The Body Wore Brocade [Mass Market Paperback]

James Melville (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 1994

"Melville's strength lies in creating complex and beguiling characters and...he's never been better."
THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
Wandering among New Year's revelers, Superintendent Otani is shot in the back. By strange coincidence, the Noh performer he had been watching earlier in the day is later found strangled in his luxurious home, clad in full Noh costume. The crime rivets the attention of Otani's entire force, for the late Noh performer had not only been a dedicated amateur artist but also a wealthy businessman. His death liberates a fortune to his sister and his two attractive nephews and also raises some questions: Is the crime personal or political? And how, if at all, does it connect with the near murder of Otani?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A change of narrative voice yields refreshing new insights but slows the pace of the 12th case for senior Japanese police officer Tetsuo Otani. Now getting on in years, Inspector Otani muses in the first person on the amateur theatrical career of a wealthy computer software developer, while digesting his loyal wife Hanae's announcement that he has become arrogant, intolerant and thoroughly disagreeable. With plenty of time to ruminate while hospitalized after being hit by a sniper's bullet, he is struck by the coincidence that the only witness to the event was the software developer's favorite nephew. The young man attempts suicide, then becomes a murder suspect when his uncle's strangled body is found, resplendently dressed in a Noh costume. Otani's chronicle is slow-paced and laced with gentle, dour humor. The detective is revealed as more flawed and uncertain than heretofore, as Melville's (A Haiku for Hanae) new perspective illuminates Otani's fears (of losing Hanae), his concerns (over his sister-in-law's affair with his assistant) and his desires, both romantic and professional.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Longtime series hero Superintendent Otani of Kobe, Japan, tells of the time when, recovering from a gunshot wound to the back, he oversaw an investigation into the strangulation death of a wealthy amateur Noh drama enthusiast. Capitalizing on a possible link between the two events--the murdered man's nephew witnessed Otani's shooting--may lead Otani to a solution. Otani's relationship with his wife, other character interplay, and exotic surroundings underscore the draw of this procedural.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett (April 2, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044922189X
• ISBN-13: 978-0449221891
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #755,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like being in Japan, October 8, 2008

By 

Mary M. Hamilton "Mary H." (San Francisco, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Body Wore Brocade (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a very good book on its own; Melville is an excellent author with an ability to create "word journeys" to Japan to visit with Inspector Otani and his wife in their world.