THE INCENSE GAME A Novel of Feudal Japan

Bernadette Dunne's performance immediately grabs listeners, transporting them back to Edo, 1703, just as a catastrophic earthquake hits, indiscriminately destroying buildings and human life, and threatening to topple the existing government. Rowland's sixteenth Chamberlain Sano Ichiro mystery begins when the bodies of two noble women and their teacher are found, apparently poisoned while playing the popular incense game. Sano is blackmailed into secretly investigating the murders when he should be restoring order to the devastated city and keeping the shogun's government from crumbling. Dunne's narration is compelling as mystical martial arts practitioners, warring samurai factions, and potentially deadly secrets abound. Dunne makes Rowland's period language and insights into human behavior completely believable. Fans will love this, and new listeners will want more. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2013]