023 4 Laura Joh Rowland's Shinju kicks off her Sano Ichiro series of detective stories set in 17th-century Japan in high style . While perhaps not the most convoluted or original of detective stories out there , Rowland successfully recreates a bygone Japan and casts the reader back to a distant , mysterious place and time .
Our hero , Sano Ichiro , is a modern-day samurai , which means that he must forge his destiny in the Japanese bureaucracy rather than on the battlefield . Sure , the samurai still wear the customary two swords , but far too many samurai are corrupt sycophants seeking success through climbing the corporate ladder rather than pursuing a true vision of the Code of Bushido . This frustrates Sano , who is both dedicated to the truth and to his martial heritage .
Unfortunately for Sano , his family is rather poor , and has used its moderate contacts to get Sano a position as a mid-level detective in the vast police force . In this role , obedience is valued over initiative , and Sano chafes at this restriction . He has been charged with investigating a shinju , a ritual double-suicide of star-crossed lovers . By investigating , I mean rubber-stamp the pre-existing conclusions of his superiors .
But the facts do not match up with this conclusion , and soon Sano is disobeying direct orders and placing his career , his family , and his very life in jeopardy as he seeks to solve what appears to be a heinous crime . Through it all , Sano encounters resistance and hostility from his superiors , even in the face of mounting evidence that something is rotten in Tokyo .
This is far from a grand epic , and the law of economy of characters means that there are only so many candidates for villainy , and as a result the mystery really isn't all that confounding . . . although it is riveting . The real strength of the novel comes from Rowland's mastery of the time period and her precise , economical descriptions of Sano's world . Brief yet powerful descriptions create a completely realized , convincing world for Sano to inhabit , and the reader is always well-grounded in these foreign surroundings .
A heck of a first novel , and a wonderful start to what promises to be a very enjoyable series . Check it out .
001 4 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 .
002 4 Rowland is great at making 17th century Japan seem real , and goes into exquisite detail about the material ( and , more crassly , moral ) circumstances in which her characters live . That alone made the book worth reading , and made me interested in reading Bundori as a follow-up . However , Shinju has serious drawbacks . Anyone who reads mysteries regularly will have no trouble solving Shinju by halfway through the book . The main problem , though , is Rowland's ponderous writing . Her action scenes and urban descriptions are great ; but anything about characters ' thoughts and motivations gets wordy and dull very fast . Instead of letting readers figure out why characters respond as they do ( except for the highly-scrutable inscrutable suspects ) she beats to death the possibilities with lists of questions the characters are supposed to have flashing through their minds . In addition , no one moves a muscle in this story without Rowland reporting on its flexion . It's as if she do ! ! esn't trust the readers to be as smart as she is . That's annoying . Shinju is a lovely historical tapestry , and compelling as a result . Frankly , I think Rowland should drop the mystery element ( which is profoundly unsatisfying ) and just write novels of 17th Century Japan . They would probably be great .
003 4 A highly detailed series debut set in Tokyo ( Edo ) circa 1690 . The detective is a newly appointed samurai police officer who quickly manages to piss off his boss and underlings by sticking his naively inquisitive nose into various matters , most notably , a ritual lovers ' suicide he is ordered not to investigate . Of course our hero has an inner conflict which rages between duty and justice which battles most of the book , as he gets himself deeper and deeper in hot water . The mystery itself is nothing special , and relies on a villain who is more than slightly crazed . The fun in the book is in all the little details about urban Japanese life and customs of the era , as well as the political background . This is presented very fluidly and is well-woven into the plot .
004 4 If you like a story about a samurai policeman who bumbles his way through 437 pages , you'll like this book . Entirely unsamurai-like , Sano allows himself to be pushed around by commoners and other samurai alike . His interrogation of witnesses is childlike , but luckily everyone always blurts out what he needs to know . And don't worry about the plot getting too complex to follow . . . Sano clicks on to what is actually happening about a half page after the reader . And he's really good at spotting lies . Of course , so would I be if every liar shifted nervously from foot to foot and / or stared at the ground while talking ! The author treats her audience as if they were stupid and better mystery can be had with The Hardy Boys . Very disappointing .
