Rating: 
Summary: An intriguiging mystery of the uncommon kind.
Review: This book teaches the reader about Japan's ancient mindset while unraveling a murder mystery of an uncommon kind. A clearly believeable tale of a man's struggle against his passions, values, and the society in which he must contend. A book that causes the mind to ponder, not wander.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Historical Detective Story
Review: This book was recommended to me by a friend, and now I am hooked! 'Shinju' is a mystery about a supposed ritual double lovers' suicide (the title is the term that is used to refer to that act) that is in actuality a murder. Ichiro Sano, a young man recently appointed 'yoriki'(policeman) is assigned to a cursory investigation of what most of his colleagues and superiors view as a dishonorable and distasteful incident. Sano's takes his duties seriously, however, and almost loses his life -- and more importantly -- his honor in uncovering both a disturbing crime and a treasonous plot. Set against the backdrop of the Tokugawa Shogunate, this novel is educational as well as entertaining, and I really didn't know where the plot would take me as I read; the hero gets in some pretty dangerous situations. Rowland really paints a realistic picture of Japan in the 17th Century, with its dependence on personal obligation and honor. It's both frustrating and eye-opening for the reader to discover that although the hero knows 'whodunnit', his society prohibits him from bringing the guilty party (or in this case 'parties') to justice.
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Summary: Wonderful adventure!
Review: This fascinating historical fiction only starts as a murder mystery -- then it takes us on a thrill ride as we explore the society, customs, and class clashes of medieval Japan. Well written, well put together, well edited. The best news is that SHINJU is the first of a series featuring investigator Sano Ichiro. I could NOT put it down! Rowland develops a real sense of place and complete characters with souls. Here's what you get: devotion and betrayal, the elegance of the tea ceremony and the degradation of a medieval prison, the subjugation of women, the rules of society and family, a funeral, an execution, Edo Castle, a brothel, and characters that range from blackmailers and prostitutes to the shogun himself. You'll even learn a few phrases in Japanese!
Rating: 
Summary: Suicidal behavior
Review: This story is very strong on atmosphere and weaker on real mystery. I found it a fascinating glimpse into what the real tenor of medieval Japan might have been like. Suicidal behavior characterizes not only the initial crime victims but the obstinate actions of Sano Ichiro, a police commander struggling against the extremely rigid and hierarchical filial, political, and police "system" in 1689 Edo (Tokyo). He seems to instinctively know the "truth" despite all his social conditioning in the samurai code of loyalty, obedience, and reputation. As the first in the series the author should have shown by his actions, rather than assertion alone, that Sano in fact had had a history of dedication to the alleged "truth and justice" that conveniently appears whenever he is pressed by custom or patron to conform to an official cover-up he seeks to break. Aside from the author's simplistic psychology this is a fascinating story because of the realistic and exotic atmosphere, the feeling engendered by Joh's descriptive ability that you are really there. The author is particularly sensitive to Edo's sweet or foetid odors and to localizing each of the scenes with visual clues. The book is nicely printed. The story has a very exciting samurai conclusion, but despite the blurbs there's no love interest here.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent characters and atmosphere
Review: This was my introduction to Sano Ichiro (and Rowland's books) and I was fascinated with the descriptions of 17th century Japan. I've done a bit of historical reading into that era (early Shin Buddhism) and found this book was accurate and richly descriptive. As for the character of Sano, I understand some of the other comments that he wasn't "heroic" enough for a Samurai. But that was one of the things that made him interesting to me. He is a quite "average" man who gets caught up in a system that can easily swallow him whole. The book, although it had a few minor flaws, was intriquing enough for me to read several more of the series and it's interesting to see the way Sano's character develops. I just finished the fourth book in the series (The Concubine's Tattoo) and look forward to all the others.
Rating: 
Summary: Riveting, but poorly written
Review: Unfortunately this promising story is "over-told." The author seems overly enthusiastic to prove she's done her history homework, and the resulting writing style made me feel like I was back in grammar school. If you've ever read anything about Japan at all you will skim several of the awkward descriptions and translations that the author tries to weave seamlessly into the story. The conflict between the main character Sano's sense of filial duty and obedience as a samurai and his burning desire to get to the truth of the murder is weakly explored. Instead of any real conflict emerging, the author just has him think "oh, my father will be so upset, this goes against my whole being as a samurai, I should really stop this investigation" every few pages. By the end of each paragraph he has decided to carry on, in pursuit of justice (mostly for the people who have died as a result of his investigations, and also for the sad courtesan he slept with once, which is a bit tough to empathize with)! What a surprise! The ending took far too long and was a deus ex machina, there wasn't any real suspense. I wanted to know what happened, but I found myself consistently annoyed with having so far to go before the book's end. For those with zero understanding of medieval Japanese culture, this could be a pretty interesting way of learning a great deal. For a more fun take on medieval Japan (that also explores the mystical and spiritual) I'd recommend Tomoe Gozen.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting, but poorly written
Review: Unfortunately this promising story is "over-told." The author seems overly enthusiastic to prove she's done her history homework, and the resulting writing style made me feel like I was back in grammar school. If you've ever read anything about Japan at all you will skim several of the awkward descriptions and translations that the author tries to weave seamlessly into the story. The conflict between the main character Sano's sense of filial duty and obedience as a samurai and his burning desire to get to the truth of the murder is weakly explored. Instead of any real conflict emerging, the author just has him think "oh, my father will be so upset, this goes against my whole being as a samurai, I should really stop this investigation" every few pages. By the end of each paragraph he has decided to carry on, in pursuit of justice (mostly for the people who have died as a result of his investigations, and also for the sad courtesan he slept with once, which is a bit tough to empathize with)! What a surprise! The ending took far too long and was a deus ex machina, there wasn't any real suspense. I wanted to know what happened, but I found myself consistently annoyed with having so far to go before the book's end. For those with zero understanding of medieval Japanese culture, this could be a pretty interesting way of learning a great deal. For a more fun take on medieval Japan (that also explores the mystical and spiritual) I'd recommend Tomoe Gozen.
Rating:
Summary: Good mystery, a glimpse into another world
Review: When I picked up this book, I was a little worried that it would fall into the trap of concentrating so heavily on historically accurate details that the idea of a mystery (or plot in general) would be lost. Happily, that isn't the case. Laura Joh Rowland sets a solid mystery in an interesting period of time. She manages to give us a flavor of era and still present a great read. I highly recommend this novel. If you are interested in the Sano Ichiro series, definitely start with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Plot Discrepancies Noted.
Review: While I enjoyed Shinju, and learned something about Old Japan from it, there were some discrepancies that bothered me. For example, what ever became of Toda Ikkyu? This high-ranking metsuke official should have been tried for treason by the shogun; instead, he simply vanishes from the story, and only the police chief Ogyu, who is much lower ranking, is tried. Also, the priest on page 365 makes the amazing statement, "Is there no turning back from this dangerous course of action upon which you have decided?" Yet he has no way of knowing this. So what is he, clairvoyant? And our hero, Sano, is not even puzzled by the priest's incredible insight. These must be errors on the part of the author, Laura Joh Rowland. However, while annoying, these discrepancies do not mar the overall flow of the plot, and that is the main thing.
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