Book Review: Mara's Flowery Arrows

Summary from GoodReads:

Does a mysterious manuscript, discovered by chance in the library of a Burma's monastery, contain the oldest thriller story of Southeast Asia literature? In the far east of the Indochina peninsula during the Ninth Century A.D., young Prince Asaka fights against the intrigues of the Khmer Court. A son of the Khmer King is found assassinated: why would somebody want to accuse an innocent poor slave of such an important crime? Our hero, also involved in the crime, as owner of the slave as well as more directly, manages to extract himself and to identify the true culprit, thanks to the help of two friends. Twists and turns are abundant in the story; and in the final hearing, although according to the canons of Anglo-Saxon law the development of the latter is unusual, we do find the Public Prosecutor and the Defense Attorney, with abundant cross-questioning ante litteram of the testimonies, documentary proof as well as circumstantial. Not a classic thriller, but rather a mixed genre of police, adventure and spy-story.

My Review: This was a very unusual read. There is a mystery to solve, but also poetry and cryptology. As you read the book, there are bounces from past to future. There are historical items in here as well. This book really is a little of everything. I'm not sure that I've seen anything put together quite like this.

My main problem with the book is that I couldn't really find myself getting connected or attached to any of the characters. There are plenty of twists and turns and a look into another culture that also help to mold this book.

I was drawn to the manuscript. Is it from an ancient time? If you're a fan of mystery, spy, thriller type books and {especially} if you are looking for something different. This is the perfect book.

RATING: ♥♥♥♥

Pages: 254

Softcover

Review copy of this book provided by the author/publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. In no way did the provision of the book affect the outcome of my review.