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Shinobi Mystery #8
Fires of Edo
Edo, February 1566: when a samurai’s corpse is discovered in the ruins of a burned-out bookshop, master ninja Hiro Hattori and Jesuit Father Mateo must determine whether the shopkeeper and his young apprentice are innocent victims or assassins in disguise. The investigation quickly reveals dangerous ties to Hiro’s past, which threaten not only Edo’s fledgling booksellers’ guild, but the very survival of Hiro’s ninja clan. With an arsonist on the loose, and a murderer stalking the narrow streets, Hiro and Father Mateo must save the guild—and themselves—from a conflagration that could destroy them all.
217 pages, Paperback
Published February 15, 2022
3 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Susan Spann
12 books217 followersAuthor of the Hiro Hattori Novels (Shinobi Mysteries), featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori and his Portuguese Jesuit sidekick, Father Mateo.
CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur Books, 2013)
Library Journal Mystery Debut of the Month
Silver Falchion Finalist: Best First Novel
BLADE OF THE SAMURAI (Minotaur Books, 2014)
FLASK OF THE DRUNKEN MASTER (Minotaur Books, July 2015)
THE NINJA'S DAUGHTER (Seventh Street Books, August 2016)
BETRAYAL AT IGA (Seventh Street Books, July 2017)
CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur Books, 2013)
Library Journal Mystery Debut of the Month
Silver Falchion Finalist: Best First Novel
BLADE OF THE SAMURAI (Minotaur Books, 2014)
FLASK OF THE DRUNKEN MASTER (Minotaur Books, July 2015)
THE NINJA'S DAUGHTER (Seventh Street Books, August 2016)
BETRAYAL AT IGA (Seventh Street Books, July 2017)
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 4, 2022
Definitely not the best of the series for me. We do learn about Samurai/commoner interactions and the extreme laws of the time. As I had noted re the previous book, Father Mateo is definitely taking a more prominent role in their investigations now. Hiro almost felt pushed to the background at times although remaining heroic and knowledgeable. I was fairly certain who the bad guy would be early on but there were some good red herrings to give one pause. I’m happy that the pair are leaving Edo (Which will become Tokyo - the residents are certainly sure of their future importance) and have chosen to take a more leisurely route to their final destination. I was sad that Ana and Gato had very minor roles here. Will definitely continue if Spann keeps writing.
February 19, 2022
Originally published at Reading Reality
The entire Shinobi Mystery series, starting with Claws of the Cat, takes place in feudal Japan beginning in 1564, at a time when few foreigners were permitted in the country. (For reference, 1564 was early in Elizabeth I’s reign in England, William Shakespeare was born and St. Augustine, the oldest continuously-inhabited European-established settlement in what is now the continuous U.S., would not be established until the following year.) More importantly, 1564 and the years following in Japan were a time of political upheaval, as the events that push the series forward frequently show.
This is particularly the case in Fires of Edo. Hattori Hiro and the man he has been hired to protect, Father Mateo Ávila of Portugal, have stopped at Edo (the future Tokyo) on their long journey from Kyoto to a location that is still under debate between the two of them.
Hiro is supposed to take Father Mateo to the safety of the Portuguese colony at Yokoseura – where Hiro can keep the man who has become his friend over the course of their association – safe. But Father Mateo does not have any desire to be “safe” and confined among his fellow countrymen. He wants to continue to explore Japan – because once he enters that sanctuary he may not be able to get back out.
But that safety starts looking pretty attractive during their entirely too eventful sojourn in Edo.
As they have made their rather meandering way across the country, Hiro has been carrying out a self-appointed mission for his ryu – the clan of shinobi (read as ninja) that raised him and trained him. The identities of his fellow agents have been compromised, revealed to Oda Nobunaga and the forces that support Nobunaga’s rise to control the shogunate (which eventually happened in 1568).
Hiro and Father Mateo have faced plenty of adventures along their journey, some begun by Father Mateo’s inability to keep from poking his nose in places it doesn’t belong. Others as a result of either Hiro’s mission or his hidden identity as a shinobi or both.
They’re both responsible for their landing in the mess they uncover in Edo. Father Mateo can’t bear to see a man who may be innocent condemned to death without an investigation for a crime that even at the briefest glance appears to have not been his fault. Something reeks about this whole case – and it’s not just the camphor that seems to have started a whole bunch of coincidental fires that are too many and too much alike to be truly coincidental.