005 4 Unfortunately this promising story is over-told . The author seems overly enthusiastic to prove she's done her history homework , and the resulting writing style made me feel like I was back in grammar school . If you've ever read anything about Japan at all you will skim several of the awkward descriptions and translations that the author tries to weave seamlessly into the story . The conflict between the main character Sano's sense of filial duty and obedience as a samurai and his burning desire to get to the truth of the murder is weakly explored . Instead of any real conflict emerging , the author just has him think oh , my father will be so upset , this goes against my whole being as a samurai , I should really stop this investigation every few pages . By the end of each paragraph he has decided to carry on , in pursuit of justice ( mostly for the people who have died as a result of his investigations , and also for the sad courtesan he slept with once , which is a bit tough to empathize with ) ! What a surprise ! The ending took far too long and was a deus ex machina , there wasn't any real suspense . I wanted to know what happened , but I found myself consistently annoyed with having so far to go before the book's end . For those with zero understanding of medieval Japanese culture , this could be a pretty interesting way of learning a great deal . For a more fun take on medieval Japan ( that also explores the mystical and spiritual ) I'd recommend Tomoe Gozen .
006 4 This is an example of how mysteries should be written . The characters should be engaging , there should be action and twists in the plot , and of course there should be a cathartic moment for the main character .
That the author is an intelligent woman is clear from the writing style and the history that fills the background of the novel comes to life through the author's efforts . I particularly liked the good descriptions of the cities and caste system .
The main character Sano Ichiro is a good solid main character - he's different than the corrupted or lazy compatriots of his class . He's got a lot of brains and some martial skill , but he fights the oppressive weight of Fate , most of the time . He is no expert in solving crimes , no expert in politics , but he has a good heart and he is motivated by wanting to make his family proud . The frustrations that he experiences come from all directions - even from those whom he thought were friendly . And , this naturally causes the reader to feel compassion for him .
The villian was a bit on the slightly ridiculous side , but not so much that it made the novel unbearable . I recommend this mystery to anyone who doesn't need a lot of action to their mysteries and who likes historical novels . It encouraged me to pick up the next book in the series , so I must admit that I am well-pleased .
007 4 This review is from :
Shinju ( Mass Market Paperback )
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 . . . . .
008 4 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 . . . . .
009 4 This review is from :
Shinju ( Mass Market Paperback )
Sinju is the first , but definitely not the best of the Sano Ichiro series .
While this is a good book , it is not a great book . That being said , it is pretty much necessary character development if you want to get some of the dynamics of interaction in the rest of the stories . If I had read this first , I may not have been so enthusiastic about the rest of the series , but because I read Bundori first I was hooked years ago . I kind of look at Sinju as an interesting prequel . It is a pretty good detective story , a pretty good historical novel , and a pretty good look at the Boshido Way in the end of the Samuri era .
So my advice is , if you are interested in any of these themes , this is a good read . However , you will probably like the next story much better ( I know I did ) , so get Bundori also and read through if you have the patience , otherwise , start with Bundori and get hooked on the series first and then go back and read Sinju for a better understanding of the primary characters .
As for the rest of the series , Ms . Roland's writing gets better all the time .
010 4 Sinju is the first , but definitely not the best of the Sano Ichiro series .
While this is a good book , it is not a great book . That being said , it is pretty much necessary character development if you want to get some of the dynamics of interaction in the rest of the stories . If I had read this first , I may not have been so enthusiastic about the rest of the series , but because I read Bundori first I was hooked years ago . I kind of look at Sinju as an interesting prequel . It is a pretty good detective story , a pretty good historical novel , and a pretty good look at the Boshido Way in the end of the Samuri era .
So my advice is , if you are interested in any of these themes , this is a good read . However , you will probably like the next story much better ( I know I did ) , so get Bundori also and read through if you have the patience , otherwise , start with Bundori and get hooked on the series first and then go back and read Sinju for a better understanding of the primary characters .
