12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautifully written novel of great literary merit., June 11, 1998
This review is from: Death at the Crossroads: A Samurai Mystery (Samurai Mysteries) (Hardcover)
Matsuyama Kaze (family name first, then given name) is a middle-aged Samurai, (age 31 was considered middle-aged, 50 ancient) in 17th century Japan. He is a Ronin--which is to say he is without a master, and is wandering in search of employment--although in this story, his wandering is in the nature of a quest, which he has undertaken at the dying request of The Lady--the widow of Kaze's former Lord. He is searching for the Lord and Lady's daughter who was abducted after the Lord was defeated in a great battle.
These are chaotic times in Japan. Hideyoshi, the Taiko, has died of old age in his bed, and Ieyasu Tokugawa, who had been patiently waiting for his time to come, has defeated those loyal to Hideyoshi's heir and is now the undisputed ruler of Japan. Numerous samurai who had been loyal to the losing side are wandering like Kaze, looking for employment with some Lord before they lose their status as samurai, which means, "those who serve."
On his journey, Kaze happens upon a dead man lying at a crossroads with a distinctive arrow in his back. Kaze takes on the investigation of the crime, which leads him into fairly constant danger.
This is a wonderful novel. I would classify it, if I had to classify it, as a mainstream novel with a strong mystery at its heart. In my opinion it is a work of great literary merit.
"Around him, mist clung tenaciously to the jagged folds that formed the ravines and valleys of the mountains. Through the low-lying white haze, the ragged black pines and reddish cryptomeria poked through the white curtain, looking like some enigmatic calligraphy of the gods, a message written with the slashing brush strokes of trunks and branches on a shifting silver paper."
The lyrical quality of the writing meshes perfectly with the ambience of 17th century Japan. I lived in Japan for a couple of years and all I saw then, plus all I have read about the history of Japan, the plays I've seen, the novels and articles I've read, lead me to believe th! is is an exact historical rendering of the time. Not only that, it is done in a way that makes it accessible to all readers. In other words, it's a damn good story.
Kaze, the main character, is beautifully drawn. As a samurai, he uses violence when necessary, but not unthinkingly, only when driven to it and never without compassion. He has a great sense of humor, superb intelligence and a wonderfully devious mind that he employs in forming strategy with which to beat his enemies. He is also possessed of great charm. Here he is describing himself to Jiro the charcoal seller. "I no longer have a home. I'm a ronin, a 'wave man.' Like the waves of the ocean, I call no land home. Like water on rocks, I can't mix in and settle, I am always pulled back to flow to the next shore."
There is a fairly large cast of very colorful characters, including Jiro, the charcoal seller, Hachiro, a scared boy, Aoi a prostitute, Manase, the district Lord who is also a skilled Noh dancer; and a marvelous elderly woman who wears a white head band that has the kanji character for "revenge"painted on it. She also wears hakama pants and a traveling coat just like a man. "Stuck into her sash were a man's swords and she strode into the room with all the power and arrogance of any real samurai." All of the characters are meticulously drawn and memorable.
Death at the Crossroads is the first of a Trilogy. I'm already impatient to read Kaze's next adventure.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliantly conceived Historical mystery..., January 25, 2000
This review is from: Death at the Crossroads: A Samurai Mystery (Samurai Mysteries) (Hardcover)
Writing with the longtime eloquence of an established prose-writer, Dale Furutani paints a sweeping, grandiose picture of Japan in the beginning of an oppressive (somewhat backward and yet modernistic) era-The Tokugawa Shogunate- in 1603.The hero of the novel, a ronin (a samurai sans a master), stumbles across a corpse on a misty mountain pass. In the course of his adventure, Kaze (the ronin), discovers a remarkable collection of characters that Dame Agatha Christie herself would be hard to match. The cast ranges from Aoi, the luckless prostitute, to the ultra-refined Lord Manase (who insists on living life as in Heian period Japan, a period six HUNDRED years ago! ), to the greedy and ambitious Lord Nagato. We also meet the humble Jiro and the somewhat noble Hachiro and Ichiro, while facing the aggravating, and shortlived Boss Kuemon.A captivating yarn, with a little too much blood for the elegant story, nonetheless fails to disappoint. Get a copy today!I can hardly wait for the next two books in the trilogy.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfull New Historical Mystery Series - Yay!, May 16, 2001
This is a new series for Furutani. It features ronin Matsuyama Kaze, a freelance samurai, in 1603 Japan. Kaze is on a quest to find the child of his former master. He is following one small lead after another with dwindling hope of finding the child he has been looking for during the proceeding two years. On his way to his next destination, he comes across a charcoal gatherer who is examining the dead body of a merchant. In spite of himself, Kaze stays around to see what happens and finds himself embroiled in the small town's politics and rivalries as he attempts to unravel the mystery of who killed the merchant and why.
Furutani's writing is lyrical and the reader finds himself enveloped in a cadence that transports the reader to medieval Japan. Like all first books in series, this one must not only develop the character's personality, but provide us with a mystery and a story as well. The latter is no mean feat in and of itself, but Furutani accomplishes the task with ease. Furutani does not set flaunt his research by using every bit of minutiae he picked up, but, rather, he uses it subtly to advance his story and, in the process, educate his readers. For those who, like myself, do not care for Furutani's previous books, be rest assured that the writing here as well as the characters are a very welcome change. The uniqueness of the setting adds to quality of this book.
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