Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews , September 15, 1997
His first stab at amateur sleuthing (Death in Little Tokyo, 1996) has given unemployed computer programmer Ken Tanaka his 15 minutes of fame, most of them in Japan, where he's invited to be a guest on the News Pop TV show. With the earnest friendliness of a tour guide, Ken shares what he's learning about Japanese manners, families, dining, dress, driving, and cultural assimilation, slipping in illustrative jokes as conscientiously as a preacher. Gradually, though, he realizes that the two thugs following him are interested in more than a mugging; the 17th- century sword he picked up at a garage sale is one of the keys to a treasure, and somebody (the Yakuza? a militaristic right-wing group?) has been traveling the world stealing other swords in the set and killing their owners. Lightweight vacation fare, though it does makes you worry that Ken might find himself seriously out of his depth if he fulfills his climactic vow to qualify as a private eye back in L.A. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. 

Synopsis
When Ken Tanaka is flown to Tokyo to be interviewed about his role in solving a crime in California, the trip is transformed from one of pleasure to one of intrigue. He quickly becomes embroiled in a mystery surrounding his samurai sword. The sword, which he bought at a garage sale, turns out to be a rare, 17th-century artifact that is somehow connected to the Toyotomi clan. Now, Ken must try to fend off the yakuza who are trailing him while he simultaneously tries to unravel the mystery behind the sword. Martin's Press.

Synopsis
Japanese-American Ken Tanaka goes to Japan for his first visit and quickly finds himself wrapped up in a mystery involving his rare 17th century samurai sword that may be the key to a centuries old mystery some people don't want him to solve.

In Kill the Shogun, award-winning mystery writer Dale Furutani presents the latest in his popular samurai mystery series. He returns to the journey of Matsuyama Kaze, the masterless warrior destined to travel the seventeenth-century Japanese countryside until he fulfills the dying wish of his murdered lord's wife. Until now, Kaze's quick wit and samurai skills have enabled him to solve crimes, untangle himself from deadly schemes, and protect the innocent, all the while keeping his sense of justice and honor. But the danger now facing Kaze, from enemies known and unknown, is greater than ever.

Kaze is the closest he's ever come to fulfilling his quest to rescue his lord's kidnapped daughter. Following a trail of clues, he is led to Edo, the bustling new capital of Japan. Treading in unfamiliar territory, Kaze is the object of a deadly manhunt when an attempt on the Shogun's life fails. He must dodge his lord's rivals, even as he learns that the young girl has been sold into prostitution. In his quest to save her, Kaze teams up with an eccentric cast of local characters who bring feudal Japan to life. The samurai must clear his name and rescue the child as the odds against him grow.

With his sensitivity and strength, Matsuyama Kaze has been described by Publishers Weekly as embodying "both compassion and ruthlessness." Furutani deftly combines Kaze's compelling spirit, a complex plot, and an acute sense of historical detail to produce an exciting, haunting tale of one warrior's noble quest.

Buy this book.