Deshi: A Martial Arts Thriller (Connor Burke and Yamashita Sensei) [Hardcover]

John Donohue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2005 | Series: Martial Arts Thriller

In each life, the wheel of karma turns. Asian scholar and martial artist Connor Burke, who continues to labor under the stern tutelage of the master warrior Yamashita Sensei, is drawn once again into a murder investigation when the police discover a link between the victim and a mysterious martial arts sensei named Kita Takanobu who has created a powerful New Age synthesis of Tibetan mysticism and the lethal heritage of the samurai. Along the way, Burke also finds himself pulled into the strange orbit of the Tibetan Lama Changpa, a mystic and claivoyant who sees the dark clouds drawing in around Kita but is helpless to prevent a tragedy, as he follows a trail that ultimately leads to Kita's elite mountain temple where he will face his most deadly challenge ever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The execution-style murder of a Japanese businessman, who's shot through the temple while engaged in calligraphy at his Brooklyn home, dramatically opens Donohue's intriguing second martial arts thriller (after 2003's Sensei). Dr. Connor Burke, a history scholar and black belt, gets enlisted by his NYPD detective brother Micky, who's his spiritual polar opposite, to decipher the calligraphic writing left by the victim at the crime scene. The inked message implicates followers of a revered Tibetan lama in this and two other murders. Charged with protecting the lama, who's at the center of a conflict involving a rising charismatic sensei (aka teacher), political threats in Tibet and competing martial arts disciplines, Burke journeys to the lama's reclusive mountain retreat, where he's stalked by a hulking Korean-American named Han. Using an economy of words that echoes the uncluttered atmosphere of the dojo, the traditional Japanese training hall, Donohue glides effortlessly between the disciplined, mystical culture of the martial arts community and the chaotic thrum of the streets. Peppered with musings of Eastern philosophy, gritty cop lingo and occasional understated humor, this mystery with its fresh protagonist will appeal to all kinds of readers, not just martial arts aficionados.
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From Booklist

The author follows up his excellent debut, Sensei (2003), with this less successful sequel. Connor Burke, the martial-arts expert, again helps investigate a murder in which martial arts play a key role. But where Sensei ("teacher") featured sharply drawn characters and a unique environment, Deshi ("pupil") seems formulaic by comparison. The main supporting characters are back, a pair of cops (one of whom is Connor's brother), but here their banter is more irritating than entertaining. In the first novel, it seemed entirely plausible that Connor, a civilian, would be brought into a murder investigation; here it feels forced. And the relationship between Connor and his sensei, Yamashita, which was charming in the first book, here seems ponderous. All that being said, this isn't a bad novel; it's just markedly inferior to its predecessor. Not recommendable on its own but worth buying on the strength of its predecessor and the likelihood that the Burke series will be good enough in the long run to justify complete holdings. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (January 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312288077
• ISBN-13: 978-0312288075
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #934,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Donohue is a novelist with a Ph.D in anthropology who has also been banging around martial arts dojo for more than 30 years. He's an expert on the study of the martial arts.

He's has worked in the hospitality, advertising, and publishing industries, but for the bulk of his non-writing career he has been a higher education professional, working as both a teacher and senior level manager at a number of colleges--strapped, as he says, to the wheel of administrative karma. He currently serves as Provost at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven CT.

John is the author of four novels in the Burke/Yamashita thriller series. Previous titles were Tengu, Deshi and Sensei. The fourth in the series, Kage, was released in July 2011. Among his other works are Herding the Ox, Complete Kendo, The Overlook Martial Arts Reader, Volume 2. He's currently at work on a new novel, The Qi Eaters.

Fusing the way of the pen and the way of the sword, while writing John has trained in the martial disciplines of aikido, iaido, judo, karatedo, kendo, and
taiji. He has dan (black belt) ranks in both karatedo and kendo.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A decent and very fun read from Donohue, July 18, 2005

By 

Colin P. Lindsey (Manchester, NH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Deshi: A Martial Arts Thriller (Connor Burke and Yamashita Sensei) (Hardcover)

This novel is going to be a little tougher to critique than Mr. Donohue's first outing, the remarkable "Sensei". I very much enjoyed reading this sequel to that excellent novel and also enjoyed being introduced to the characters again. There were a few flaws with this novel though, and this one felt more like a debut novel than his Sensei did.

As I noted in my review of Sensei, Donohue's protagonist, Connor Burke, is a finely realized and interesting character with substantial depth, complex feelings and motivations, and is an unusual hybrid of both college professor of Asian Studies and martial artist. In Sensei, his actions and reactions, to the unfolding plot events were both sensible and consistent with his character. Within this novel I felt the author stretched that sensibility and consistency a little too far for my comfort.

