Trial on Mount Koya: A Hiro
Hattori Novel by Susan Spann. Prometheus Books. Copyright July 2018.; pb. 256 pp.; ISBN: 9781633884151.
November
1565. The nation of Japan is divided as
daimyos vie for victory over each other for the position of Shogun. Oba Nobunaga has spies everywhere and Samurai
Hiro Hattori is traveling with his friend, Portuguese priest Father Mateo, to
Shingon Buddhist Temple on Mount Koya.
His mission is to deliver a message to an agent from Hiro’s home town of
Iga. However, Ringa the agent never gets
to deliver any message as he is murdered that same day. So begin a series of
murders that Hiro and Father Mateo are asked to solve.
All
the reader knows is that the first four deaths, as they gradually occur on
different days, are unusual. The victim
of each monk is posed as one of the Buddhist Judges of the dead in the
afterlife, a judgment that progresses over a period of time. The description of each Judge and the way the
victims are posed in death is fearful and awesome!
The
reader gets to focus on two different areas in this mystery story. One focuses on elements of Shingon Buddhism,
one of many sects of Buddhism, and one which obviously has political
connections, a common aspect of 16th Century Buddhism. The other is
the divided nature of the resident monks of Mount Koya. Some have samurai backgrounds, some poor
backgrounds, some thwarted ambitions, some holding unresolved issues and all
who try to maintain a life of prayer and meditation when outside matters are
not encroaching on their peaceful way of existence. They also hold a prideful sense of arrogance
in stating multiple times that the depth of Shingon Buddhism is beyond Hiro and
Father Mateo’s miniscule understanding.
One
might hope no further deaths will ensue but that is not the case. The reader expects Hiro and Father Mateo to
solve the mystery of so many deaths and how he does that makes the remainder of
the novel fascinating and exciting.
There are some interesting and even humorous scenes involving some woman
monks and a child who is a bit of a mystery as well as the adults in the
novel.
Susan
Spann is a highly skilled writer who knows exactly where to place tension,
complexity, simplicity, levity and seriousness in a very successful work of
historical mystery fiction!
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