“This is the story of Sano, a samurai in feudal Japan. He has gained favor of the shogun and disfavor of one of the shoguns closest advisers. Because of this disfavor, Sano has been set to Nagasaki where he is to conduct inspections. The corrupt city is threatened by foreign traders who seek access to Japan and its markets. When the highest Dutch trader is found dead, Sano is in charge of finding who killed him before the Dutch ship offshore starts firing.
This was an interesting and unique mystery. The medium pace and political ins and outs were not appealing to me but I did enjoy the story as a whole. ”
“Another lady writing through the eyes of a male protagonist. Perhaps this make both Linsey's and Rowland's males so much more likeable. To balance my enthusiasm, I must add my childrens' comments..... " plodding and pedastrian " ( or words to that effect.) Her books take you to samurai japan where you live,think, eat,dress,and become part of the past.”
tony rebello wrote this review Wednesday, January 9 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No