Customer Reviews

The Hell Scree: A Mystery of 11th-Century Japan Featuring Sugawara Akitada (Penguin Mysteries)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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. Annoyed when her lover shows signs of weakness and has qualms about beheading the corpse, the woman begins the gory process herself. The reader quickly becomes caught up in the action as a former official in the Justice Department, also spending the night at the same monastery, begins an investigation into the murder. Clever deduction, additional gory murders, threats to the life of the investigator, and his single-minded dedication to unmasking the murderers, while combatting professional jealousies among his peers, make this an exciting addition to the traditional murder mystery genre.

Only the structure of the novel is traditional, however, for this murder takes place in eleventh century Japan, and the detective is Lord Akitada Sugawara. Seen primarily as a family man, he is fully drawn, a man with foibles and failings, in addition to high ideals of honor. As Akitada investigates the murder, the author subtly develops the intellectual climate of the times: the use of hell screens in Buddhist monasteries to instill the fear of death, the value placed on antiquities and the scholarly life, and the integration of art (calligraphy, painting, elaborate embroidering, and flute-playing) into the lives of the characters. Customs, including the payment of dowries, the leaving of paper messages at local shrines, the social separations between classes, funeral and mourning customs, and the obligations of the aristocracy to the court, combine gracefully with period details, even including the kind of straw raincoat and headcovering worn by travelers, and the number of finely made, colorful silk gowns worn under a woman's kimono.

Intelligent and impelled to action more by his passions than by his sense of duty, Akitada comes alive, while his "helpers"--Tora, a former soldier, and Genba, a former wrestler--add liveliness, spark, and comic relief to the novel. Tora falls in love with an acrobat/actress, and Genba falls for the immense owner of an athletic training hall, a wonderful character named Miss Plumblossom, who is an expert in stick-fighting. The author's ability to reveal emotion through gestures (a hand on a servant's shoulder and the servant touching the fingers in return) is matched by her ability to describe scenes of humor, love, and torment. In short, she recreates life in its beauty and sorrow as lived by characters with whom the reader will feel a kinship, despite the unusual setting in another country over a millennium ago. Mary Whipple

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.

At a temple outside Heian Kyo, the wife of a wealthy antique dealer is found, brutally murdered, in the room of her brother-in-law, who is immediately arrested for murder. He claims he did not do it, but he has no remembrance of the evening at all.

Akitada is just returning to Heian Kyo from several years as a provincial governor, and present the temple on the night of the murder. He hears a woman scream that evening, but it is not until several days later that he learns of the crime. Despite Inspector Kobe's reluctance, Akitada turns his deductive skills to the case, while also trying to remove his own brother-in-law out of a bit of a potentially ruining situation.

Meanwhile, Akitada's servant, the womanizing Tora, decides to prove his deductive prowess, and find "the slasher" that is mutilating women in the Pleasure Quarters. He has seen the slasher's work and is determined to stop him.

As with the first Akitada novel, there is a lot going on. But, Ms. Parker pulls it off with style and intelligence. The descriptions of eleventh-century Japan are detailed, and yet casual so that the reader doesn't feel that history is being pushed down the throat. Akitada and his friends and family are convincingly real and the plot is credible.

On the whole, this five star mystery is a worthy successor to (also five star) Rashomon Gate and Ms. Parker keeps rising in my esteem as a gifted author.

With his mother ill and perhaps dying, government clerk Akitada Sugawara returns home from the provincial north to Edo. Some things never change in Akitada' mind as his rancorous mother rips his skin off from almost the moment he arrives.

However, Akitada has bigger problems than surviving the acrimonious Lady S. His sisters turn to Akitada for help. His older sister's husband is accused of stealing government treasures. His other sister loves Kojiro, a landowner whose social standing is beneath that of the noble Sugawara, making him unsuitable for her. However, worse yet is his sibling pleads with him to help Kojiro, a prime suspect of police inspector Kobe in his investigation of a vicious murder.

