't he?) than anything true to the story.

There were also one or two times where he ignored information that, to the reader, was obviously important. Perhaps because he's a newly appointed yoriki and this is his first big crime it's only natural that he would brush aside what he thought to be meaningless chatter, but as a reader I was annoyed with what I took to be weak attempts to stretch the story out.

The mastermind behind the crime is easy enough to figure out and probably won't come as a huge surprise to anyone.

There are also a few cases of explicit sexual content and violence, in case anyone prefers to be warned about those in advance.

The story moved a little slowly for my tastes, although it picked up near the end. There were a few chapters in the point of view of side characters that I thought didn't add anything and could have been done away with in order to keep it moving at a better clip. While I might get the second book to see if I enjoy it more, I'm in no rush.

What a wonderful mix of adventure and mystery. It is a beautifully written and well told story set in feudal Japan. The time period is fascinating and the author seems knowledgeable. I felt like I not only read a great mystery novel but that I had learned something as well. There is a very graphic depiction of torture that some might not be able to handle. It almost hit my threshold and I'm a horror movie fanatic. All and all it gets a 4 out of 5 and I am eagerly awaiting the next in the series.