As for the rest of the series , Ms . Roland's writing gets better all the time .
011 4 This was my introduction to Sano Ichiro ( and Rowland's books ) and I was fascinated with the descriptions of 17th century Japan . I've done a bit of historical reading into that era ( early Shin Buddhism ) and found this book was accurate and richly descriptive .
As for the character of Sano , I understand some of the other comments that he wasn't heroic enough for a Samurai . But that was one of the things that made him interesting to me . He is a quite average man who gets caught up in a system that can easily swallow him whole .
The book , although it had a few minor flaws , was intriquing enough for me to read several more of the series and it's interesting to see the way Sano's character develops . I just finished the fourth book in the series ( The Concubine's Tattoo ) and look forward to all the others .
012 4 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 .
013 4 This review is from :
Shinju ( Mass Market Paperback )
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 .
014 4 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 .
015 4 If you are interested in Japanese folktales , bushido , or just ancient Japan in genral , this is an excellent book , well worth the money . I don't enjoy mysteries at all , and didn't read this book expecting one , so I suppose that is why I could not solve teh mystery until it was revealed to me . The descriptions of 17th century Japan are outstanding , you reallty feel like you are there . The sequel , Bundori , surpasses even this book , but I'd reccomend going in chronological order . The books after Bundori kind of trail off , and the plots become less beleivable , even for a fiction tale . But it is definetly worth it to read about how a common teacher is requested to teh court of the shogun .
017 4 Ms . Joh-Rowland has given us a glimpse of 17th century Japan which is much more interesting than the history books . And by using a mystery as a vehicle , this book is very readable and unputdownable . However , since this is her first book , her plotting needs room for improvement . A reader can guess the resolution halfway through the book . Still , it is a good first effort and I am hoping the next Saro Ichiro novels will be tighter and unpredictable .
018 4 I picked up Shinju prior to a trip to Tokyo , I must say that reading the book while travelling around Tokyo and recognizing the places mentioned added greatly to its appeal .
The book is easy to read with a well developed and detailed story . The characters could do with a bit more development but are convincing and realistic .
I liked the books enough to have gone on and read the next two in the series .
It's not really fair to compare these to the Judge Dee mysteries , they are very different . The only similarity is that they are set in the Far East .
019 4 Although I do not like the cover of this current edition and am not even that big a fan of Japanese history , I am a fan of detective fiction and love to dabble in historical detectives . Thus I picked up this book .
The novel is very strong . The characters are extremely well-rendered as is the setting and atmosphere . The detecting portions of the novel are not quite up to speed but his is her first effort and some allowances must be made .
I read the book quickly , it held my attention throughout and I already have the next 5 books in the series on deck .
If you like detective fiction , then this book is for you . If you like historical fiction , the novel also satisfies on that front . If you just like a flat out enjoyable read , then pick up this one . I highly recommend it .
020 4 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 would give this 4 1 / 2 stars if I could . 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 .
021 4 What to say about this one ? Exotic setting ( 17th century Japan ) , interesting main character ( Sano Ichiro , a samurai lawman dedicated to finding out the truth ) , a solid plot ( will the valiant detective be able to solve two murders in a corrupt society that just wants to cover them up ) . I really was sold on it when I first heard of this book .
Unfortunately , this is another first novel with some big stylistic problems . What was good about it was good enough that I will probably try the next book in the series , but the writing style - - passive action scenes and a superabundance of description - - so weighed down my enjoyment that I had to put the book down at a certain point and read other things for awhile before I could return to it and finish .
But what was good about it . . . her characters are fully fleshed people . Even minor characters resonate . The plot was complicated and intriguing , but not at all hard to follow , and some of those passages of description were quite beautiful .
