- "This mess, as you call it, is a great opportunity for both of us. The City of the Rich Frog is far from the prying eyes of the Crane, or the politicking of the Winter Court. We can both relax here, serene in the knowledge that our responsibilities are minimal and no one cares about us in the least."— The titular character, before being proven wrong
The Daidoji Shin Mysteries, written by Josh Reynolds, is a series of tie-in Legend of the Five Rings novels. The first novel was released in December 2020.
Children of the Crane Clan are not useless. From birth, they are taught to excel in all things and work hard for the glory of the Rokugan Empire. Perfection is a Crane's responsibility to himself, his family, and his vassals. It's a weight not everyone can bear.
Daidoji Shin is a useless Crane. Cultured, intelligent, and utterly irresponsible, he spends his days chasing hedonistic pleasures. Despairing of his embarrassing ways, Shin's Clan assign him to a sinecure in the City of the Rich Frog, a coarse harbor where he cannot damage their reputation any further.
Then a shipment of poisoned rice is found, throwing the city's factions into turmoil- and its governor orders Shin to investigate. Now he's scouring the city for clues, crossing swords with criminals, and maybe- just maybe- finding something he'll let himself care about.
Many believe there are no useless Cranes. Now, lives depend on that being true.
Spoilers below, as this is a mystery series.
This series contains the following tropes:
- Accidental Murder: In The Flower Path. Choki replaced Nao's makeup with a substance that would make him sick, not knowing that Etsuko would steal the substance and have an allergic reaction to it. His later attempts at a cover-up murder, however, were very deliberate.
- Combat Hand Fan: Shin's favored weapon, as befits a Gentleman Detective, is a fan edged with sharpened steel.
- Benevolent Boss: Shin, when he becomes the patron of the Three Flower Troupe. The troupe are scared of him, because of class differences, but they also trust him to solve their problems and protect them from political threats. In particular, they trust that he wouldn't have made them put up with Etsuko unless they needed the money her fame brought in.
- Locking MacGyver in the Store Cupboard: Initially, Shin panics when he's locked in a burning drum tower. Then he realizes he's an idiot, and quickly starts drumming the naval code for "fire" as loudly as possible. Help arrives quickly. The trope is justified in that Shin's captor was surprised beforehand and didn't have time to make a solid plan.
