This book starts off boring, never picks up, and finishes with a big yawn as well. The characters and plot are flat, and it was a chore to get through the book. I tried picking up the sequel to "get through it", and I couldn't stand slogging my way through another of these books and had to put it down to read something else. I somewhat got the feeling that the author was trying, in some way shape or form, to produce a mystery that also contained elements or hints of "The Tale of Genji", with the end result being a very boring read. Don't waste your time with this book, or it's sequel.