Deshi: A Martial Arts Thriller FROM THE PUBLISHER
Asian scholar and martial artist Connor Burke, who continues to labor under the stern tutelage of the master warrior Yamashita Sensei, is drawn into a murder investigation when the police discover a link between the victim and the mysterious Kita Takanobu - a prominent martial arts sensei who has created a powerful New Age synthesis of Tibetan mysticism and the lethal heritage of the samurai. Along the way, Burke also finds himself pulled into the strange orbit of the Lama Changpa, a Tibetan mystic and clairvoyant who sees the dark clouds drawing in around Kita but is helpless to prevent a tragedy. Burke follows a trail that ultimately leads to Kita's elite mountain temple, where he will face his most deadly challenge ever.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The execution-style murder of a Japanese businessman, who's shot through the temple while engaged in calligraphy at his Brooklyn home, dramatically opens Donohue's intriguing second martial arts thriller (after 2003's Sensei). Dr. Connor Burke, a history scholar and black belt, gets enlisted by his NYPD detective brother Micky, who's his spiritual polar opposite, to decipher the calligraphic writing left by the victim at the crime scene. The inked message implicates followers of a revered Tibetan lama in this and two other murders. Charged with protecting the lama, who's at the center of a conflict involving a rising charismatic sensei (aka teacher), political threats in Tibet and competing martial arts disciplines, Burke journeys to the lama's reclusive mountain retreat, where he's stalked by a hulking Korean-American named Han. Using an economy of words that echoes the uncluttered atmosphere of the dojo, the traditional Japanese training hall, Donohue glides effortlessly between the disciplined, mystical culture of the martial arts community and the chaotic thrum of the streets. Peppered with musings of Eastern philosophy, gritty cop lingo and occasional understated humor, this mystery with its fresh protagonist will appeal to all kinds of readers, not just martial arts aficionados. Agent, Jacques de Spoelberg. (Feb. 21) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
When murder darkens the dojo, martial artist Burke needs all the right moves. Japanese-American businessman Edward Sakura is the first in a series of homicide victims. But wheeler-dealer Sakura has followed the Way of the Brush. For 30 years, he has faithfully practiced calligraphy, and in the moment before his assailant pulls the trigger, Sakura uses his brush for one last time to exact vengeance from the grave. Enter series hero Connor Burke, serious martial arts student. An advanced black belt in karate like his author, Burke credits his salvation to what he's learned from Yamashita, his sensei. After years of training, he's an extraordinary fighter, but his redemption transcends mere physicality. So attuned is he to the spiritual side of martial arts that Yamashita regards him as the stuff senseis are made of. Connor's older brother, Mickey the homicide cop, similarly impressed, turns to Connor, hoping he can convert the Sakura calligraphy into a workable lead. Eventually, Connor comes through, discovering in the Zenlike clue links to the Chinese secret service, to an iconic sensei with feet of clay, and, most important, to the elusive, furiously sought inka, a MacGuffin in a kimono. After his lean and literate debut (Sensei, 2003), Donohue produces a talky disappointment more interested in proselytizing than storytelling.
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