Betrayal at Iga by Susan Spann

Mystery

In book 5 of the Hiro Hattori/Father Mateo series, we see the two having just left Kyoto and heading back to Hiro's hometown. They arrive on the same day as a group from Koga, a rival clan that the Iga province is trying to create an alliance with. Due to customs, both the Koga group and Hiro and Father Mateo are to dine together in a welcome meal with the leader of the Iga province. In the middle of the meal, the leader of the Koga group falls over dead, looking like he's been poisoned. Of course, the assumption is that Iga poisoned Koga, but they agree to a neutral investigation from Hiro and Father Mateo so they can bring the murderer to justice.

This is a pretty short book, as the two only have a few days to find the murderer. Everyone is a suspect. Hiro tries not to get distracted when he realizes that his previous lover is also in Iga, and could also be a suspect. The two have a lot of history which ended badly. Can Hiro maintain his objectivity?

I started in this series at book four and thought that it was pretty newbie friendly. This still seems to be the case one book 5. You don't need to have read the previous books to understand this one.

This book was focused mostly around the mystery than the characters. Father Mateo was hardly developed at all, as the book was written from Hiro's perspective and focuses more on him since he's going back home. I think because of this, I enjoyed the fourth book slightly more than the fifth. I'm just a Father Mateo fan! But this is still a great read!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for letting me be a part of this tour! You should considering purchasing this book for yourself - here.

First Line: "Hiro Hattori leaned into the wind that swept down the hill and across his face."

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.