When beautiful, wealthy Yukiko and low-born artist Noriyoshi are found drowned together in a shinju, or ritual double suicide, everyone believes the culprit was forbidden love. Everyone but newly appointed yoriki Sano Ichiro.

Despite the official verdict and warnings from his superiors, the shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People suspects the deaths weren't just a tragedy -- they were murder. Risking his family's good name and his own life, Sano will search for a killer across every level of society -- determined to find answers to a mystery no one wants solved. No one but Sano...

As subtle and beautiful as the culture it evokes, Shinju vividly re-creates a world of ornate tearooms and guady pleasure-palaces, cloistered mountaintop convents and dealthy prisons.

Part love story, part myster, Shinju is a tour that will dazzle and entertain all who enter its world.

Small quibbles aside, this is novel is a quite enjoyable read and definitely gives you a wonderful introduction into the characters and settings that follow up in later books of the series. Keep up the good work, and bring us more in this excellent series.


A Great Historical Detective Story   April 21, 2002
 10 out of 11 found this review helpful

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.


Riveting, but poorly written   September 17, 2003
 9 out of 12 found this review helpful

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.


Fascinating   June 22, 2005
 9 out of 10 found this review helpful

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.