Meanwhile, one of the men that Hiro has come to warn is the investigator for the crimes. He is also a man whom Hiro has never trusted after their rivalry in childhood and young adulthood. Hiro is certain something is rotten in Edo and in this investigation – if only because his old enemy is in it up his neck.
Or possibly up to Hiro’s.
Escape Rating B: When Hiro and Father Mateo arrive at their comfortable inn in Edo, at first it seems as if they will finally get a bit of a rest. Or at least not have to face the metaphorical ghosts they did in the previous book in this series, Ghost of the Bamboo Road.
This time around, the ghost that Hiro has to face is entirely too real. The man that Hiro has come to Edo to warn, Daisuke, is a ghost of Hiro’s past. When they were both young and being trained in the arts of the shinobi, Daisuki locked Hiro in a small space with a corpse. They were young, they were being entirely too foolish, and the incident left Hiro with no fear of corpses or ghosts whatsoever – unlike the norm for his time and culture.
But it did leave Hiro with a profound distrust of Daisuke – a distrust that continues into adulthood. Father Mateo believes that Hiro should forgive the other man, not for Daisuke’s sake but for his own.
But Hiro can’t shake his distrust – a distrust that grows into suspicion as the three men are caught up in a series of crimes that seem to be intended to either expose the shinobi in Edo or cover up their activities – at the expense of an innocent man’s life if necessary.
That the crimes that this mystery is wrapped around all involve printing and bookbinding shops made the story a bit of a treat for this librarian. On my other hand, the character of the intrusive, ineffective, conclusion-jumping junior police officer grated on my last nerve.
Of course, he’s supposed to. That he managed to fail upward at the end was a bit more annoying – even if all too realistic – than I really wanted to see. (Honestly, I wanted him to turn out to be the criminal. He was so obviously suspicious that it didn’t seem possible but no one stuck out quite the way he did.)
The crimes that are covered and uncovered seemed as if they were tangential to the real business – right up until the end. So I was certainly fooled – but not quite as enthralled as I was with Ghost of the Bamboo Road.
But I adore this series, and can’t wait to see where Hiro and Father Mateo’s wandering journey takes them next!
The entire Shinobi Mystery series, starting with Claws of the Cat, takes place in feudal Japan beginning in 1564, at a time when few foreigners were permitted in the country. (For reference, 1564 was early in Elizabeth I’s reign in England, William Shakespeare was born and St. Augustine, the oldest continuously-inhabited European-established settlement in what is now the continuous U.S., would not be established until the following year.) More importantly, 1564 and the years following in Japan were a time of political upheaval, as the events that push the series forward frequently show.
This is particularly the case in Fires of Edo. Hattori Hiro and the man he has been hired to protect, Father Mateo Ávila of Portugal, have stopped at Edo (the future Tokyo) on their long journey from Kyoto to a location that is still under debate between the two of them.
Hiro is supposed to take Father Mateo to the safety of the Portuguese colony at Yokoseura – where Hiro can keep the man who has become his friend over the course of their association – safe. But Father Mateo does not have any desire to be “safe” and confined among his fellow countrymen. He wants to continue to explore Japan – because once he enters that sanctuary he may not be able to get back out.
But that safety starts looking pretty attractive during their entirely too eventful sojourn in Edo.
As they have made their rather meandering way across the country, Hiro has been carrying out a self-appointed mission for his ryu – the clan of shinobi (read as ninja) that raised him and trained him. The identities of his fellow agents have been compromised, revealed to Oda Nobunaga and the forces that support Nobunaga’s rise to control the shogunate (which eventually happened in 1568).
Hiro and Father Mateo have faced plenty of adventures along their journey, some begun by Father Mateo’s inability to keep from poking his nose in places it doesn’t belong. Others as a result of either Hiro’s mission or his hidden identity as a shinobi or both.
They’re both responsible for their landing in the mess they uncover in Edo. Father Mateo can’t bear to see a man who may be innocent condemned to death without an investigation for a crime that even at the briefest glance appears to have not been his fault. Something reeks about this whole case – and it’s not just the camphor that seems to have started a whole bunch of coincidental fires that are too many and too much alike to be truly coincidental.
Meanwhile, one of the men that Hiro has come to warn is the investigator for the crimes. He is also a man whom Hiro has never trusted after their rivalry in childhood and young adulthood. Hiro is certain something is rotten in Edo and in this investigation – if only because his old enemy is in it up his neck.
Or possibly up to Hiro’s.
