Three Oaths by Josh Reynolds: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Three Oaths by Josh Reynolds

Three Oaths is the fourth Daidoji Shin mystery set in the Legend of Five Rings game world. It’s an Asia inspired historical world where same sex marriages are allowed and women can become army generals, samurais, and sumo wrestlers. Like with the earlier books, knowledge of the game isn’t at all necessary, as the game doesn’t play any role in the series. There is some continuity between the books, and the characters and settings will be more interesting if one has read the earlier books, but it’s not entirely necessary.  

The powerful Lion clan in the City of the Rich Frog is preparing for a wedding. But Lady Minami (whom we met in the first book) believes the groom isn’t who he claims to be, and she asks Shin, the no-good trade envoy of the Crane clan turned theatre owner to investigate. He agrees, on a condition that he’s allowed to plan the wedding too. She’s more than happy to let him.

The mystery reminded me of The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon Davies, a true 16th century account of a man convincing the entire family and village of his presumed wife that he was the husband who had abandoned her ten years earlier, only to be thwarted by the return of the real husband. Here, Itagawa Mosu has been taken captive by the pirates, only to return as a broken and altered man to claim his role as the groom to the powerful Akodo family. Some people are happy to believe he is who he claims to be, others are less so.

Shin soon discovers that there is more to the mystery than the true identity of the groom. There is a conspiracy afoot, but by whom and to what end. This and the wedding preparations keep him, his bodyguard Kasami, and manservant Kitano busy. Like before, the solution isn’t so much about justice as it is about compassion and avoiding a clan war.

This was again a slow and meandering mystery where the people Shin encounters are at front. Most of the book is from Shin’s point of view, with some chapters by Kasami and Kitano, but we don’t get the other players’ points of view this time round, which was for the better. Shin and Kasami spent most of the book in different locations, so we were robbed of their banter, but a bodyguard borrowed by Lady Minami proved to be a suitable replacement.

The wedding preparations are easily as diverting as the mystery itself, and on top of it, there’s personal trouble brewing for Shin in the form of the accountant sent by his powerful grandfather. It may be that Shin’s carefree days as a bachelor are over. I’m looking forward to finding out how he wiggles himself out of it this time, or if he is saddled with a wife or a husband. I’m hoping for a handsome Dragon lord myself.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.