The Ninja's Daughter - Susan Spann

   2016; 240 pages.  Book 4 (out of 8) in the series “A Shinobi Mystery”.  New Author? : No.  Genres: Historical Mystery; Historical Fiction.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

 

    “Last night I killed a girl and left her body by the river.”

 

    When someone pounds on your door before the sun comes up, and utters those words, you know it’s going to be a long day.  And when the visitor’s next words are, “I don’t want to die for a crime I didn’t commit,” you know it’s going to be a bad day as well.

 

    But Father Mateo is gracious and invites the man in for tea, and against his better judgment, Hiro Hattori, the priest’s ninja bodyguard, is forced to stand aside.  As the visitor, a young man named Jiro, tells his tale—at least as much as he remembers of it—both priest and ninja realize that someone ought to investigate the death.

 

    Unfortunately, Magistrate Ishimaki, the judge who oversees justice for the entire district of Kyoto, is about to declare the case already closed, that a murder never even happened, and looking into the matter by anyone is forbidden.

    Under penalty of death.

 

What’s To Like...

    The Ninja’s Daughter is another fine tale in Susan Spann’s captivating “Shinobi Mystery” series, which is set in mid-16^th-century Japan, where samurais and ninjas are plentiful and Western foreigners are rare.  This is the third book I’ve read from it, and I thoroughly enjoy being immersed in this medieval Japanese world.

 

    It’s going to be quite the challenge for Hiro and Mateo to get to the bottom of this seemingly straightforward case.  Yes, there is a corpse, a “teahouse entertainer” named Emi, and yes, she appears to have been strangled.  But Jiro is no help; he says he was passed out drunk when the murder occurred, and Ishimaki has delegated his assistant, Yoriki Hosokawa, with the authority to execute anyone who dares to look into the matter.

 

    I loved the interplay between Hiro and Father Mateo as they try to piece together what happened while at the same time evading Yoriki’s prying eyes.  Both protagonists form their own opinion as to who did it, and why, and they change their minds a couple of times as they gather more information.  But somehow neither ever agrees with the other as to whodunit.

 

    I continue to be fascinated with the historical aspect of this series.  Japan in 1565 has a strict caste system.  If you’re a ruler or a samurai, you can kill almost anyone you want for little or no reason.  If you’re not in that social stratum, you can be executed for anything less than total subservience and truth-telling to those powers that be.

 

    I enjoyed the frequent use of Japanese vocabulary in the story.  The author usually takes the time in the text to tell you what the words mean, and when she doesn’t, you can always find the translations in the “Glossary of Japanese Terms” section in the back.

 

    The ending is good. Emi’s murderer is revealed, as well as the reason behind the crime.  Things close with a bit of secondary karma being exacted.  There’s also a “bigger picture” storyline involving Father Mateo and Hiro being forced to flee Kyoto.  The story ends with them on their way to dwell in a new city, presumably where the next book will be set.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  4.5/5 based on 107 ratings and 60 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.12/5 based on 291 ratings and 72 reviews

 

Excerpts...

    “It appears the girl was an actor’s daughter, not a teahouse entertainer.”

    “An outcaste?” Luis said.  “You know, they have a word for that.  It translates, ‘pile of —‘ ”

    “Thank you, I’ve heard it.”  Father Mateo cut Luis off before he could speak the offensive word.

    “That’s not the proper term anyway,” Hiro said.  “For actors, we use—”

    “Don’t encourage him,” Father Mateo said.  (pg. 45)

 

    Hiro turned to Father Mateo.  “At least that ends the argument about where to go when we leave Kyoto.”

    Father Mateo frowned.  “There was an argument?”

    Hiro resumed his course toward the river.

    Father Mateo hurried to catch up.  “Hattori Hanzo may lead the Iga ryu, but he has no authority over me.”

    “Only a dead man refuses an order from Hanzo,” Hiro said.  “Some refuse because they are dead, and the rest are dead because they refused.  Which one are you?”  (pg. 205)

 

“The blade of grass that stands the tallest is the first to be cut down.”  (pg. 112)

    There’s not much to nitpick about in The Ninja’s Daughter.  There’s zero cussing, and I’m always impressed with any author who can write a captivating full-length novel without needing to use swear words.

 

    Some reviewers seemed to think the historical fiction aspect overshadowed the mystery-solving.  They have a point, but since I’m a history buff who knows next to nothing about Japan in the 1500s, I was okay with that.  Other reviewers didn’t like the rigidly arbitrary and unfair caste system presented here.  Yeah, it does suck, but I suspect it’s an accurate portrayal of Japan at that time.

