4/5 stars on Goodreads
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| Three Oaths by Josh Reynolds |
Three Oaths
is the fourth Daidoji Shin mystery
set in the Legend of Five Rings game world. It’s an Asia inspired historical world
where same sex marriages are allowed and women can become army generals,
samurais, and sumo wrestlers. Like with the earlier books, knowledge of the
game isn’t at all necessary, as the game doesn’t play any role in the series. There is some continuity between the books, and the characters and settings will be more interesting if one has read the earlier books, but it’s not entirely necessary.
The powerful Lion
clan in the City of the Rich Frog is preparing for a wedding. But Lady Minami
(whom we met in the first book) believes the groom isn’t who he claims to be,
and she asks Shin, the no-good trade envoy of the Crane clan turned theatre
owner to investigate. He agrees, on a condition that he’s allowed to plan the
wedding too. She’s more than happy to let him.
The mystery reminded
me of The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon Davies, a true 16th century
account of a man convincing the entire family and village of his presumed wife that
he was the husband who had abandoned her ten years earlier, only to be thwarted
by the return of the real husband. Here, Itagawa Mosu has been taken captive by
the pirates, only to return as a broken and altered man to claim his role as
the groom to the powerful Akodo family. Some people are happy to believe he is
who he claims to be, others are less so.
Shin soon discovers
that there is more to the mystery than the true identity of the groom. There is
a conspiracy afoot, but by whom and to what end. This and the wedding
preparations keep him, his bodyguard Kasami, and manservant Kitano busy. Like
before, the solution isn’t so much about justice as it is about compassion and
avoiding a clan war.
This was again a slow
and meandering mystery where the people Shin encounters are at front. Most of
the book is from Shin’s point of view, with some chapters by Kasami and Kitano,
but we don’t get the other players’ points of view this time round, which was for the better. Shin and
Kasami spent most of the book in different locations, so we were robbed of
their banter, but a bodyguard borrowed by Lady Minami proved to be a suitable
replacement.
The wedding
preparations are easily as diverting as the mystery itself, and on top of it,
there’s personal trouble brewing for Shin in the form of the accountant sent by
his powerful grandfather. It may be that Shin’s carefree days as a bachelor are
over. I’m looking forward to finding out how he wiggles himself out of it this
time, or if he is saddled with a wife or a husband. I’m hoping for a handsome Dragon
lord myself.
I received a free
copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.