The Hell Screen: A Mystery of Ancient Japan [Hardcover]

 

 

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I.J. Parker surpassed many of her peers when she spun up the first story of Sugawara Akitada, an impoverished aristocrat in Japanese's medieval times.

And she does an even more entertaining -- and chilling -- job in the second book in the series "The Hell Screen," spinning together plenty of weird humor, a truly horrific serial killer, and plenty of historical details about medieval Japan's capital city. And her hero -- the perpetually stressed-out Akitada -- is a solid detective with plenty of brains and some intriguing skeletons hidden in his past.

After some years as a provisional governor, Sugawara Akitada is returning to Heian Kyo (Kyoto) ahead of his wife and baby son. His mother is dying, and even though they can't stand each other, traditions dictate he should be there. Along the way there he stays in a Buddhist monastery and hears a scream in the middle of the night -- and upon returning to Hiean Kyo, he learns that a young woman was murdered by her brother-in-law that night. It has nothing to do with Akitada until he learns that his younger sister Yoshiko is in love with the man who is accused of murder.

Even worse, his brother-in-law has been accused of stealing imperial treasures, so Akitada does some snooping around. But his investigations lead him back to the woman murdered in the monastery, a feisty female wrester, a traveling troupe, and to a strange old artist who makes extremely graphic "hell screens" for monks -- and who may be a murderer himself. But if he doesn't quickly uncover who is involved in the assorted deaths, he might be the next one to die....

Most murder mysteries take place either in gritty modern urban settings, or in cozy Anglo/American settings. So the setting of "The Hell Screen" is unusual in itself, since its urban setting is not only decidedly unmodern but is ruled by the mores and laws of a now-past historical era. And while Parker has clearly done her research, she doesn't overwhelm readers by trying to show how much she knows -- she simply coats her mysteries in the rich flavours, rituals and traditions of Heian-era Japan and lets the story flow.

The basics of your average murder mystery are here: A lot of clues, coverups, clever tricks, red herrings, a persistent detective and a disgruntled cop who hates it when the detective gets the limelight. And as in the first book, there are multiple crimes with multiple guilty parties -- theft, cold-blooded financial murder, and even a serial killer. Parker interweaves several different subplots with a juggler's dexterity -- the weird old artist, the seemingly obvious murder of the woman at the monastery, and the involvement of a acrobatic troupe. And Akitada is distracted during all of this by his continuing family troubles, especially since Mommy Dearest is about to croak.

And Parker's solid, detailed writing is able to evoke some pretty ghastly scenes, such as when poor Akitada is left to slowly freeze to death outdoors. But she also loosens up with some fun comic relief, mostly from ex-ruffian servants Genbu and Tora -- and particularly from Miss Plumblossom, an imposing and obese acrobat who does something really cruel to Tora's manly bits.

As for Akitada, he's a solid detective -- smart, logical, and now a doting daddy as well as a loving husband. Some new facets of his life are revealed in this book, as Akitada finds out why his mother has always loathed him and the true nature of his origins. Tora and Genba serve as excellent backup -- although Genba gets distracted by Miss Plumblossom -- while Yoshiko gets to take a front-and-center role in this book, when she tries to stand by her imprisoned lover.

Heian-era mystery, death, love and theft are all interwoven in "The Hell Screen," and IJ Parker's likable detectives and solid writing mean that there's room for many more of her books on the mystery shelves.

I don't know, but an 11th century Japanese aristocrat using words like "tomboy" just doesn't do it for me....while Parker's second novel is OK, it isn't anywhere near as polished as the Sano Ichiro series by Laura Joh Rowland.

I.J. Parker's "Rashomon Gate" was a solid, multilayered mystery that strays away from the typical twentieth-century American/British settings. The attention to detail, humor and horror intertwine to make her second book "The Hell Screen: A Mystery of Ancient Japan" even more likable than the first.

Sugawara Akitada is returning to Heian Kyo (Kyoto) after a time as a provisional governer far from home. He rides ahead of his beloved wife and young son, since his mother is dying and he wants to get there before she does die. When he spends the night at a Buddhist monastery along the way, he hears a scream in the middle of the night -- and when he returns to Heian Kyo, he learns that a woman was murdered by her brother-in-law that night.

To make things even worse, his sister Akiko's new husband is accused of stealing imperial treasures. Looking for the stolen objects leads him back to the murdered woman, and a disturbing secret about his own family: His other sister, Yoshiko, is in love with the man who seems to have murdered his sister-in-law. Perhaps most horrifyingly, he will learn the grisly secret behind the monastery's graphic depiction of torture, the "hell screen."

The basics of your average murder mystery are here: A lot of clues, coverups, clever tricks, red herrings, a persistent detective and a disgruntled cop. The setting is unusual in itself, since most mysteries don't dip into Heian-era Japan, which is shown in rich detail in "Hell Screen." Parker has clearly done her research. She doesn't overwhelm you with too many details of her research, just letting it flow.

Parker also shows her ability to manage subplots: Akitada is distracted by his mother's rage toward him, and a startling secret about his parentage. We also get to see more of Genba and Tora, a pair of ex-ruffians who work for Akitada. There's also more humor in this book than in "Rashomon Gate," as if Parker has loosened up. (Exhibit A: The imposing, obese acrobat, Miss Plumblossom, and what she does to poor Tora) As in the first book, there are multiple crimes with multiple guilty parties -- theft, cold-blooded financial murder, and even a serial killer.

Akitada is a good detective. He's smart and has a logical mind, while still being flawed; his carelessness almost gets him killed at one point. Tora and Genba serve as good backups, and police superintendent Kobe is still stubborn and unwilling to take Akitada's help. Additionally, Akitada's sister Yoshiko -- a minor character in the first book -- gets to go front and center when she tries to stand by her imprisoned lover.

Mystery fans will enjoy Parker's second mystery set in Heian-era Japan, and the likable hero and characters she's crafted for it. "Hell Screen: A Mystery of Ancient Japan" is a solid sequel, and highly recommended.

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4.0 out of 5 stars "What sort of mind could call up such scenes of horror?"
In a dramatic opening scene, a woman and an unconscious man wait in the darkness of a monastery cell for the woman's lover, who arrives bearing the body of a another young woman... Read more

Published on Feb 21 2004 by Mary Whipple

5.0 out of 5 stars Page-Turner With Exotic Setting - I.J. Parker Does It Again
I can hardly put these mysteries (Hell Screen and Rashomon Gate) down. If you like a mystery in a colorful period setting, you'll love these! Read more

Published on Feb 15 2004 by Areve Alexander

5.0 out of 5 stars strong amateur sleuth eleventh century Japanese mystery
With his mother ill and perhaps dying, government clerk Akitada Sugawara returns home from the provincial north to Edo. Read more

Published on Oct 1 2003 by Harriet Klausner

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