 

    Overall, I found The Ninja’s Daughter to be a quick, easy read.  The chapters are James Patterson-ly short (56 of them for 240 pages), but that just means you always have a convenient place to stop for the night.  I’m a big fan of the Murder-Mystery genre, and love it even more when the author also takes me to another historical time and place.  When witty dialogue is added to the text, and the whodunit keeps me guessing (full disclosure: I guessed wrong.), I’m just all that more entertained.

 

    8 Stars.  I started reading this series because my local library carried two of the books, Blade of the Samurai, (Book 2) and Flask of the Drunken Master (Book 3).  Those are reviewed here and here.  I have since acquired the rest of the series, and look forward to reading more about the adventures of the recently-displaced duo of Father Mateo and Hiro Hattori in the near future.

Flask of the Drunken Master - Susan Spann

   2015; 286 pages.  Book #3 (and most recent) in the Shinobi Mysteries series.  New Author? : No.  Genre : Murder-Mystery; Historical Fiction.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

    To be honest, it’s just a tad bit surreal.  On one hand, there’s a bald-headed monk in a stained brown robe yelling things like “Arrest me!  I’m the guilty one!” and “I’m the murderer, you fool!” at the police.  On the other, the police seem to have decided they already have their perpetrator, and are leading away a man with a lowered head and sagging shoulders.  Is it a sign of guilt?  Or of embarrassment?

    For Hiro, the scene is even more bizarre, for he knows both men.  The monk is Suke, who is one of 16^th-century Kyoto’s leading town drunks.  A vagrant, but hardly the sort of man to murder someone.

    And the man being led away by the police is Ginjiro, a local brewer.  To whom Hiro owes a personal debt.  So when Ginjiro’s family asks Hiro to investigate the murder, he really has no choice but to get involved.

What’s To Like...

    There’s no scene-setting here, the action starts immediately (well,  page 4, technically), and our sleuthing team of an undercover ninja bodyguard (Hiro) and a Jesuit priest bringing Christianity to the Japanese (Father Mateo) both quickly become actively investigators.

    There’s a handy Cast of Characters at the beginning of the tale, and an equally useful Glossary of Japanese terms in the back.  The setting is 1560’s  Kyoto –  when ninjas and samurai were in their heyday.  The chapters are short, so there’s always a good place to stop for the night.  There is some subtle, wry humor running through the book, except when Suke talks, when subtlety flies out the window.

    Father Mateo and Hiro are the recurring stars.  Several other characters from The Sword of the Samurai are back (Ana, Gato, and Ozuru), but there are new ones as well.  I really liked the drunken monk, Suke, and there’s some noticeable dramatic tension between Hiro and Yoshiko that makes me think they’ll end up crossing each other’s paths a lot more as the series progresses.

    Once again, Susan Spann has done a very nice job of blending Historical Fiction with Murder Mystery.  This time, we get to explore medieval Kyoto a lot more, and for me that was a plus.  There is a continuing larger storyline – warring samurai lords locked in a bitter power struggle for control of Japan – but it pretty much stays in the background here, unlike in the previous book.

Excerpts...

    “You don’t know where your husband is?” Father Mateo asked.

    “No,” Hama said.  “He went to a teahouse with friends and didn’t return.”

    “A teahouse?” Hiro asked.  “Does he sleep there often?”

     Hama’s frown deepened.  “My husband doesn’t frequent the kind of teahouse that lets patrons stay the night.”

    As far as you know, Hiro thought.  (pg. 102)

    ”You, of all people, could not commit this murder.”

    “I – of all people – could not kill?”  Yoshiko’s fury grew.  “You don’t believe I could take a person’s life?”

    Hiro hated when women asked a question that had no decent answer.  But, usually, these no-win questions involved a clothing choice or beauty, not a murderous intent.  He considered his answer carefully but quickly.

    He knew from experience, masculine pauses only made the situation worse.  (pg. 148)

 At times, a sense of justice proved an inconvenient traveling companion.  (pg. 231)

    I found the ending – the solving of the murder – to be only so-so.  Hiro deduces who the baddie is, not so much by direct evidence, but more from eliminating all the other suspects.  His “proof” is unconvincing – even the judge points that out – and only when the perpetrator stupidly blurts out a confession is Hiro proven right.

    It all felt like an episode of the 60's TV series, Perry Mason, if you’re old enough to remember that show.  Which is not necessarily bad, because Perry’s courtroom theatrics and ploys were always entertaining.  But no one ever claimed the show was even remotely realistic.  I felt like I could’ve gotten the baddie off, provided I could get them to keep their mouth shut.

