Kage: The Shadow (Connor Burke Martial Arts Series #4)

by John J. Donohue

Overview

In the seemingly trackless waste of the desert outside Tucson, Arizona, a coyote cross border smuggler is found dead, another victim of the escalating violence on the southwest border.

At the same time, a mysterious best-selling writer's death deepens the controversy surrounding his works.

Rumors surround the late Elliot Westmann, with dark hints of mystic vendettas and a confrontation with an assassin sent to punish Westmann for violating a code of secrecy in his books.

Westmann's daughter hires Connor Burke to assist in unraveling the mystery of her father's death, which the police have labeled as accidental. He is led from the scholarly assessment of Westmann's work to the investigation of Xochi, a magnetic young student of ancient Native cultures and secret trails across the desert.

In the withered and unforgiving landscape of the Southwest, Connor Burke works to pierce the cloud of mystery surrounding Westmann, his work, and a cryptic manuscript that has captured the deadly interest of rival smuggling gangs. Borders are dangerous, and as he uncovers clues suggesting the real reasons why Westmann was killed, he places himself and those he loves in deadly peril. Burke's only hope to solve this mystery is to appeal for the aid and guidance of his teacher, Yamashita. That won't be easy this time.

Kage builds on the characters and plots of the previous Burke novels Sensei, Deshi, and Tengu. It advances the ever-deepening relationship between student and teacher while weaving in time-honored themes of the martial arts— conduct, ordeal, and courage, with events as current as today's headlines.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594392399
Publisher:	YMAA Publication Center
Publication date:	07/01/2011
Series:	Connor Burke Martial Arts Series , #4
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	950,723
File size:	475 KB

About the Author

A nationally know expert on the culture and practice of the martial arts, John Donohue has been banging around dojo for more than 30 years.

Fascinated with the themes of human action and potential he uncovered in his research, John began thinking about the fictional possibilities inherent in the world of the martial arts.

John has always been fascinated with other cultures and was attracted to the Asian martial disciplines because of their blend of philosophy and action. He began studying Shotokan Karatedo in college. He joined practical training with more formal education, completing a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Fusing the way of the pen and the way of the sword, while writing John has trained in the martial disciplines of aikido, iaido, judo, karatedo, kendo, and taiji. He has dan (black belt) ranks in both karatedo and kendo.

Editorial Reviews

"The plot is original and crafty…The characters are fresh and interesting…The dialogue is sharp…The story is entirely absorbing."

Booklist

"The plot is original and crafty…The characters are fresh and interesting…The dialogue is sharp…The story is entirely absorbing."

Booklist