Sensei: A Thriller [Hardcover]

John Donohue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2003

In every case, the modus operandi is the same, and the only clue available is a cryptic message scrawled on the wall bearing the signature "Ronin" - the Japanese name for a masterless samurai.

Connor Burke, a part-time college teacher with a passion for the martial arts, is called in to help out with the investigation by his brother, an NYPD detective. With the help of his teacher, the master warrior Yamashita Sensei, Burke begins to follow the trail of clues that stretches across time and place, ultimately confronting his own fears, his sense of honor, and the ruthless killer who calls himself "Ronin".

Combining the exotic world of the Japanese martial arts with the gritty nuts-and-bolts aspects of a murder investigation, Sensei is a fast-paced, riveting thriller that explores the links between people as they struggle for mastery, identity, and a sense of belonging.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Donohue crisply and elegantly blends Japanese martial arts and urban New York in his assured debut, a thriller about a vengeance-seeking Ronin, or masterless samurai. Dr. Connor Burke is an adjunct history instructor at a small Long Island university, a prot‚g‚ of Yamashita Sensei, a reclusive but renowned martial arts teacher-and a likable lead character. When it becomes clear that the murder of another sensei (a teacher) is part of a pattern, Burke becomes doubly involved, because he's a suspect and his cop brother Micky is one of the detectives investigating the case. As the novel whips along with the Ronin's motivation only gradually emerging, Burke takes the reader deeper and deeper into the arcane world of the martial arts: its techniques, disciplines and weapons; its spiritualism, customs and traditions. Lucid and dramatic fight scenes avoid the absurd hyperbole typical of a lot of martial arts fiction, while even minor characters, such as the university president and the members of Micky's family, are skillfully sketched. The author may telegraph the climactic scene too early, but he does a masterful job of depicting the ultimate struggle to capture or contain the Ronin. Both mystery buffs and martial arts fans will be well rewarded.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Martial-arts expert Donohue's first novel is so good that readers may find themselves hoping it won't become a series. Here's why. The plot is original and crafty: someone who calls himself Ronin--masterless Samurai--is apparently killing off martial-arts masters across the U.S., and Connor Burke, a university professor and martial-arts student, is brought into the investigation by his brother, a New York detective assigned to the case. Connor recruits his own sensei, Yamashita, and this unusual pair uncover the facts with a combination of mental skill and good, old-fashioned (amateur) detective work. The characters are fresh and interesting: in addition to the snappy-dialogue-spouting cops, who love to fire off allusions to old movies and TV shows, we have a martial-arts master and his student (shades, but only in a good way, of Kung Fu), an arrogant martial-arts promoter who now fancies himself an art expert, and a host of supporting players. The dialogue is sharp, the narrative polished far beyond the usual first-novel quality, and the story is entirely absorbing. So why not look forward to more in the series? Because subsequent novels might drain the premise of its freshness, leaving only a series of predictable adventures. This one just may be too good to duplicate. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (April 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312288123
• ISBN-13: 978-0312288129
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,742 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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intense plot drive thriller, October 5, 2003

By 

therosen "therosen" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sensei: A Thriller (Hardcover)

What happens when some of the top Japanese martial arts instructors are killed by a mystery man, known only as Ronin? Follow Connor Burke, a long time student of the martial arts, as he works to uncover the mystery and determine how his sensei fits into the picture.

John Donahue brings a wealth of understanding of both Japanese culture and the martial arts community to the novel. Unlike many martial arts books (and most martial arts movies) the book captures much of the spirit, discipline and realism of martial arts training. The book also captures the enigmatic sensei/student relationship inherent in martial arts graining.

The book weakens when some of the major players act off-character to advance the plot. The story is intricate and gripping, but it's a shame that some of the character realism had to be sacrificed. Many times you're left wondering, "Why doesn't anyone see what's really happening?" or "Why doesn't he just make a call on his cellphone?"

Despite the shortcomings, I'm looking forward to reading the upcoming sequel.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Entertaining, May 18, 2004

By 

Brkat (Southeast, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sensei: A Thriller (Hardcover)

"Someone is killing the great martial artists of America....." That was on the book's cover and hooked me into reading it. Indeed, Sensei turned out to be a very good read although it was somewhat action-lite. The basic plot revolves around a manhunt for a revenge-seeking Ronin killer who is capable of vanquishing martial arts experts in his attempt to find one particular victim. Through this manhunt, author John Donohue deftly exposes the reader to the arcane martial arts culture and takes them deep into the soul of the martial arts warrior. Sensei doesn't contain a lot of fight-action sequences (if that is what you are looking for) but is well written and entertaining.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Sensei" packs a punch!, April 4, 2005

By 

R. Bornstein "roger b" (houston, texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sensei: A Thriller (Hardcover)

As a third degree Black belt I am somewhat jaded on the whole fantasy of martial arts and the media. From the flying choreography to the comedic stunts and sound effects, they all tend to degrade or detract from the greatness that the martial arts provide. Not so in this novel. This is a terrific thriller from someone who certainly knows the Martial Arts as a master!
The writing is superb and provides just enough terrific detail to have you looking over your shoulder and preparing to confront that odd noise you think you heard in another room.
This is a must-read for any martial arts student or any martial artist wannabe!
5 Stars...and keep them coming!