I was happy to receive another book in the Shinobi series from Susan Spann thanks to TLC Book Tours. I received a free copy for my honest review.
About The Ninja’s Daughter:
Series: A Shinobi Mystery
Paperback: 230 pages
Publisher: Seventh Street Books (August 2, 2016)
Autumn, 1565: When an actor’s daughter is murdered on the banks of Kyoto’s Kamo River, master ninja Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo are the victim’s only hope for justice.
As political tensions rise in the wake of the shogun’s recent death, and rival samurai threaten war, the Kyoto police forbid an investigation of the killing, to keep the peace–but Hiro has a personal connection to the girl, and must avenge her. The secret investigation leads Hiro and Father Mateo deep into the exclusive world of Kyoto’s theater guilds, where they quickly learn that nothing, and no one, is as it seems. With only a mysterious golden coin to guide them, the investigators uncover a forbidden love affair, a missing mask, and a dangerous link to corruption within the Kyoto police department that leaves Hiro and Father Mateo running for their lives.
About the Author:
Susan Spann is a transactional publishing attorney and the author of the Shinobi Mysteries, featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori and his Portuguese Jesuit sidekick, Father Mateo. Her debut novel, CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur Books, 2013), was named a Library Journal Mystery Debut of the Month. Susan has a degree in Asian Studies from Tufts University, where she studied Chinese and Japanese language, history, and culture. Her hobbies include cooking, traditional archery, martial arts, and horseback riding. She lives in northern California with her husband, son, two cats, and an aquarium full of seahorses.
Connect with Susan
My Opinion:
This is my third Hiro Hattori novel and I have to say that each one gets better. I’ve really come to look forward to the adventures of this rogue samurai and the man he is mysteriously paid to protect, a Portuguese priest. Things are not settled in feudal Japan when these two men find themselves pulled into another unusual death investigation. They are told in no uncertain terms to NOT investigate but of course they cannot obey this order. Each man has his reasons for wanting to find out who killed the not so innocent woman found on the banks of the river.
What I find so interesting as this series progresses is the relationship between these two men from such different backgrounds. Despite strong beliefs each one is learning from the other whether they want to or not. In this tale the woman who has been killed is the daughter of an actress and in the Japanese society of the time period she has no worth. Father Mateo cannot understand this concept. But other forces are at work as different factions jockey to fill the void left by the death of the Shogun. One man thinks he is in charge but others want the power.
Hiro is a man (supposedly) without a clan and it seems that there are those that know his secrets and want him, his ilk and Father Mateo dead. Decisions need be made about where to go and when. But Father Mateo is insistent about solving the murder first – so they work on that despite hitting walls.
The characters are engaging, the setting intriguing and the evolving story line arc leaves the reader wanting more. This installment advances the overall plot while giving our heroes the chance to avenge the death of a woman considered to be not much more than garbage by her society. As Hiro educates Father Mateo on the nuances of the Japanese, Father Mateo gives Hiro a more enhanced sense of humanity.
Rating:
4
Other Books by Susan Spann:
Flask of the Drunken Master
Blade of the Samurai
Betrayal at Iga
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