CompleteMartialArts.com - Black Arrow
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List Price: $14.00
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Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780143035619
ISBN: 0143035614
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 368
Publication Date: 2006-11-28
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Editorial Reviews:
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In I. J. Parker’s latest mystery set in ancient Japan, a cold and hostile land pits Akitada against his deadliest foe yet
I. J. Parker’s engrossing historical novels bring eleventh-century Japan to life in all its colorful, treacherous glory. As Black Arrow opens, Sugawara Akitada assumes his new post as provisional governor of Echigo, a frigid province in the far north notorious for its hostility to outsiders. But the snow that threatens to completely isolate the region is the least of his problems—which include a local uprising, a series of brutal murders, and a mystery that’s as old as the frozen hills and a lot more dangerous. Superbly written and rich in period detail, Black Arrow is another bravura performance from a master of the historical thriller.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Action Japan
Comment: Of the series this book has the greatest amount of action. The battle scenes are well done and graphic. Sugawara is at his best with sword drawn and facing his destiny. The 11th century comes alive with intrigue --highly recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A nice one from a consistently engaging author
Comment: OK, I'll admit my bias right up front, I love historical mysteries, especially Japanese ones. That being said, this one is quite excellent by any standard.
The best part is that it is a thinker's mystery, a "try to figure out who did it" mystery. The humor, the historical information, the authentic detail aside, it is easy to enjoy this one just for the puzzle of the interrelated crimes.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing
Comment: The opening forward hooks you right into the action. Although this is one in a series, it doesn't spend an extraordinary amount of time rehashing the characters pasts. The plot is satisfyingly cunning while the character development is entertaining.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A GOOD PERIOD NOVEL - A NOT SO GOOD INVESTIGATING YARN
Comment: 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.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wonderful series!
Comment: I love these books for their portrayal of Japanese culture - and the mysteries are all right, too! I have even tried to get each of her short stories from old Alfred Hitchcock magazines. Don't miss these if you love historical fiction/mysteries.
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