022 4 If you are interested in a crime story in a historical context then this is for you . First in a series that follows the cases of a Samurai detective , this book is well written and shows that Laura Hoh Rowland has the talent to provides us with a good plot . Moreover she has done a lot of research and she provides us with interesting historical and cultural facts . If you are particular interested in Japanese culture do not miss it
024 4 Rowland's novel Shinju , is a rivetting tale of yoriki Sano Ichiro , a detective who discovers the mysterious death of high-ranking royal Lady Yukiko and the poor artist Noriyoshi . Everyone believes this incident to be a shinju , or double suicide however , Sano thinks it to be more than that . He believes they were murdered . Ignoring the orders of his superior , Sano goes on a risky quest to solve this mystery . From the mountains on the Tokkaido road and the snowy hieghts of the north , to the dark slums of the entertainment districts , this novel gives the reader a full 360 of the ancient world of Japan . I could hardly put it down . I totally recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Japan's history , and if not , a fan of thrillers because this is a thrilling story , no doubt about it .
025 4 As a longtime lover of mysteries and of things Japanese , I was thrilled when I came across the Sano Ichiro series . This book lived up to my initial excitement . This is a cross between a hardboiled thriller and a straight-up historical novel full of both detail and texture . One of the charms here is the hero , Sano . He is a ronin - - a masterless samurai - - who has managed to get an appointment on the Edo ( aka Tokyo ) detective corps . Rowland's achievement in creating this character is that he is both a living embodiment of Bushido - - the Warrior Way - - and a very anachronistic mix of self-reliance and love of justice as aideal above all others . In the arcane , byzantine ( if I can use that word ) world of Tokugawa Japan , he is the classic outsider seeking to do the right thing even if it destroys him and his down-on-its-luck clan . The mystery is interesting here , though in typical thriller fashion the story shifts from whodunit to get-him-before-he-gets-you about three-quarters of the way in .
This is a terrific start to a fine series .
026 4 This story is very strong on atmosphere and weaker on real mystery . I found it a fascinating glimpse into what the real tenor of medieval Japan might have been like . Suicidal behavior characterizes not only the initial crime victims but the obstinate actions of Sano Ichiro , a police commander struggling against the extremely rigid and hierarchical filial , political , and police system in 1689 Edo ( Tokyo ) . He seems to instinctively know the truth despite all his social conditioning in the samurai code of loyalty , obedience , and reputation . As the first in the series the author should have shown by his actions , rather than assertion alone , that Sano in fact had had a history of dedication to the alleged truth and justice that conveniently appears whenever he is pressed by custom or patron to conform to an official cover-up he seeks to break . Aside from the author's simplistic psychology this is a fascinating story because of the realistic and exotic atmosphere , the feeling engendered by Joh's descriptive ability that you are really there . The author is particularly sensitive to Edo's sweet or foetid odors and to localizing each of the scenes with visual clues . The book is nicely printed . The story has a very exciting samurai conclusion , but despite the blurbs there's no love interest here .
027 4 I enjoyed this book for the historical references and bits of history to feudal Japan along with the plot twists and turns . It may be a standard concept where the hero overcomes all oppositions in seeking justice but the story held my interest regardless . For a good captivating read on a winter evening I would recommend this one . I've read all the others and I must admit , the same story line runs through them all but with enough difference to keep me reading . In this series I was just looking for something to entertain me and Sano Ichiro's adventures did just that . It held my interest to the end .
028 4 After reading shinju , there is only one thing I must say : It is the best book ever . Now , i have read a lot of books , and I can say without a doubt that none come even close to the great characterization , intruige , incredible plot , and graphicly descriptive wording . Sano Ichiro ( or Ichiro Sano , as it would be in America ) has to be one of the best and most compeling characters ever in a book . The book just makes you whant to read more and more , thats how good it is . only one precautione ; this book is not exactly for the weak of heart . Sure , it's not some blood-spatered , kill-happy , testostrone splashed book , but it does have some groutesque imagery and a sex scene and some scenes of nudity . However , if you do not get naucies at the thought of blood and are at least 13 , I whole-heartdly recomend Shinju to you . I gotta get the sequels .
