Sensei

Just finished a book I've borrowed from the Singapore Library titled 'Sensei' by John Donohue. The book is basically about this white guy called Connor Burke who is a martial arts expert, training under his Japanese Sensei. Conner was then pulled into an investigation on the deaths of various Japanese martial arts experts in America. The reason for this...his brother is the leading investigator on one of the deaths. The deaths then leaded the brothers to Conner's sensei as well as an art exhibition Conner was consulting on. Yes, coincidences like these are all abound in the book. That plus the Japanese mumbo jumbo (name for handsigns anyone?) that littered the book means that it will not be for everyone.

Having said that, this book was clearly a labour of love for the author. It is stated in the book that John Donohue is an expert in various martial arts. I believe it. He knows what he is writing about and could name the various martial art holds like clockwork. However, it also seems that he wasn't that confident in his writing abilities. At times he will write stuff like "it's hard to explain", as if to apologies up front if the reader do not understand him. However, the fast pace of the book makes it a good read. So if you are a martial arts fan, this book may be for you. Check it out.