In this outing Connor, still a thinking man's hero, is drawn into another police investigation because of his unusual background and expertise in martial arts and Asian studies. The investigation, taking place in New York City, revolves around a series of murders of experts in Japanese calligraphy. Events proceed and eventually two dojos (martial arts schools) come into conflict with each other, spiritually and physically. The action scenes are excellent, the writing taut, and the book flows extremely well. In fact, I churned through this one very quickly, ignoring important things in my life clamoring for my attention, and enjoyed myself quite a bit.

I was disapppointed on some levels with this book however, probably because my expectations were so elevated after reading Sensei. Some of the characters in this book are finely realized, complex, believable and interesting. Yet many are not. Additionally some of the situations within the novel felt both forced and contrived and lacked a sense of naturalness and authenticity. Perhaps most disappointing was that the villains felt fairly cartoonish in the end and certainly did not behave rationally nor were their actions internally consistent with their depictations. Clever villains are so much more interesting than stupid ones.

I wish I could whole-heartedly recommend this book as an excellent read, but all I can really say is that it was certainly a fun read and I still enjoyed it despite some flaws. If you liked Sensei then go ahead and read this one, you'll still enjoy the further adventures of Connor Burke. If you haven't read Sensei, but like to read thrillers/mysteries/action adventure then I'd recommend reading Sensei before this book.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating thriller, February 1, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Deshi: A Martial Arts Thriller (Connor Burke and Yamashita Sensei) (Hardcover)

Edward Sakura sees the man in his shodo hut on his Brooklyn estate and knows the intruder is going to kill him. Before he dies, he creates a message in calligraphy that reads "spring wind". The police think it is a clue to his murderer and one of the lead detectives brings his brother, martial arts expert Connor Burke, is called into the investigation since he is an expert in things Asian. It is learned that Sakura has sent a calligraphic scroll to Professor Hoddington in Georgia for an evaluation.

The evidence shows the professor ends up murdered by the same person who killed Sakura. The school journalist Kim who gave the scroll to Sakura is found tortured and dead. The man Connor suspects killed the three men is also interested in Connor's Sensei's friend Tibetan monk Changpa Ripache. The killer has ties to the People's Republic of China security forces but they don't know why China would be interested in one outspoken monk. All these events seem to tie back to Kita Tekenobo, an expert in martial arts who wants the scroll destroyed. At an isolated gathering, all the principal players come together but not all of them will leave alive.

DESHI is a fascinating thriller that gives readers an in-depth look at those who practice the martial arts and how mysticism plays a role in the making of a warrior. The protagonist has been tutored by his sensei for many years yet still realizes he has a lot to learn especially how the interaction of eastern philosophy and mysticism creates warriors. The plight of Tibet and the Chinese attempts to destroy Buddhism and the monks who practice it add depth to this creative work of suspense.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From another author, January 21, 2006

By 

Arthur Bradley "Arthur Bradley" (Eastern USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Deshi: A Martial Arts Thriller (Connor Burke and Yamashita Sensei) (Hardcover)

Let me start by saying that I'm a dedicated fan of this genre. That means of course that I've read Lustbader, Trevanian, Eisler, and now both of Donohue's books. This particular book came by recommendation of my father, also a huge martial arts fan (and fellow practictioner). I can totally respect Donohue's effort, because I know first hand how hard it is to put together a compelling martial arts thriller. I recently published a martial arts novel. My book features a Judo/Kenpo master hunting a world-class sniper whose killing presidential candidates. It's more of a mainstream thriller inspired by Lustabader's early erotic martial arts violence. See "Process of Elimination" if interested. End of shamelesss plug!

As another author writing in this same genre, I was very excited to pick up Donohue's "Sensei" (and then "Deshi"). I posted a review of "Sensei" as well, should you care to read it.

In Deshi, Connor is once again called in by the police (his brother and partner) to help with a murder case. There's a lot going on in the book behind the scenes, involving Chinese spies, a Tibetan Lama, some hired thugs, and a martial artist with something to hide. It's weird for me to even say this, but the complication in the plot sort of gets in the way of the story. Even as I finished the book, and I came to understand who was doing what and why, I was left a bit confused. I guess it's because there really isn't any way to figure out the book until Donohue finally walks you through it. It's not one of those stories where you can pick out clues and figure things out. You simply go along for the ride and then listen quietly as the author finally clues you in. Still, I like the authenticity of the martial arts and can overlook the lackluster feeling that I came away with.

Overall, I liked "Deshi" better than "Sensei." The story is unique, and there is more action. Like his first book, "Deshi" is also a quick read (a couple of hours). But complaints aside, I learned some things, and never put it down until it was finished. I guess that earns it 4 stars (but just barely).