From Publishers Weekly
The execution-style murder of a Japanese businessman, who's shot through the temple while engaged in calligraphy at his Brooklyn home, dramatically opens Donohue's intriguing second martial arts thriller (after 2003's Sensei). Dr. Connor Burke, a history scholar and black belt, gets enlisted by his NYPD detective brother Micky, who's his spiritual polar opposite, to decipher the calligraphic writing left by the victim at the crime scene. The inked message implicates followers of a revered Tibetan lama in this and two other murders. Charged with protecting the lama, who's at the center of a conflict involving a rising charismatic sensei (aka teacher), political threats in Tibet and competing martial arts disciplines, Burke journeys to the lama's reclusive mountain retreat, where he's stalked by a hulking Korean-American named Han. Using an economy of words that echoes the uncluttered atmosphere of the dojo, the traditional Japanese training hall, Donohue glides effortlessly between the disciplined, mystical culture of the martial arts community and the chaotic thrum of the streets. Peppered with musings of Eastern philosophy, gritty cop lingo and occasional understated humor, this mystery with its fresh protagonist will appeal to all kinds of readers, not just martial arts aficionados. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
The author follows up his excellent debut, Sensei (2003), with this less successful sequel. Connor Burke, the martial-arts expert, again helps investigate a murder in which martial arts play a key role. But where Sensei ("teacher") featured sharply drawn characters and a unique environment, Deshi ("pupil") seems formulaic by comparison. The main supporting characters are back, a pair of cops (one of whom is Connor's brother), but here their banter is more irritating than entertaining. In the first novel, it seemed entirely plausible that Connor, a civilian, would be brought into a murder investigation; here it feels forced. And the relationship between Connor and his sensei, Yamashita, which was charming in the first book, here seems ponderous. All that being said, this isn't a bad novel; it's just markedly inferior to its predecessor. Not recommendable on its own but worth buying on the strength of its predecessor and the likelihood that the Burke series will be good enough in the long run to justify complete holdings. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Asian scholar and martial artist Connor Burke, who continues to labor under the stern tutelage of the master warrior Yamashita Sensei, is drawn into a murder investigation when the police discover a link between the victim and the mysterious Kita Takanobu - a prominent martial arts sensei who has created a powerful New Age synthesis of Tibetan mysticism and the lethal heritage of the samurai. Along the way, Burke also finds himself pulled into the strange orbit of the Lama Changpa, a Tibetan mystic and clairvoyant who sees the dark clouds drawing in around Kita but is helpless to prevent a tragedy. Burke follows a trail that ultimately leads to Kita's elite mountain temple, where he will face his most deadly challenge ever.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The execution-style murder of a Japanese businessman, who's shot through the temple while engaged in calligraphy at his Brooklyn home, dramatically opens Donohue's intriguing second martial arts thriller (after 2003's Sensei). Dr. Connor Burke, a history scholar and black belt, gets enlisted by his NYPD detective brother Micky, who's his spiritual polar opposite, to decipher the calligraphic writing left by the victim at the crime scene. The inked message implicates followers of a revered Tibetan lama in this and two other murders. Charged with protecting the lama, who's at the center of a conflict involving a rising charismatic sensei (aka teacher), political threats in Tibet and competing martial arts disciplines, Burke journeys to the lama's reclusive mountain retreat, where he's stalked by a hulking Korean-American named Han. Using an economy of words that echoes the uncluttered atmosphere of the dojo, the traditional Japanese training hall, Donohue glides effortlessly between the disciplined, mystical culture of the martial arts community and the chaotic thrum of the streets. Peppered with musings of Eastern philosophy, gritty cop lingo and occasional understated humor, this mystery with its fresh protagonist will appeal to all kinds of readers, not just martial arts aficionados. Agent, Jacques de Spoelberg. (Feb. 21) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews