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BOOK REVIEW: Three Oaths - A Daidoji Shin Mystery

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A good tie-in enables a reader to immerse themselves in the story without any foreknowledge of the original setting or property. A great tie-in is so engaging that it draws new readers to said setting or property before the story has run its course. There's a reason Josh Reynolds has so many tie-in books to his name: he has mastered this art.

To become absolutely enamored of Daidoji Shin—the upper-class detective who has become the star of his own Legend of the Five Rings mystery series—one need not know anything about Rokugan, its major and minor clans, or its class system. One will learn what it means to be of the Crane or Lion or Crab, who their high-ranking families are, and what they think of each other. In its way, Daidoji Shin's stories are as much Rokugan primers as they are rollicking detective stories.

Over the course of his adventures, Shin has gone from irresponsible gambler to gentleman detective to theater owner. In Three Oaths, the latest in the series, he takes on another role: wedding planner. Well, wedding planner and detective. Because this wedding is especially unique... in that the groom is dead.

Itagawa Mosu, by all accounts, should be dead. And yet he has returned to the Lion Clan to claim his betrothed. This is, of course, assuming that the man who has returned actually is Itagawa Mosu. Those around him have their doubts. To get close to the couple, Shin takes it upon himself to plan their wedding. Cranes are the courtliest of the classes, of course; so he'll make sure everything is done in style.

Between hiring performers and picking the right decorative banners, Shin delves into a deep, dark conspiracy: pirates, matchmakers, and secrets abound. And the wedding is just around the corner. Who will really be walking up to the altar, and what will it mean for the clan?

Fans of the works of P.G. Wodehouse will feel right at home in the pages of any Daidoji Shin book. His escapades are unabashedly Jeeves & Wooster-inspired, and that's even truer in the closing pages of There Oaths. This book, more so than the previous, is fraught with prying relatives, country homes, and unexpected engagements. That said, Shin is no intellectual slouch. Behind his fluttering fan hides a keen mind. The reader is privy to his greatest secret: that he's quite, quite dangerous to the wrong people.

By now, it goes without saying that a Daidoji Shin story will be a fantastic time for any reader—equal parts drawing room comedy and tense murder mystery. But Three Oaths is especially strong. As Shin's fictional reputation grows, so do the merits of the books that house him. Here's hoping this dashing detective won't be hanging up his fan anytime soon.

Three Oaths: A Daidoji Shin Mystery goes on sale July 4

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