Escape Rating B: When Hiro and Father Mateo arrive at their comfortable inn in Edo, at first it seems as if they will finally get a bit of a rest. Or at least not have to face the metaphorical ghosts they did in the previous book in this series, Ghost of the Bamboo Road.
This time around, the ghost that Hiro has to face is entirely too real. The man that Hiro has come to Edo to warn, Daisuke, is a ghost of Hiro’s past. When they were both young and being trained in the arts of the shinobi, Daisuki locked Hiro in a small space with a corpse. They were young, they were being entirely too foolish, and the incident left Hiro with no fear of corpses or ghosts whatsoever – unlike the norm for his time and culture.
But it did leave Hiro with a profound distrust of Daisuke – a distrust that continues into adulthood. Father Mateo believes that Hiro should forgive the other man, not for Daisuke’s sake but for his own.
But Hiro can’t shake his distrust – a distrust that grows into suspicion as the three men are caught up in a series of crimes that seem to be intended to either expose the shinobi in Edo or cover up their activities – at the expense of an innocent man’s life if necessary.
That the crimes that this mystery is wrapped around all involve printing and bookbinding shops made the story a bit of a treat for this librarian. On my other hand, the character of the intrusive, ineffective, conclusion-jumping junior police officer grated on my last nerve.
Of course, he’s supposed to. That he managed to fail upward at the end was a bit more annoying – even if all too realistic – than I really wanted to see. (Honestly, I wanted him to turn out to be the criminal. He was so obviously suspicious that it didn’t seem possible but no one stuck out quite the way he did.)
The crimes that are covered and uncovered seemed as if they were tangential to the real business – right up until the end. So I was certainly fooled – but not quite as enthralled as I was with Ghost of the Bamboo Road.
But I adore this series, and can’t wait to see where Hiro and Father Mateo’s wandering journey takes them next!
July 27, 2022
I love this series. This one is by far my favorite so far. Thank you Hiro,!!!
October 18, 2022
First Sentence: FIRE!
Samurai Hiro and the Portuguese priest, Father Mateo, whom Hiro has been assigned to protect, have arrived in Edo to warn their fellow spies to return to Kyoto since their lives are in danger. A fire sends them to assist the fire brigade, headed by Daisuke, a fellow member of Iga Ryu who bullied Hiro when they were children. This is the third recent fire, yet this one reveals the partially dismembered body of yet another samurai. A bookshop owner and his apprentice are arrested and may die unless Hiro and Father Mateo can save them, the guild, and even their own lives which are now at risk.
What a wonderful look at 16th Century Japan, its villages, and its technique for fighting fires. But this was no gentle time. Spann makes clear how harsh feudal life, and law, could be.
Hiro and Father Mateo Ávila de Santos, along with their delightful housekeeper Ana, and her cat Gato, are characters one enjoys spending time with, as well as they do with one another. As usual, it is best to start this series at the beginning to understand the character development. Part of the intrigue is in following them travel to the Portuguese colony at Yokoseura where Father Mateo can be kept safe until Japan names a new shogun, a matter fraught with danger and spies from rival sides. Yet it is in their travels that they find themselves embroiled in murder and great danger.
One can’t set a book set in Japan without talking about the food—“Paper-thin slices of fresh sashimi rested on delicate, palm-sized dishes glazed the color of autumn leaves. Nearby, a pair of whole grilled fish sat side by side on a rectangular, black-glazed plate. Coils of pale, fragrant steam rose from the covered soup bowl and the heaping of rice on the far lacquered tray. Beside the rice, two tiny plates of bite-sized tsukemono rounded out the meal.”
But it’s the mystery and the characters involved that keep the pages turning. You have Daisuke, commander of the fire brigade and Hiro’s long-time adversary; Hanzō, a famous ninja commander and leader of the Iga ryu, and Hiyoshi who is politically ambitious and wants to be the new head of the fire brigade. One does wish the Cast of Characters was listed at the beginning of the book, rather than the end.
FIRES OF EDO is suspenseful, with plenty of twists and a very dramatic climax. It is educational as Spann includes actual historical figures. It’s a quick, engrossing read and a very good addition to the series.
FIRES OF EDO
HistMys/Hiro Hattori/Fr.Mateo-Japan-1566
by Susan Spann
8th Hiro Hattori/Fr. Mateo – 265 pp.