THE HELL SCREEN is a strong amateur sleuth eleventh century Japanese mystery that will provide plenty of entertainment for those readers who enjoy something different. Akitada is a strong detective following clues in a methodical manner. It is interesting to notice the contrast between Akitada is Kobe, who resents his rival and prefers fast solutions whether he catches the right culprit or not. This is a strong tale rich with eleventh century Japanese culture though at times the "formal" dialogue feels like a certain female sumo wrestler ran over the reader.

Harriet Klausner

This is I. J. Parker's second novel set in 11th Century Heian Japan. As is always the case in Japanese culture, the politics of the time were extremely complex. Small missteps could quickly turn into personal disasters. Such has been the case for Sugawara Akitada, who was sent from the capital in disgrace to a position as provisional governor of a distant province. Unexpectedly successful, Sugawara has been allowed to return to the royal presence. He is traveling back with his family and retinue when a messenger intercepts them with news that Akitada's mother is in her final illness. Rushing back, Sugawara spends the night at a monastery and inadvertently overhears a murder.

Back in the capital, Sugawara finds his house in disarray - his mother, even dying, tries her son's patience with her constant criticism and the abuse of his sister Yoshiko, who has remained unmarried in order to care for her mother. Adding to the complication, the husband of Sugawara's other sister is suspected of stealing from the royal treasury and asks for his help. One thing leads to another, and Sugawara realizes that the screams he heard in the monastery are connected somehow to the mysteries confronting him in Tokyo. It seems that Sugawara has little hope of enjoying the fruits of his success in Eichigo province.

Parker is an excellent writer and fills her pages with a complicated story of murder and insanity. Always taking the time to share the details of life in a city that was one of the most sophisticated of its time. Comparisons with Laura Joh Rowland are inevitable, and it is this depth of detail that keeps Parker from simply being a copycat. Rowland's forte is her character development. Thus both authors have much to offer in mystery stories set some 600 years apart. In either case the reader is treated to a good mystery story, strong writing, and everything a Japanophile could ever want.

On one hand you want to get all the details, all the clues to help the reader, maybe, get to solve the mystery before Akitada. On the other hand being trapped in Akitada's mind for most of the novel can drive me crazy. Mostly because I don't like his character. Maybe because he is TOO realistic. Unlike Sherlock Holmes, he is kind of slow and gets too emotional at times. Yes, I understand duty and honor is important to the Japanese but it sometimes feels like I am watching a five year old acting like a detective. I DO like both Tora and Genba but we don't get to even see them till about a third of the way into the story.
Like the first novel, a lot of the strands of the story end up weaving together. But be warned, like in the first there are many mysteries and it can get very confusing. Sadly, following Akitada around does not clear things up. In fact it seems to toss even more mud into the water.
Get it used if you must. The book just didn't hook me and the ending seemed tacked on.

I stumble on the Sugawara Akitada Mystery by accident, and they are one of the best who do it novels around. If you like Sherlock Holmes, Judge Dee you are not going to be dissapointed.

The narrator for this book does an amazing job. You could listen to his voice endlessly! This Japanese mystery was a great thrill. The mystery is riveting and you learn a lot about ancient Japanese culture. The story is equal parts mystery, equals parts family drama. I especially like the dramatic ending! This has to be one of the best audiobooks I've listened to in a really long time. Don't miss this one!

IJ Parker is an amazing author. I find her books to be wonderful reads and The Hell Screen did not disappoint. I stayed up until I had finished it!

Brilliant book. Ideally you need to have read the previous books in the series for some of it to make sense chronologically but the plot can easily stand alone as a superb example of historical mystery/murder/thriller writing. There is enough of the supernatural in the story to satisfy without going over the top and becoming a fantasy novel. There is also enough doubt on the part of the hero as to whether he did or didn't see/hear anything to make the reader wonder as well. And the book gives an interesting side light into Buddism, which until this book I had always thought of as a peaceful, philosophical belief that didn't go in for violence whereas the Buddism shown in this book is more akin to the Taoism of the Judge Dee novels with it's firery furnaces and devils/demons. Read it, it will give you a whole new insight into early Japan and their religious practices/beliefs, painlessly including the knowledge as an integral part of a plot line, and a plot intriguing enough that once I had started the book I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. A rare occurance and one that ensures that this series will feature prominently on my bookcase.