    8 Stars.  Same as for Blade of the Samurai.  9 stars for the Historical Fiction, 7 stars for the Murder-Mystery.  Which is okay in my book, since I’m reading this series primarily for the way-kewl historical setting.

Blade of the Samurai - Susan Spann

   2014; 293 pages.  Book #2 (out of 2) of the Shinobi Mysteries series.  New Author? : Yes.  Genre : Murder-Mystery; Historical Fiction.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

    The shogun’s cousin has been murdered, and the weapon used was Kazu’s personal dagger.  So Hiro learns when he is awakened in the middle of the night by the suspect, who claims innocence despite the evidence against him.

    Kazu is both a friend and a fellow shinobi (ninja), so Hiro has an obligation to render assistance.  In the short run, to provide a hiding place.  In the long run, to investigate the crime.

    But there is danger in helping.  Hiro cannot be certain Kazu didn’t commit the crime, and aiding a murderer is a capital offense in Samurai Japan.  Also, if Kazu successfully gets away, Samurai justice demands someone to be put to death in the criminal’s place.

    Like a close friend.  Like Hiro.

What’s To Like...

    The story takes place in Kyoto in June of 1565.  The Murder-Mystery takes precedence over the Historical Fiction, but both are well done, and I liked the setting of a Samurai-dominated, medieval Japan.  There is no “introductory prep” here; the action and the intrigue commence on the first page.

    This series is young – only two books so far.  I gather it centers around a sleuthing team of an undercover ninja (Hiro) and a Jesuit missionary priest (Father Mateo), which is certainly a unique pairing.  There aren’t a lot of locales in the storyline – the shogunate, Father Mateo’s house, a bar, and the connecting streets – but the setting felt real and it was enlightening to get acquainted with the totally foreign Samurai mindset.

    This is helped by Susan Spann utilizing a bunch of Japanese terms, and there is a handy glossary at the back of the book, and an equally helpful map of the shogunate at the front.

    The murder investigation develops nicely. There are a slew of suspects with a slew of motives for offing the victim.  About the only people above suspicion are Hiro and Father Mateo.  The reader is privy to Hiro’s thoughts as he works through various dead-ends and the smoke-blowing of each suspect.

    The pacing is crisp, there are no info dumps, and the cultural interplay between Hiro and Father Mateo is amusing to follow.  I haven’t read the first book in the series, Claws of the Cat, so I’m not sure why Hiro has been assigned to Father Mateo as a bodyguard.  But Blade of the Samurai functions just fine as a standalone novel.  There is a nice and unexpected twist to the ending that neither I, Hiro, nor Father Mateo saw coming.

Excerpts...

    “I am told you drink together often,” Hisahide said.

    “Sometimes,” Hiro said.  “We reminisce about Iga.  All men miss their ancestral homes.”

    Hisahide’s face revealed nothing. “Where is Kazu this morning?”

    “If he murdered a man, he probably fled the city,” Hiro said.  “It’s what I would have done in his place.”
    “Perhaps, but your response does not answer my question.”  (pg. 36)

    ”She thinks I’m ronin, like everyone else does, but she’s seen my medicine box and she recognized some of the healing herbs.  She probably thinks since I own them I know how to use them.”

    “Do you?”

    Hiro raised an eyebrow at the priest.  “Most men in your position would worry more about the bites than about the treatment.”

    “Begging your pardon, but if you poison me the bites become less important.”  (pg. 153)

 “Hiro,” Father Mateo said, “your friend has a basket on his head.”  (pg. 17)

    Despite all the twists and turns in the investigation, I had the perpetrator pegged from almost the outset because of Rule #1 of reading Murder-Mysteries.  We’ll list this in the comments to avoid spoilers.  Also, Ozuru was also relatively easy to unmask, although I couldn’t fathom his purpose for being there. 

    I would’ve liked to “see” more of 16^th-century Japan, but the storyline honestly didn’t need it, and perhaps the first book has a more varied range settings.  If not, well, this series is just getting started.

    But these are quibbles.  Blade of the Samurai is a pleasant and satisfying read, both as a Murder-Mystery and as Historical Fiction.  Susan Spann adds another fresh pen in this combination of genres.  My local library carries Claws of the Cat, albeit only one  copy and at one of the satellite branches.  I will have to see if I can get them to transfer it to my nearby branch and read it in 2015.

    8 Stars.  Add 1 star if you have taken any Japanese language classes, or have visited Japan.  I’ve done neither, and I still enjoyed this book.