At the end of World War II, the greatest Samurai sword of all time vanished without a trace. Rumors abound as to its whereabouts. Some historians claim it was destroyed with the rest of Japan’s weapons. Others believe it is hidden somewhere. Theories about its location vary from intricate cave systems to monks protecting the blade in a shrine deep in the mountains. When Sean Wyatt and his longtime friend Tommy Schultz try to help a troubled Japanese woman, they find themselves right in the thick of a power struggle between some of the most dangerous gangsters in the world. Now Sean and company must race across Japan, unravel clues that were left decades before, and discover the true location of a blade made by the greatest sword maker of all time: Honjo Masamune.
Ernest Dempsey is a huge fan of action/adventure thrillers and science fiction.
He has been creating stories since he was in high school but never published a book until 2010, long after the days of high school were gone.
His action & adventure books come from a lineage similar to Clive Cussler, Dan Brown, Steve Berry, and James Rollins. While his science fiction novels are full of influence from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, The Matrix movie, and Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott.
He is quickly becoming one of the hottest fiction authors in the book world.
I have just finished Sean Wyatt 8# this is the last in the current series I am hoping that Ernest continues this series. the Samurai Cipher gave us another big dose of exciting and suspense I am pleased that I started with the Sacred Stones the whole series is well worth reading if you are a thriller addict like I am I would recommend this Author if your looking for non stop action Thriller reads enjoy I am just starting War of Thieves happy reading Rod
Book 8 in Ernest Dempsey's massive best-seller series continues in The Samurai Cipher, as Sean, Tommy and Adriana Villa, (Dempsey's fabulous female agent), must locate the priceless sword created by Samurai master-craftsman Honjo Masamune, by completing a number of dangerous tasks to save the life of Keiko a seemingly helpless hostage of the Yakuza lieutenant Taka. Will they survive and save the day (and the girl) - or will Sean, Tommy and Adriana fall victim themselves in a deadly chase against the odds in which nothing is quite what it seems? Only reading to the very end will reveal the exciting truth - so get to the bookstore and get ready to be thrilled as never before!
An ED. SWAT. Novel (SWAB-8)/Hunting for a Kendo/A Japanese Samurai Sword/World History Class 8
ED. has. penned a SWAB. Mystery Adventure which involves the hunt for missing Japanese artifacts that were confiscated after WW . II. The IAA. Is asked to assist American and Japanese archaeological teams find stolen and lost artifacts. The primary search concerns a Samurai Sword made by Honjo Masacume, a brilliant metallurgists, that constructed the greatest Samurai Sword ever developed. The sword disappeared at the end of WW. II. And has been looked for for years. The famous samurai Sword Maker of modern time Kiyochika Kanehama attempted to copy the brilliant sword. This is an excellent read for the gene.....DEHS
The Samurai Cipher by Ernest Dempsey is rather like Indiana Jones/ Robert Langdon rolled into one, with Robin for a sidekick. I did enjoy the story and found it hard to put down at times as I kept wondering what would happen next. The setting in Japan was interesting and the search for the Tokugawa family sword, the Honjo Masamune to be an enlightening quest. I was not aware of historical weapons being confiscated and melted down after WW II. Riddle solving is always fascinating and this did not disappoint. Throw in the fact that the riddles are all in Japanese which necessitated the assistance of Keiko, the beautiful Japanese niece of the man who spent his life in search for the sword and, upon his death, left his quest to be completed by his niece. Tommy falls in love with the beautiful Keiko and spends his time trying to impress her. The quest is complicated by the interference of the Yakuza, a Japanese criminal organization with a long reach into all areas of police and government. Taka, a higher level member of Yakuza is hoping to become the top dog by gaining the Honjo Masamune for himself. The current top leader of the Yakuza is Aoki who has indicated to Sean that he is aware of Taka's plans and wishes for Sean and Tommy to find the sword and give it back where it belongs. Aoki had saved their lives so they are tending to trust his intentions are what he says they are. There is a great betrayal in this story. I'd have to say it caught me totally by surprise. It certainly did add quite a bit of extra excitement to the last part of the book. One section was a little disconcerting. Keiko tells her story that her parents left for America and left her to be raised by her Uncle and then tells it again on the very next page. I'm thinking that got missed by the editors. Also, with Aoki being so powerful, I'm wondering why he only sent one of his men to look out for the three searchers for the treasure. Was there something he knew that they didn't know? He did indicate that he knew everything that was going on in his territory. There was quite a bit of violence, not usually my thing, but I believe it fit in with the plot of what was going on and would be what I would expect from dealings with the Yakuza. This is my first book in the Sean Wyatt series and I found it to be complete. I was comfortable reading it and did not feel that I needed to read any of the previous books in order to enjoy the story.