Seventh Street Books, Feb 2022
RATING: VG+/A
Samurai Hiro and the Portuguese priest, Father Mateo, whom Hiro has been assigned to protect, have arrived in Edo to warn their fellow spies to return to Kyoto since their lives are in danger. A fire sends them to assist the fire brigade, headed by Daisuke, a fellow member of Iga Ryu who bullied Hiro when they were children. This is the third recent fire, yet this one reveals the partially dismembered body of yet another samurai. A bookshop owner and his apprentice are arrested and may die unless Hiro and Father Mateo can save them, the guild, and even their own lives which are now at risk.
What a wonderful look at 16th Century Japan, its villages, and its technique for fighting fires. But this was no gentle time. Spann makes clear how harsh feudal life, and law, could be.
Hiro and Father Mateo Ávila de Santos, along with their delightful housekeeper Ana, and her cat Gato, are characters one enjoys spending time with, as well as they do with one another. As usual, it is best to start this series at the beginning to understand the character development. Part of the intrigue is in following them travel to the Portuguese colony at Yokoseura where Father Mateo can be kept safe until Japan names a new shogun, a matter fraught with danger and spies from rival sides. Yet it is in their travels that they find themselves embroiled in murder and great danger.
One can’t set a book set in Japan without talking about the food—“Paper-thin slices of fresh sashimi rested on delicate, palm-sized dishes glazed the color of autumn leaves. Nearby, a pair of whole grilled fish sat side by side on a rectangular, black-glazed plate. Coils of pale, fragrant steam rose from the covered soup bowl and the heaping of rice on the far lacquered tray. Beside the rice, two tiny plates of bite-sized tsukemono rounded out the meal.”
But it’s the mystery and the characters involved that keep the pages turning. You have Daisuke, commander of the fire brigade and Hiro’s long-time adversary; Hanzō, a famous ninja commander and leader of the Iga ryu, and Hiyoshi who is politically ambitious and wants to be the new head of the fire brigade. One does wish the Cast of Characters was listed at the beginning of the book, rather than the end.
FIRES OF EDO is suspenseful, with plenty of twists and a very dramatic climax. It is educational as Spann includes actual historical figures. It’s a quick, engrossing read and a very good addition to the series.
FIRES OF EDO
HistMys/Hiro Hattori/Fr.Mateo-Japan-1566
by Susan Spann
8th Hiro Hattori/Fr. Mateo – 265 pp.
Seventh Street Books, Feb 2022
RATING: VG+/A
March 11, 2022
Susan writes with a deep and rich knowledge of Japan as it is currently and in Hiro's time. She currently lives and thrives among the mountains and cities of that unique country and its people.
Each book brings with it not only a great mystery read, but another interesting slice of life from the Samurai period. This time, we are treated to not only an increased understanding of the laws and legal system but also of how cities constructed mainly of natural wood, tatami and shoji had handled dangerous fires.
One evening's great read (OK; into the wee hours of the next morning!), this was once again a wonderful addition to the series.
Each book brings with it not only a great mystery read, but another interesting slice of life from the Samurai period. This time, we are treated to not only an increased understanding of the laws and legal system but also of how cities constructed mainly of natural wood, tatami and shoji had handled dangerous fires.
One evening's great read (OK; into the wee hours of the next morning!), this was once again a wonderful addition to the series.
September 10, 2022
Eighth in this series of period ninja stories, Spann takes us to Edo, after a trying journey from Kyoto chronicled in previous books. This was also fun, highlighting the precarious situation of a wooden city under constant threat of massive fires. Readers should be aware of the irony here, given the massive fire bombing of Tokyo (Edo) during WWII. For some reason Father Matteo seems much slower on the take than in previous books. Though his Japanese has improved dramatically, he doesn't contribute as much to solving the mystery of the book industry burnings.
October 27, 2023
This is the oddest mystery solving duo I've come across: a Japanese ninja and a Portuguese Jesuit priest in 16th century Japan. The straightforward writing style conveys the cultural nuances, action scenes and characterizations in an easily digestible manner which helped me follow the plot as the pair investigates and gathers clues.
I'm sure the other books in the series would provide more background into the dynamic between the two main characters, but this one was a little sparse in that area.
I'm sure the other books in the series would provide more background into the dynamic between the two main characters, but this one was a little sparse in that area.
March 4, 2022
Time spent with Hiro and Father Mateo is always a treat. This story is especially compelling with the information about the Edo fire brigade and the rules and regulations enforced to keep fires from happening. As always Susan Spann's research makes its way to the page effortlessly and enriches the story. The final confrontation had me holding my breath and turning the page. A great story and a wild ride!!
