Trial on Mount Koya by Susan Spann (Review by Lara Ferguson)
As you begin this Hiro Hattori novel written by Susan Spann, you are immediately immersed and invested in the moment taking place on the page. It feels real, like each scene, each conversation is taking place right there where you are. Spann writes in such a way that each of the characters, real people with real flaws, inspires interest—you want to know them so that you can help solve the mystery….who is killing all the priests, and why?
There are so many twists and turns, all interspersed with explanations of both the Buddhist and Christian faith, that the book is hard to put down. This is a novel of tolerance and cooperation among people who subscribe to different ideas and beliefs. They know that they are stuck with each other and if they don’t figure it out, they all might die.
Solving this mystery with the characters of the book was part of what made it such a fun read. I didn’t figure it out until the end and I felt like I was learning the whole time I was reading. It did not seem to be a novel written in a time far away, but a novel that dealt with issues and questions that society has faced for all time.