Black Arrow

Very good installment in a series that gets better with each new novel.
Akitada moves to the Northern part of the empire, newly assigned governor of Echigo. A cold, isolated place where the local lord is the law. Lots of intrigues, some good characters development, new friends and foes add to the already mismatched team supporting Akitada in his new post.

Parker succeeds in bringing new readers into an existing series quite easily, you don't need to start with the first book, you can start with this one and go back. She also makes faithful readers comfortable and happy to meet old friends again.

Akitada along with his new wife and four servants are sent to the far northern province of Echigo as imperial governor. The locals are sullen and unfriendly, the nobles are in the habit of defying imperial authority, and Akitada has no army to enforce his edicts.

He must deal with the power of the local judge and police, the local religious power, a corrupt merchant with an economic empire, and the local lord who sees himself as the rightful ruler. The mystery deaths pile up as various plots are afoot, and as some try to fool Akitada into making a public mistake.

Again a very well done setting and culture of the Japanese past. The characters are wonderful, and the story was interesting and well written.

The author always includes a DP, a show more map and some sort of note about what is true, what is made up, and where the ideas for the story are drawn from. Wonderful series, and I can't wait for the next one. show less

I find the historical setting of these mysteries fascinating and like the character of Akitada very much. However, I found that, though Roy Vongtama's narration was fine, I absorb the Japanese names more easily when reading than when listening. Therefore I had some trouble at first figuring out who was who in this audiobook.

Our hero Sugawara Akitada is now the Provisional Governor of a remote northern provence of Ancient Japan. He is faced with a series of problems which threaten his life and the lives of his family and his loyal retainers. This seems to be a fairly accurate picture of the times which the Historical note at the end confirms. Although not the best of this series,this is nevertheless a very readable book.

5 Stars. Another very good IJ Parker book