At the end of World War II, the greatest Samurai sword of all time vanished without a trace. Rumors abound as to its whereabouts. Some historians claim it was destroyed with the rest of Japan’s weapons. Others believe it is hidden somewhere. Theories about its location vary from intricate cave systems to monks protecting the blade in a shrine deep in the mountains. When Sean Wyatt and his longtime friend Tommy Schultz try to help a troubled Japanese woman, they find themselves right in the thick of a power struggle between some of the most dangerous gangsters in the world. Now Sean and company must race across Japan, unravel clues that were left decades before, and discover the true location of a blade made by the greatest sword maker of all time: Honjo Masamune.
My rating:
Plot: 4 out of 5 stars Writing: 4 out of 5 stars Character development: 3.5 out of 5 stars Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
Recommended for readers of:
Action and Adventure
Review:
This is book 8 in the Sean Wyatt series. Each book in the series can be read as a stand-alone.
This a great book with plenty of suspense, a bit of mystery and lots of action and adventure. This time we are in Japan in search of a world famous samurai sword. A bonus, you also get a small of an insight into the Japanese culture and history.
The plot is interesting and well written and the main characters your typical action and adventure heroes thwarted by the villains in this case the Japanese mafia who want the sword for themselves and stop at nothing to get it. The characters were well depicted, they were not just heroic but also made mistakes and showed some weaknesses at times. This made them realistic.
Overall this a captivating action and adventure novel, we nice characters and the right mixture suspense and mystery set in a fascinating place.
The Samurai Cipher has Sean and Tommy searching for a revered Japanese sword that has been hidden since the end of WWII. One of the Yakuza leaders wants it, thinking possession of it will unite the rest of the Yakuza under him. He kills an old man who has the cipher needed to find it, but not before the old man sends the cipher to his niece. She, Tommy, and Sean follow clues across Japan in search of the sword.
The writing continues to improve with each book in the series. The pacing has picked up as well. The locales are well researched. The only real problem here is the formulaic approach to the story. Tommy and Sean find a clue or an artifact that leads to the next, and even though they know the bad guys are after them, they always stop to open it and chat while the bad guys sneak up on them, instead of stuffing it in a bag and getting to a safe place. At one point in The Samurai Cipher, it is mentioned that Sean can rarely be snuck up on due to his extensive training and experience, and yet he is snuck up on and captured multiple times in each book, including this one. The one real twist in this story is telegraphed far in advance with Sean and Tommy being the last to clue in. I'm all for letting the reader know without the main character knowing (John Sandford is a master at this) but tell the reader instead of trying to hide it amongst the neon signs pointing it out.
The author shows real promise. This is a decent book - the best in the series so far - and very family friendly other than the violence that is typical for this genre.
‘The Samurai Cipher’ by Ernest Dempsey features a couple of protagonists from previous novel in the series and although the book can be read as a stand-alone, which was my case not having read anything by this author beforehand, there are constant references to other characters and organizations that don’t feature in the tale which became, at least for this reader, a little annoying. I also didn’t enjoy the book as much as I thought I would, given its subject matter, the search for an ancient lost Japanese sword, because of the writing style. The author constantly switched from the action scenes, almost all taking place on mountainsides (three in all), with an abandoned factory thrown in as a change, which became a little repetitive, with paragraphs of ‘telling’ which purported to show us, the reader, the innermost thoughts of the main protagonist. This, combined with the almost identical scenes, the mountain trips where the protagonists endeavoured to find and solve the riddles leading them to the missing sword only to be thwarted by the bad guys in almost the same way every time, ruined the pace of the tale.
Although it was entertaining, if predictable, this thriller doesn’t rank amongst the best I’ve read this year.
I really liked this Sean Wyatt adventure, but I've liked them all. In this one there were no surprises. That was why I gave it less than five stars, but the action was good. My other criticism was that this Samurai sword didn't impress me as being "all that and then some." It's just a really well-made sword. Even if it is the best, was it worth all the killings and the effort to retrieve it as if by the mere possession of it, it will bring glory and power over the thousands? Really now! The crime lord who wanted it already had power over thousands, anyway. What's a sword going to do, even if it is a fine historical piece of work? But it was fun, nonetheless.
This book started off very slowly and as I said it ended with a Bang I think too much time was spent on the relationship that Sean and Tommy had. Too much time was spent on developing characters since I believe most readers know little about the Japanese culture. Especially the Yakusa culture. All in a) it was a good read, but, it was one that I was able to leave with anxiety setting in. Not your best work, but, still head and shoulders over many other authors.
I love the stories and "real" or semi real history attached. This story took place in japan, there was yukuza, history of wwII and the terrible things the americans did to beautiful heritage and moere.
