The Ninja's Daughter by Susan Spann

Mystery

In 1565 Kyoto Japan, Hiro, a ninja, is sworn to protect foreign Jesuit Father Mateo. The foreigner doesn't completely understand the customs or culture of Japan so Hiro tries to help him with this and with translation. When a young kid comes to the two asking for help, they find a girl on a bridge, murdered. The girl happens to be Hiro's niece so together with Father Mateo, the two vow to find out what happened. Tensions are running high at this time in Kyoto with the police forbidding the investigation and different warlord vying for power. A threat is made on Father Mateo's life and Hiro has to decide whether the investigation for the Father is more important.

Though this is the fourth book in the series, it can read as a standalone. The characters did mention other mysteries that they had solved so I assume that these were from previous novels, but there's no information missing that makes it hard to understand what is happening in this book.

While the mystery was interesting and there were lots of twists and turns, for me this book was more about the characters. I really enjoyed Hiro, the strong and loyal ninja. He has a bit of a sense of humor, putting up with Mateo's naivety in the ways of Japan. Father Mateo is a kind soul and despite being a man of religion, religion was in no way an overbearing part of this story.

An enjoyable read! I think I'll go back to the beginning of the series and start there!

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for letting me be a part of this tour!

First Line: "Knocking echoed through the silent house."

Rating:
(4/5)

About the Author Susan Spann began reading precociously and voraciously from her preschool days in Santa Monica, California, and as a child read everything from National Geographic to Agatha Christie. In high school, she once turned a short-story assignment into a full-length fantasy novel (which, fortunately, will never see the light of day). Susan’s interest in Japanese history, martial arts, and mystery inspired her to write the Shinobi Mystery series featuring Hiro Hattori, a sixteenth-century ninja who brings murderers to justice with the help of Father Mateo, a Portuguese Jesuit priest. Find her on Twitter, Facebook and at her website.