July 28, 2022
Amazing
Amazing as always I love the Hiroshima books and hope she keeps writing more I love historical Japanese mystery fiction and spann and Laura doh Rowland are the best I've come across the sano series by Rowland is amazing and the hiro series by spanning was a shining version or Rowland samurai version they are both worth reading
Amazing as always I love the Hiroshima books and hope she keeps writing more I love historical Japanese mystery fiction and spann and Laura doh Rowland are the best I've come across the sano series by Rowland is amazing and the hiro series by spanning was a shining version or Rowland samurai version they are both worth reading
June 18, 2025
I picked this book up for $1 without knowing much about it. Mystery isn’t typically my genre. Further, starting on the 8th book in a series isn’t usually my style. Nonetheless I found myself really enjoying the book and racing through it. I will definitely have to hunt down the proceeding stories! 9/10 needed more Gato
February 17, 2022
Worth the wait for book 8!
I tore thought this book in 2 days. Loved it! Already, I can’t wait for the next one. It was fun to try to solve the mystery along side Hiro and Father Mateo.
I tore thought this book in 2 days. Loved it! Already, I can’t wait for the next one. It was fun to try to solve the mystery along side Hiro and Father Mateo.
February 25, 2022
Just finished Fires of Edo by Susan Spann -- a perfect self-birthday gift! Each of her books is better than the previous. Fair warning, have snacks handy, because she will TORTURE you with sumptuous descriptions of every tasty meal Hiro Hattori encounters!
March 29, 2022
Excellent! Loved it! Can't wait for the next one in the series and see where the author takes our unlikely Jesuit and ninja/shinobi partners.
February 15, 2023
My favorite mystery adventure series so far!
May 7, 2023
Fast read. Had me wondering who started the fires. Wish I knew more about the characters' back stories. Knew father Mateo and Hiro stories, but the new characters had stories to tell too.
July 21, 2025
Glad to be back with Hiro and Gato, oh yeah, and Ana and Father Mateo again. The extreme laws of the time made this a tense mystery. Hope there are more to come in the series.
May 28, 2022
I felt like going back to 16th century Japan to read a good murder mystery. The book was an educational, enjoyable read. I learned a lot about Edo (now Tokyo), a smaller city than Kyoto at the time. In addition, a glossary and who's who included in the back of the book will help you keep track of the story and acquaint you with Japanese terms and places.
March 1, 2023
Another excellent entry in the shinobi mystery series.
January 17, 2023
In Fires of Edo, Hiro and Mateo solve a crime in the town of Edo. Two book shop fires have resulted in the deaths of the book seller owners, deemed accidents. The third fire, subject of this book, seems very suspicious as the body of a samurai has been found in the ashes. The owner of the shop, Ishii, and his 10-year-old apprentice, Kintaro, become suspects in the fire and death and face swift execution. Hiro then risks his life several times, in action-packed, suspenseful scenes, to find the truth behind the rash of fires, all the while on the lookout for hostile rival shinobi/ninja assassins.
Descriptions of fire fighting techniques and methods, and details of city life immerse us in the culture of Edo and the officials who oversee them. The rules and rights that both govern and protect the samurai class apply. The priest's servant Ana and their cat Gato accompany Hiro and Mateo on their journeys and add some lightness to the plot.
I really enjoyed the suspense in the novel as well as the village setting, the food and hospitality of the inns, the rituals used in a public bath house, and other aspects of the life of those times. I am very impressed with the historical research that the author has done for this and other books in the series.
For my full review and a guest post by Susan Spann, visit https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/2...
Descriptions of fire fighting techniques and methods, and details of city life immerse us in the culture of Edo and the officials who oversee them. The rules and rights that both govern and protect the samurai class apply. The priest's servant Ana and their cat Gato accompany Hiro and Mateo on their journeys and add some lightness to the plot.
I really enjoyed the suspense in the novel as well as the village setting, the food and hospitality of the inns, the rituals used in a public bath house, and other aspects of the life of those times. I am very impressed with the historical research that the author has done for this and other books in the series.
For my full review and a guest post by Susan Spann, visit https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/2...
March 24, 2022
After almost three years, Hiro Hattori and Father Mateo have returned for another mystery!
Upon arriving in Edo to fulfill their task of alerting Iga operatives that they may be in danger of Lord Oda’s uprising, Hiro and Father Mateo get caught up in the fire brigade’s rush to extinguish a burning building before it can spread to other structures. Head of the fire brigade is no other than Hiro’s childhood nemesis from Iga, but he must put feelings aside to warm him of the possible danger. When the remains of a samurai are discovered in the fire, all attention is put on the shop owner who is responsible for the damage and the death. As the penalty in Edo for a negligent fire is death, Father Mateo and Hiro agree to investigate and determine the true cause of the fire to hopefully spare an innocent man’s life.