This time it was very funny when Sean said he was very attuned to what happening around and behind him and by the next chapter he had a gun to back of his head. He is so much smarter than some of the predicaments he ends up in.
Always fun to see what kind of trouble tommy and sean will get into!
I am usually a fan, but I found this book a tad tedious and quite easy to put down. It follows a standard formula - balky, semi-retired hero talked into new adventure with his cohort meets mysterious woman who may or may not be what she seems and they set off on a mission. We are reminded several times how astute Sean is, yet here he is, fooled again. Sigh...perhaps it is time for a new plot.
Reading the Sean Wyatt series allows the reader to escape to wonderful locations and exciting adventures all from the comfort of their chair. This time around Sean and Tommy are in Japan trying to find a legendary sword but come across many unsavory characters trying to kill them or use them for their own personal gain. How Sean and Tommy get out of this mess make for an enjoyable read.
Each book get better, good clean read and makes you to want the next!!
Sean Wyatt is an outstanding character he keeps you on the edge of your seat, His friend Tommy takes a close second, I can hardly wait to start my next book. I have two great authors and have read most of their books. I didn’t start reading until I was past seventy now am working on 91 . You can’t go wrong to follow Sean Wyatts, much better than a movie!!!
As always, Sean and Tommy's adventure's are full of fun, run and riots! This book, which is part of a series, is just as good as all the others. If you haven't been following these guys.....DO IT! They are great characters who deal with great problems. I intend to keep reading. Thank you so much Mr Dempsey ....please don't stop.
Another exciting, fast paced story set around the fabled sword lost following WWII policy of disarming the Japanese. Perhaps Ernest"s descriptions of the sacred temples painted in words, enhances the actions emphatically. If I need another advanced reader, I volunteer chattbrit@epbfi.com in Hixson, TN
Mr. Dempsey does an excellent job of walking the line between reality and fiction. His characters are mostly believable and rounded. The plot is clear and he steers clear of many of the common pitfalls of the genre. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this one, and will likely read more!
Wyatt’s The Samurai Caper reaches a new level of excellence. The characters step off the page and you feel as if they are sitting next to you. This book will appeal to all ages. The narrative flows smoothly from Chapter to Chapter. The story line draws you into to book you even feel the cold winter weather in the Japanese mountains.
This was my least favorite book in this series so far. This book seemed like it was more about including as many fight scenes as possible rather than actually including any of the archeological and historical content that the other books have had. This one to me seemed like a half effort and was sort of a disappointment.
When at first we deceive ... It could come back and bite you in the rump
Another great Sean and Tommy story. Deceit, action, murder, prayer all rolled o?into one great pieces of fiction. From the mafia in Japan to the monks in their temples there is never a dull moment. Once again thank you for the clearing up of fact and fiction. Great job.
I enjoyed the interaction between the two main characters who are friends since childhood. The Japanese settings w ere exquisitely presented and worthy of the riddles leading to finding the sword. Several twists keep the action moving forward rapidly. I couldn't stop reading until the end.
A great adventure book. This is the first one I’ve read in this series, and it was quite enjoyable. I’ve actually had the book for a while, but hadn’t read it. A lot of action, a lot of plot twists, but I do wish that Tommy Schultz had some more meat on his bones. He sounds at times more like a dufus than a historian, but I guess that’s just me. Anyway, recommended!
The title of this review speaks not only to and of the story, but also to the author for including a sense of reverence and awe for history and to the lessons for mankind discovered through not only the history itself but also through the thoughtful and reverential preservation of it.
A non stop adventure, could not put down, fantastic story, exciting from cover to cover, this will definitely be my favorite. Learned so much about Japan, a beautiful country. Now on to another Sean Wyatt and Tommy adventure.
I have read about half of the Sean Wyatt Books and have enjoyed them all. Lots of action. Strong characters. A good plot combining facts and fiction that will keep your interest. The books don’t have to be read in order, so just jump in. Recommended.
I liked the way the story kept flowing with many twists and turns. I found myself engaged and wondering how the boys were going to get out of the many scrapes they found themselves in. A thoroughly enjoyable read!
I recommend this series to anyone that enjoys historical action fiction. The writer uses fact and fiction and takes you around the world. Just wish there were pictures.
More free kindle unlimited fluff for an addled brain who is so emotionally exhausted at this point that I'm even glossing over the mild misogynism and violence. There isn't an ounce of emotional work that has to be done reading this and that's just fine.
An interesting and enjoyable book based not on the events of the ancient past but on those of more recent times. There was still lots of the fast paced action readers if the author look for and expect.
Sean and Tommy travel to Japan to help a young woman find a family treasure. Her uncle had been murdered after sending a lead to his niece. Like many of their adventures, they are chased by gangsters and nearly killed.