A review by dandyrenreads
In Darkness, Death by Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas Hoobler
4.0
I've always found the Samurai Detective novels to be a delight. Although some of that is likely tinted by nostalgia as I first read them when I was a child, I have nonetheless enjoyed being reintroduced into the world of 1700s Japan and to the characters of Seikei and Judge Ooka.
The books come across as being meticulously researched, and although some of the interesting nuggets of cultural information are presented in such a way that they take one out of the story, I'm happy they were there.
Seikei is a competent protagonist who could easily have been a Gary Stu but instead is quickly built up as a well-rounded character whose noble intentions often backfire. Nowhere is his naivety more underscored as a character flaw than in this third installment in the series where the consequences of a decision that, in a lesser series, would have been rewarded results in real tragedy.
The mystery is, as always, the real hook of this book. As with its two predecessors, there is an element of magical realism woven through the narrative with enough doubt to genuinely keep one guessing.
The books come across as being meticulously researched, and although some of the interesting nuggets of cultural information are presented in such a way that they take one out of the story, I'm happy they were there.
Seikei is a competent protagonist who could easily have been a Gary Stu but instead is quickly built up as a well-rounded character whose noble intentions often backfire. Nowhere is his naivety more underscored as a character flaw than in this third installment in the series where the consequences of a decision that, in a lesser series, would have been rewarded results in real tragedy.
The mystery is, as always, the real hook of this book. As with its two predecessors, there is an element of magical realism woven through the narrative with enough doubt to genuinely keep one guessing.