Travel to another place and time with I. J. Parker's Sugawara Akitada series set in 11th-century Japan. In these fast-paced adventures, Akitada, an impoverished nobleman and earnest young government clerk, is on assignment for the Ministry of Justice. He meets with political intrigue, bandits, renegade monks, and more, as he investigates murders and other mayhem for the Japanese court. He earns a reputation for solving crimes and is awarded a post as a provisional governor in a far province. These are wonderfully written mysteries with fascinating period and cultural detail and sharp humor. The 17 (!) books in this series so far are best read in chronological order. The first four are: The Dragon Scroll, Rashomon Gate, Black Arrow, Island of Exile. For a list of all of the titles, see: http://ww2.kdl.org/libcat/whatsnext.asp or amazon.com.

"Parker's remarkable command of 11th-century Japanese history -from the rituals of the royal court to the minutiae of daily life within Japan's often rigid caste system -makes for an excellent whodunit. Readers will be enchanted by Akitada, an honorable sleuth who proves more progressive than his time."- Publisher's Weekly

"Parker does a masterful job of conveying human drama without resorting to melodrama. More than just a mystery novel, this is a superb piece of literature set against the backdrop of 11th-century Kyoto."- Mark Schreiber, Japan Times

"In the pantheon of mystery books, I.J. Parker's stand alone. Far from simple potboilers, her mysteries weave multiple plot threads into a lush tapestry of Japanese society in the Heian period. Her latest book, The Convict's Sword, features her detective, the judicial clerk Akitada Sugawara, trying to clear the names of two friends, even as he makes decisions about his family more serious than he ever imagined. The result is one of her best - if not the best-books yet, a complex and heady mix of suspense and Asian culture written with authority and flair."
- Mike Street

"Shamus-winner Parker ... deftly pulls the reader into the world of 11th-century Japan ... and manages the impressive feat of presenting a classic whodunit in an exotic and unfamiliar setting."- Publisher's Weekly