I would give this book a negative rating if I could. The story reads like laughably bad fan-fiction, complete with bad fangirl Japanese. Her knowledge of Japan is spotty at best, and in essence, highly flawed. For example, why would a Japanese chief of police insist that one of his officers host a visiting-American-psychic consultant in his home? Why would a Japanese man not have a tub in his home? Why would a Japanese man be flustered and body-conscious about nudity in the bathroom? Why is every Tokyo landmark in the story located in the same ward?

Likewise, the author's ideas of police work leave much to be desired. For example, murder victims were having intercourse when they were pinned together by a katana. Police covered the still-skewered bodies with a sheet and loaded them into an ambulance from the crime scene. Even casual TV watchers should know that police do not do this. The police's unprofessionalism only gets worse from there.

Content aside, even the author's writing and basic grasp of mechanics is lacking. Only the main characters deserve description-- they are described in detail down to the colors and brands of their underwear-- but side characters become cardboard cutouts. The cop's partner is "an older Japanese man" and only says "hai" when spoken to.

Inconsistencies run rampant: the killer writes 'Naomasa' on the victims' foreheads. The American psychic (who neither speaks, nor reads Japanese and whose cultural knowledge is limited to the "Seven Samurai" movie) recognizes, and correctly identifies it A) as a name and B) picks it out of rapid Japanese conversation and C) very old texts, namely a hand-written historic diary.

Should I mention the plot flaws, too? Besides the awkward time-jumping and point-of-view switching, I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you're feeling masochistic enough to find out how this mess of a novel unwinds. ( )

Toshi is a japanes detective who has to deal with some unsolved cases of murder: couples who are slaughtered during the lovemaking with a samurai's sword. No clues that lead to the murderer, no one.

John is an empathic american cop who is sent on Tokyo to help Toshi. And for Toshi is speaking english and has lived in America for some years during college, is asked to host John.

Toshi is handsome and a very closed person. During is american years he has loved a man, Michael, but when his family has asked him to return to Japan, he has accepted and now he has also agreed to marry the woman his family has choosen for him. Even if he can't love her, even if she loves another man.

John is a 37 years old veteran, tired of the madness of the world, but still eager for the human touch even if he can't touch nobody: when he touch someone, he is overwhelmed by the thought and feelings of the other person, and it is very stressful. But when he touch Toshi, he only feel warn and the feeling to be his. And the need to be with him. The touch of Toshi is like a shell from the outside world.

More they dig on the case, and more they understand that something not human is involved with the cases, and that their love is not unrelated to it.

A very interesting suspence romance novel, where the romance maybe sometimes steal the scene to the suspence, but it is not a negative thing, cause Toshi and John are two wonderful characters, very balanced: no one is more stronger or weaker to the other.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/63...

Toshi's superior decides they need help and locates John Holmes, a Boston psychic who collaborates extensively with the American police. John is a Gulf War veteran who became psychic in the wake of ... http://www.obsidianbookshelf.com/hisb... ( )