Ghost of the Bamboo Road: A Hiro Hattori Novel (A Shinobi Mystery Book 7)

Let me begin with this: I’d read around a third of Ghost of the Bamboo Road yesterday when I stopped to eat dinner and do come chores. Around 8:30, I picked it up again, planning to read for an hour or so before going to bed. Around 11, I finished the book, having not gotten out of my chair.From which you may deduce (correctly) that I was truly immersed in the story.That was not altogether a surprise to me. Having read the previous 6 books in the series, [1] I was prepared to enjoy mystery and the characters. And, obviously, I was not disappointed.Hiro Hattori (not his “real” name), a ninja, has been hired by someone who chooses to remain anonymous, to protect Father Mateo, a Catholic priest in Japan, trying to spread the word. Or, at any rate, his words. Hiro is skeptical of the mission, but takes his assignment seriously. He has, over time, come to respect and admire Mateo, even as he remains skeptical of his mission.In this addition to the on-going saga, Hiro, Mateo, Ana (his Japanese housekeeper), and Gato (the cat, of course) are on their way from Kyoto to Edo. Rumors have spread that the power behind the Emperor plans to destroy the ninja and kuniochi (the female equivalent) an move the capitol from Kyoto to Edo. [2]. They has stopped in this village to warn Emiri (a kunoichi residing there of the necessity of going into hiding.Almost immediately after their arrival, the mother of the innkeeper is murdered ; many of the villagers believe that she was killed by a yūrei—ghost—who has been wronged by someone in the village and who seeks revenge. Neither Hiro nor Mateo is willing to accept that yūrei exist, let alone that they can kill. Mateo wishes to remain, at least briefly, to try to discover the killer (which, really, means to have Hiro discover the killer); Hiro believes that his mission is more important. And, as Emiri cannot be found, he is in favor of leaving immediately for Edo.Of course they stay. And of course they become involved (partly because Ana is accused of stealing a trove of silver coins). Their investigation, and the accusation against Ana, brings them in contact with all the villagers (including a couple of unexpectedly interesting and astute men), and with a yamabushi—a hermit/holy man—who lives in the forest. And, of course, they do discover the murderer.And if it seems all to “of-course-ish” in my summary, it’s anything but in the reading. Hiro and Mateo are a good pairing, and they have become close friends. The villagers, including the resident Samurai, are not just here to advance the plot, but are people with lives that have been disrupted, lives that they hope to be able to recover. Of the 7 books so far in the series, this has the least sword-play and violence, and the deepest exploration of character. (Not that the first 6 ignore character.)If you have not yet found Spann’s work, I encourage you to seek it out. If you are already a reader, I probably don’t have to encourage you to read this one. It’s a fine book.

I have read all the preceding books. When I start reading it is almost impossible to put the book down. The characters are well written and stay true to their personality in each book. I recommend this book and all proceeding ones to anyone looking for a great read.

As Hiro and Father Mateo make their journey to Edo to warn Iga assassins that their cover may have been comprised, they must stop in a rural mountain village along the way. Another Iga assassin has been stationed here to watch the travel road. They stop at the local ryokan to stay the night and discover that they owners are completing a mourning period. Hiro immediately senses that something is off about this village and wants to find the operative and leave as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that night there is a murder in the burial yard. The innkeeper’s mother is murdered and the village residents believe that a vengeful spirit is responsible. Another murder soon follows and the residents believe that the visitors are responsible for angering the spirit. Father Mateo’s servant Ana is soon accused of theft as well. In order to appease the local Samurai, as well as prove there is no such thing as ghosts, Hiro and Father Mateo begin to investigate the murders and the theft. Hopefully they will find the operative as well and all be able to continue their mission.It has been quite a while since I had a Hiro and Father Mateo mystery. Way too long actually. I hadn’t realized just how much I had missed their constant banter and adventures. As a reader, I have enjoyed getting to watch the professional relationship between the two become much more personal. Even though they still don’t agree on everything, they can be respectful of each other and work together. This is a lesson from 1566 that could be applied to almost everyone in 2020. I also appreciated that this book focused on the mystery and a showing of Japanese customs as several of the previous books have done. One drawback that I had from the last book was the amount of detail that was given to describing the temples. I know that the author had just finished a pilgrimage and visited several of the temples, so the details were fresh on her mind, but it took away from the overall story. That said, every time I hear there is a new Shinobi mystery coming out, I get excited to continue the journey. I hope it takes several more books to complete the series.I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The journey of two men, a woman and a cat is delayed by a ghost and a complicated mystery along the way. I believe this is the last book in the series. I’m sorry to say sayonara. Having already read Chris Bradford’s YA Young Samurai series it appears I must lay down my katana and wakizashi and tanto for a while. But only for a while. Who knows? Hiro and Gato may return. Kyui, Susan.