Mystery/Thriller Book Reviews
Page Three of FiveDeath at the Crossroads by Dale Furutani
William Morrow, July 1998.Hardcover, 210 pages.
ISBN: 068815817X.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
In 1603, Japan is in a state of political
chaos and impending civil war. As a result of the many battles,
many samurai were left masterless to wander the countryside,
looking for employment from a new master.
Called ronin, these samurai must learn to live by their wits
and their swords. Matsuuama Kaze was a samuari before the
death of his Lord and Lady. Before her death, his
master's wife obtained his vow that he would not rest
until he found the couple's young daughter, who was kidnapped
during one of the endless feuds for power. Now a renegade,
Matsuyama must roam the countryside searching for the
young girl, to fulfill this last obligation to his former
employer before he can get on with his life.
At the crossroads on the way to the town
of Suzaka, he finds a dead body pierced in the back
by an arrow with a lowly coal merchant leaning over the body.
When the local magistrate ignores Matsuyama's
suggestions about the manner of death and
sentence the hapless coal merchant to death, Matsuyama
decides to investigate himself. Surrounded by a cast of
colorful characters, an outlaw gang and a local Lord who
may not be what he seems, Matsuyama must use all
of his finely-honed skills to ferret out the truth and
stay alive.
This is the first in a planned trilogy starring ronin samuari Matsuyama Kaze by the award-winning author of the popular Ken Tanaka mystery series (See, Death in Little Tokyo, The Toyotomi Blades). Brilliant with his sword, wily as a fox and with a subtle and ironic sense of humor, Matsuyama is a compelling character who is impossible not to like. The culture and mores of the era are so different from those of most modern readers that it is a mark of Dale Furutani's great skill as a researcher and as a storyteller that the characters and the society are so vivid and accessible. The writing has a poetic, lyrical quality, especially in the descriptions of the Japanese countryside. A fascinating story which will delight both history lovers and mystery lovers alike. Highly recommended.
--Claire E. White
Death of a Dentist by M.C. Beaton
St. Martin's Press, July 1998.Paperback, 228 pages.
ISBN: 0446606014.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Highlands policeman Hamish Macbeth
has a horrible toothache -- so bad, in fact,
that he decides to visit the local quack, notorious
womanizer Dr. Henry
Gilchrist whose cure for any ailment is to simply pull the tooth
in question
and put in "a nice set of dentures." But when he arrives
at the dentist, Macbeth finds the receptionist
missing and the much-hated doctor
dead on the floor with all of his teeth drilled.
Macbeth sets out to investigate with the help
of a new female friend (who is an acquaintance of his
estranged love Priscilla), who hacks into the local police
computer to assist Macbeth, the local soothsayer
and a host of Scottish village irregulars.
Death of a Dentist is Macbeth's 13th outing and his adventures are as readable as ever. Without his on again -- off again love Priscilla, he does just fine investigating the murder on his own. He even finds a new love interest. Another pleasing entry for the numerous fans of this series.
Return to the October 1998 issue of The IWJ.
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