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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Shamus-winner Parker's fourth historical Sugawara Akitada novel (after 2006's Rashomon Gate) deftly combines an action-packed plot with convincing period detail to bring 11th-century Japan to life. When Akitada is dispatched to a remote northern province to serve as its provisional governor, he encounters fierce opposition from the local authorities, who have driven off previous emissaries from the capital in an effort to preserve their corrupt self-governance. The murder of a local innkeeper and the apparent effort to frame three travelers for the crime give Akitada an opening to exert some power by beginning his own independent investigation. Fans of quality traditional mysteries, as well as those with a special interest in Japan, will savor this outing and look forward to the next entry in the series. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Parker turns in the fourth mystery rooted in her fascination with eleventh-century Japan and featuring Sugawara Akitada, a young nobleman down on his luck who has accepted various governmental administrative positions. Akitada ends up investigating murder and other mayhem while trying to govern a hostile population and hold his own family together. A dark secret is at the center of this novel, culminating in the surprise confession of a family member controlling the grand castle in a bone-chilling northern province. Themes familiar to many cultures--the healing power of love, the inherent corruption of government, socioeconomic stratification, and the power of individual honor--permeate the pages. Numerous characters besides Akitada are repeat performers from the previous Parker cast, but Parker wisely presumes no prior knowledge. The historical research is impressive, the prose crisp, and Parker's ability to universalize the human condition makes for a satisfying tale. Steve Weinberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Two men armed with hunting bows rode single file down the steeply sloping track toward the dark huddle of buildings on the plain below. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Two men armed with hunting bows rode single file down the steeply sloping track toward the dark huddle of buildings on the plain below. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Action-Packed,
By
This review is from: Black Arrow (Paperback)
4th novel featuring Sugawara AkitadaThe adventure is beautifully written bringing to life 11th century Japan, its action-packed plot is nicely combined with period details. In this story, Akitada and his lieutenants Tora, Hitomaro and Genda are assigned to the remote and lawless province of Echigo to govern a hostile population and its treacherous warlords. They quickly become entangle in a murder investigation of an innkeeper and many other out of control situations. Forcing them, against all odds and risk to their lives to take up arms and bring the province back under the ultimate control of the Emperor. This novel has a cast of fine characters, real to life, although none shine on their own. The narration is crisp and offers chilling moments with many surprises, the writing skilfully brings to the forefront the brutality of the period. I found even with its many twists the plot to be a bit predictable, removing some of the suspense.The reader will find the battle scenes to be very graphic, definitely not for the faint of heart. This historical thriller is an entertaining addition to the series.
3.0 out of 5 stars
A GOOD PERIOD NOVEL - A NOT SO GOOD INVESTIGATING YARN,
By NeuroSplicer (Freeside, in geosynchronous orbit) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Black Arrow (Paperback)
With all due respect to most of the other reviewers, I found the BLACK ARROW barely adequate.This is the fourth book in the Sugawara Akitada series but it was the first I read - and I do understand this to be an obvious impediment. On the other hand, good novels should be able to shine on their own merit. Without risking any spoilers, I found both the triggering murder case and the underlying conspiracy to be trivial, the plot predictable and the final solution too easy and precipitating out of thin air. What is worse for any novel, there were hardly any characters to empathize with. To be fair, I have to mention that the writing does manage to convey both the serenity and the underlying brutality of 11th century Japan; to contrast the refined yet greedy nobles opposite the coarse yet (mostly) honest peasants; and to present both the easy choices of evil and the even easier ones of virtue. In the end though, it was not enough to make this book raise above mediocrity.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
series keeps getting better,
By Janet Martin - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Black Arrow (Paperback)
A rich and textured novel set in 11th century Japan reveals layers of society in a period not much known by Westerners. Sugawara Akitada, a minor government official with a penchant for finding truth is sent to a far northern province to analyze accounts and serve as goveror. He immediately finds himself surrounded by intrigue and, with bodies piling up in his makeshift morgue, there plenty of immediate problems to solve. Rebelling warlords, secretive outcasts, and the sexual shenanagans of ordinary folk are almost too much for one man to manage, but Akitada threads his way through the morass and unravels the tangled mysteries. A fine read, and terrific listen!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A GOOD PERIOD NOVEL - A NOT SO GOOD INVESTIGATING YARN,
By NeuroSplicer - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Black Arrow (Paperback)
With all due respect to most of the other reviewers, I found the BLACK ARROW barely adequate.This is the fourth book in the Sugawara Akitada series but it was the first I read - and I do understand this to be an obvious impediment. On the other hand, good novels should be able to shine on their own merit. Without risking any spoilers, I found both the triggering murder case and the underlying conspiracy to be trivial, the plot predictable and the final solution too easy and precipitating out of thin air. What is worse for any novel, there were hardly any characters to empathize with. To be fair, I have to mention that the writing does manage to convey both the serenity and the underlying brutality of 11th century Japan; to contrast the refined yet greedy nobles opposite the coarse yet (mostly) honest peasants; and to present both the easy choices of evil and the even easier ones of virtue. In the end though, it was not enough to make this book raise above mediocrity. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Series,
By Grimgrin4488 - Published on Amazon.com
Black Arrow is just one of a truely brilliant historical novel series. I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes samurai detective novels. Kindle is probably the easiest and cheapest way to acquire the full set.
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