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James Melville
Full Series List in Order
A Superintendent Otani Mystery
1 - Wages of Zen (1979)2 - The Chrysanthemum Chain (1980)
3 - A Sort of Samurai (Aug-1981)
4 - The Ninth Netsuke (May-1982)
5 - Sayonara, Sweet Amaryllis (Apr-1985)
6 - Death of a Daimyo (Dec-1984)
7 - The Death Ceremony (Dec-1985)
8 - Go Gently, Gaijin (Aug-1986)
9 - Kimono for a Corpse (Feb-1988)
10 - The Reluctant Ronin (Apr-1988)
11 - A Haiku for Hanae (Oct-1989)
12 - The Bogus Buddha (1990)
13 - The Body Wore Brocade (Nov-1992)
Book List in Order: 18 titles
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Wages of Zen
- 1979
- / Law Enforcement
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In 1979 James Melville introduced a significant new figure in to British crime fiction the Japanese detective Superintendent Tetsuo Otani of the Hyogo Prefectural Police. Otani, a very human but also very Japanese policeman, has to supervise an inves...
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The Chrysanthemum Chain
- 1980
- / Law Enforcement
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The second case for Superintendent Otani of the Hyogo Prefecture of Honshu, the main island of Japan, where the death of a respected foreign academic presents a problem not just for the police but also for Andrew Walker the young British Vice-Consul ...
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A Sort of Samurai
- Aug-1981
- / Law Enforcement
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When the body of a German businessman is found in a disused warehouse in the aftermath of a local earthquake, Superintendent Otani and his trusted detectives - the streetwise 'Ninja' Noguchi and the flamboyant Jiro Kimura - believe it to be a routine...
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The Ninth Netsuke
- May-1982
- / Law Enforcement
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The discovery of a small ivory figurine leads Inspector Otani of the Tokyo police into violent mystery that threatens his own life and his home...
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Sayonara, Sweet Amaryllis
- Apr-1985
- / Law Enforcement
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A clash of cultures, specifically, the Japanese taste of fugu fish and the Western delight in madrigal singing, lies at the heart of the unorthodox crime confounding Inspector Otani, whose investigation points to the guilt of one of his own aides...
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The Death Ceremony
- Dec-1985
- / Law Enforcement
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Inspector Otani submerges himself in a murder at a ceremonial tea in James Melville's latest, highly praised mystery. Martin's....
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Go Gently, Gaijin
- Aug-1986
- / Law Enforcement
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Gaijin means foreigner, and two dead ones make a puzzle for Superintendent Otani and his men. First, a member of Kobe's Arab community is killed. Then another Arab is found dead, an apparent suicide. The deaths seem to be connected, but Otani and his...
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Imperial Way
- Dec-1987
- / General Fiction
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Japanese-American journalist Lesli Hoshino uncovers a past of forbidden love, assassination, and the violence of clashing cultures while researching the life of Jiro Shimada, a powerful Japanese industrialist...
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Kimono for a Corpse
- Feb-1988
- / Law Enforcement
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MURDER A LA MODE Intrigue makes an unscheduled runway appearance at an international fashion show when a world-famous designer reports threats of blackmail. Otani and his top aide Kimura of the Kobe police think it could be a put-up job. Just w...
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The Reluctant Ronin
- Apr-1988
- / Law Enforcement
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When a beautiful foreign executive is found murdered carrying a photograph of Otani's daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild in her purse, no one is more surprised than the illustrious inspector himself. What could this gaijin want with his family? And...
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The Body Wore Brocade
- Nov-1992
- / Law Enforcement
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"Melville's strength lies in creating complex and beguiling characters and...he's never been better."
THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
Wandering among New Year's revelers, Superintendent Otani is shot in the back. By strange coincidence, the Noh per... -
Diplomatic Baggage
- Oct-1995
- / Law Enforcement
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Having built a healthy following for his Japanese police detective, Superintendent Tetsuo Otani over the course of 13 novels, Melville here introduces a new series hero, cultural attach Ben Lazenby of the British Foreign Service. The newly divorced L...
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Night Flight
- Aug-1996
- / Mystery
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Crime in all its devious incarnations is presented in this treat of murderous morsels dished out by old ppros and promising newcomers. Artfully crafted and impossible to put down, each story bountifully demooonstrates why these authors are la creme d...
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