I have loved this entire series and this installment is no different. What makes these stories so great is the banter between the two main characters. It’s just comical and makes the story move along so well, but the mysteries are always intriguing to keep the reader trying to guess at what the truth is. With colorful supporting characters as always, Spann does a great job introducing new friends as you lose some along the way. The ending made me feel like this could be the end for the series, but I sure hope not. I’ve waited three years just for this one and I hope she manages to pen one or two more before it’s officially over.
Upon arriving in Edo to fulfill their task of alerting Iga operatives that they may be in danger of Lord Oda’s uprising, Hiro and Father Mateo get caught up in the fire brigade’s rush to extinguish a burning building before it can spread to other structures. Head of the fire brigade is no other than Hiro’s childhood nemesis from Iga, but he must put feelings aside to warm him of the possible danger. When the remains of a samurai are discovered in the fire, all attention is put on the shop owner who is responsible for the damage and the death. As the penalty in Edo for a negligent fire is death, Father Mateo and Hiro agree to investigate and determine the true cause of the fire to hopefully spare an innocent man’s life.
I have loved this entire series and this installment is no different. What makes these stories so great is the banter between the two main characters. It’s just comical and makes the story move along so well, but the mysteries are always intriguing to keep the reader trying to guess at what the truth is. With colorful supporting characters as always, Spann does a great job introducing new friends as you lose some along the way. The ending made me feel like this could be the end for the series, but I sure hope not. I’ve waited three years just for this one and I hope she manages to pen one or two more before it’s officially over.
February 17, 2022
This is the eighth book in the Hiro Hattori series. A Shinobi (ninja) mystery. The author, Susan Spann, has a degree in Asian studies, currently lives in Tokyo, and has a love of Japanese history and culture. A longstanding interest of my own, I tend to be very picky about details. Susan's research and accuracy is excellent and does not disappoint. Although written and submitted earlier, Covid delayed things at the publishers and I was beginning to fear they were printing it on Gutenberg's old press, drying it page by page. Anyway, the details are excellent, I love the way she describes the meals. Mentions little details, including the type of soap in favor at this point in history. The character development is wonderful and between the snide housekeeper Ana, Hattori Hiro the priest's bodyguard, Father Mateo Avila de Santos the Jesuit priest who with love and great care needs care and protection. To even Gato, the cat. The plot is exceptional, the action exceptional and well meshed together, Susan's best work of fiction yet. She seems to get better with each book in the series.
February 27, 2022
Does not disappoint--Hiro and Father Mateo have arrived in Edo to warn their fellow spies to return to Kyoto since their lives are in danger. Upon arrival they discover there is a fire raging and the fire brigade moving full speed to the scene. Sending Ana and Gato on ahead to their Inn, the two men join the brigade in an effort to help prevent the spread of flames to the surrounding wooden shops and homes. The head of the brigade is none other that Daisuke, a childhood foe and bully whom Hiro distrusts and dislikes despite his being a member of Iga ryu as is Hiro. It would seem this fire is the third in recent time to bedevil the shops of booksellers, calligraphers and bookbinders of Edo. While seemingly all the result of accidental events, this particular burned out shop turns up the body of another samuri and thus Hiro and Father Mateo, at the behest of the local magistrate, find themselves once more delayed on their journey home.
June 5, 2022
Well, this is the last (so far) of the Hiro Hattori shinobi mystery novels. It did not disappoint and, as usual, I had no real idea who the killer was until Hiro told Father Matteo that he had figured it out. This novel had some payback for Hiro, which was exciting and a bit gory. Also, Father Matteo, for once, embraced his samurai rank during a verbal dispute, which was nice to see. I think it even surprised Hiro. I liked the story and even little Kintaro wasn't too annoying, unlike the doshin. I eagerly await Susan Spann's next installment of the Shinobi Mystery series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2022
The latest in the series of the adventures of a ninja, a Portuguese priest and a cat named cat in a Japan where Oda Nobunaga is rising to power. This one starts a little slowly but picks up speed and excitement as danger increases. And as always in Spann’s books you incidentally learn a lot about Japan in that period, here with emphasis on the fire department.
August 1, 2022
I found this entry in the series to be somewhat less engrossing than the earlier books. But it's still a good story.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews