As an Asian American mystery lover, I have waited a long time for a mystery series by and about Asian Americans. Finally it is here, and it was worth the wait! Dale Furutani has done an excellent job with Ken Tanaka, a regular guy who happens to be a dealing with a lot of issues many of us face - the downsizing of the corporate America, male-female relationships in the '90s, and racial discrimination in a supposedly color-blind world. Oh, and then there's the murder! Despite the weightiness of some of these topics, this is not a heavy-handed or depressing book at all. In fact the style is very clever and witty, and the plot moves trippingly along. It is not too violent, but not a cozy either - I think it would appeal to fans of many genres of mystery, as well as those who do not normally read mystery novels. Highly recommended! Laura Marple

Death in Little Tokyo is a nominee for an Agatha award as the best first mystery novel of 1996

Meet Ken Tanaka, Japanese American, Vietnam Vet, recently unemployed, member of the Los Angeles Mystery Club, sweet on a woman 10 years his junior, and a down right nice guy. Ken opens a detective agency, not to solve crimes, but as a prop for the mystery crime he is creating for his month as leader of the LA Mystery Club, a sporadic weekend group that solves made up crimes for fun. Ken Tanaka even goes to such lengths that he has his name etched on the glass door of his pretend office as another prop to impress the other club members. But in LA pretending to be a detective can be dangerous. Tanaka attracts some shady LA characters who refuse no as an answer when searching for a slick LA detective. In less than 20 pages, Ken finds himself encompassed with a gory murder and a scary, rough Japanese crime gang. Mr. Furutani's success with DEATH IN LITTLE TOKYO is multi-fold. First he is tremendously successful in this first novel of establishing a likable and believable protagonist in Ken Tanaka and a handful of memorable other characters to include a spry elderly Japanese woman who was a prisoner in the Japanese Concentration Camps during World War II. Second, Furutani, introduces us to Little Tokyo, an ethnic area of Los Angeles that is rich with history, yet ever-changing like the rest of the world. He also has created an amateur detective series that will be long lived and enjoyable and is to par with other famous gumshoes like Kinsey Millhone, Kate Martinelli, Harry Bosch, and Stephanie Plum. While Mr. Furutani seems to have all the perfect ingredients for a successful mystery, he also has included some thought provoking ideas which seem to be woven directly beneath the subconscious surface of the plot. DEATH OF LITTLE TOKYO, through the eyes and words of Ken Tanaka, takes a poignant and honest look at racism in Los Angeles, America, and even Japan. He uses the history of the Japanese Concentration Camps (seen vividly in Guterson's SNOW FALLING ON CEDAR) to tell both a story, but also to remind each of us of some of the selfish examples of racism in our immediate pasts. Furutani shares numerous episodes of racism committed not only by Caucasian citizens, but by almost every ethnic group residing in America today. Dale Furutani will have a long relationship with mystery readers because he is a master storyteller, but also because he honestly has something important to say about the social issues of today. All this in one mystery book! Good job Dale Furutani and welcome to the world of successful writers-you have earned your seat! Carlton Brow

The first volume in the Matsuyama Kaze trilogy (followed by Jade Palace Vendetta and Kill the Shogun) transports the reader to Japan in 1603, the first year in the long reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate. When the army of Emperor Hidyoshi was defeated at Battle of Sekigahara, hundreds of lords were killed, leading to thousands of samurai becoming masterless warriors, ie. ronin. Matsuyama Kaze is one of these, wanted by Japan's new rulers, he wanders the country under an assumed name on a quest to find and rescue his former lord's young daughter. The book and mystery begins with Kaze discovering a rural charcoal-seller standing over a dead merchant lying at a crossroad. The peasant is soon named as the murderer by the local authorities, who don't seem too concerned with the truth of the matter, and Kaze comes to his defense. For, Kaze is one of the few samurai who feel that peasant's aren't necessarily subhumans, and that justice is worth expending energy on.

The mystery is fairly simple, and most readers will and unraveled all the connections well ahead of Kaze, but the book is pleasurable nonetheless. First, unlike so many mysteries, it's a pleasantly compact tale, easily digested in a single night's reading. Secondly, the cast of characters is small and vivid. There's the stoic charcoal-seller, the village prostitute, a nasty bandit leader, and a weirdo lord who lives according to the customs of six hundred years previously in the Heian period. Finally, the most enjoyable element is Furutani's weaving of period detail throughout the book. Often, a ritual or object will lead to a brief tangential discussion of its development and use. These asides are not always subtle, but are fascinating slices of history and custom. On the whole, the book is reminiscent of a Kurasawa film, with a small story, small cast of regular people, and elegant delivery.

This is a new series for Furutani. It features ronin Matsuyama Kaze, a freelance samurai, in 1603 Japan. Kaze is on a quest to find the child of his former master. He is following one small lead after another with dwindling hope of finding the child he has been looking for during the proceeding two years. On his way to his next destination, he comes across a charcoal gatherer who is examining the dead body of a merchant. In spite of himself, Kaze stays around to see what happens and finds himself embroiled in the small town's politics and rivalries as he attempts to unravel the mystery of who killed the merchant and why.

Furutani's writing is lyrical and the reader finds himself enveloped in a cadence that transports the reader to medieval Japan. Like all first books in series, this one must not only develop the character's personality, but provide us with a mystery and a story as well. The latter is no mean feat in and of itself, but Furutani accomplishes the task with ease. Furutani does not set flaunt his research by using every bit of minutiae he picked up, but, rather, he uses it subtly to advance his story and, in the process, educate his readers. For those who, like myself, do not care for Furutani's previous books, be rest assured that the writing here as well as the characters are a very welcome change. The uniqueness of the setting adds to quality of this book.

Writing with the longtime eloquence of an established prose-writer, Dale Furutani paints a sweeping, grandiose picture of Japan in the beginning of an oppressive (somewhat backward and yet modernistic) era-The Tokugawa Shogunate- in 1603.The hero of the novel, a ronin (a samurai sans a master), stumbles across a corpse on a misty mountain pass. In the course of his adventure, Kaze (the ronin), discovers a remarkable collection of characters that Dame Agatha Christie herself would be hard to match. The cast ranges from Aoi, the luckless prostitute, to the ultra-refined Lord Manase (who insists on living life as in Heian period Japan, a period six HUNDRED years ago! ), to the greedy and ambitious Lord Nagato. We also meet the humble Jiro and the somewhat noble Hachiro and Ichiro, while facing the aggravating, and shortlived Boss Kuemon.A captivating yarn, with a little too much blood for the elegant story, nonetheless fails to disappoint. Get a copy today!I can hardly wait for the next two books in the trilogy.

This is a truly brilliant trilogy. I've enjoyed all three books in the series immensely, and I think that these books-- "Death At The Crossroads", "Jade Palace Vendetta"; and "Kill the Shogun" should be on every serious mystery lover's list as a 'must read'. I sincerely hope that there is a series in the wings for Kaze, the wandering samurai.

In "Kill The Shogun", Kaze closes in on the whereabouts of his dead overlord's daughter. He has finally tracked her to a brothel, The Little Flower, that caters to paedophiles. However before he can affect a rescue, he is accused of an attempt on the Shogun's life.

This is a tautly written and very exciting book. There are several brilliantly described sword fights as Kaze faces off against the Shogun's soldiers and a group of mysterious ninjas. Kaze literally faces danger at every corner, and there seems to be a lack of people that he can trust.

An added bonus to lovers of history are the carefully sketched in glimpses of life and culture in early seventeenth century Japan. A little more of Kaze's history is also fleshed out so that we get to appreciate all over again his sense of honour and integrity as well as the great sorrow he carries with him.

I really like this series. And I heartily recommend all three books. I only hope that Dale Furutani writes more adventures for Kaze.

Dale Furutani gives us an excellent ending to his ronin Kaze mystery trilogy with "Shogun". Japanese history buffs like myself should agree he depicts the early Edo era wonderfully, with great use of imagery, believeable characters, and even some historical figures. His fine woven mystery will have you hanging on edge, his sense of humor will have you chuckling constantly, and his usage of some Japanese words (with its English equivelent following!) will please Japan fans.

I highly recommend you buy this book if you can; if not, borrow it from your library (I had to). If you love Japanese history/myseries, this is an excellent book to read. I also suggest you read "Death At The Crossroads" and "Jade Palace Vendetta" first, but this book can stand by itself.

In 1603 Japan, honor dictates that samurai Matsuyama Kaze continue his three year quest to find and rescue Kiku-Chan, the daughter of his murdered lord. Though weary of his seemingly endless but hazardous trek, in deference to the wife of his deceased lord, Kaze knows he must continue the search until he is dead or Kiku-Chan is rescued.

Clues inform Kaze that Kiku-Chan has been brought to the new capital of Japan, Edo. However, as Kaze gets closer to his quarry, he learns that the advisors to the new Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu want him eliminated. Since his enemies are based in Edo, entering the city is dangerous, but veneration of his former master requires Kaze to do so even though it probably will cost him his life.

KILL THE SHOGUN, the third book in Dale Furutani's samurai series, is a great historical novel that will thrill fans and send new readers searching for the previous books (see DEATH AT THE CROSSROADS AND JADE PALACE VENDETTA). As expected the exciting story line is rich with the heritage of seventeenth century Japan. That alone makes the novel worth reading. However, excellent characters and a fabulous plot turn this tale, like its predecessors, into a superior story strongly standing by itself or as part of a delightful three-book volume. Both will work, but the latter is more than a great dinner, it is a feast. Though Kaze's quest has ended (read the book if you want to know how), hopefully the award winning Mr. Furutani has more stories set in historical Japan.

Harriet Klausner

Jade Palace Vedetta was recommended to me by my teenage sister. She loved the story. I was disappointed by the ending and annoyed at the author of his blatant copycat of A. Kurosawa and a James Bond movie (can you guess which one? ;)). At least the author did admit in the Author's note that he did use A. Kurosawa's ideas. The author says he did this because he respects A. Kurosawa as one of the greatest Japanese filmmakers. The movie was of course "The Hidden Fortress", directed by Akira Kurosawa which is set in feudal Japan. Stars Wars also has some reflection of the two peasant characters. As for the James Bond movie, well, you'll have to guess that one for yourself. Kaze Matsuyama is wanted by the law and is a wandering ronin, unemployed samurai. He is looking for his Lord's daughter because of a pledge he made to the Lord's wife, whom the novel hints of an infatuation, while she was dying. Homeless and without a family, Kaze uses his wits, ingenuity, and samurai training to get himself out of a sticky situation with a merchant and a family that has a vedetta against the merchant. It was hard for me to finish and continue the story. I kept going back to it because my sister loved it and I thought the story would get better. The story isn't bad, but I think the author could develop his character of Kaze with more dimension, he seems like the same wanderlusted samurai in many Japanese movies with a dark past.

Each volume in the Matsuyama Kaze trilogy-this is the middle book- is a standalone tale, however it adds a great deal to read them in order, as the wandering ronin's central quest spans all three books. Set in 1603, just after the events recounted in Death at the Crossroads, the story finds Kaze traveling down the Tokaido road tracking three travelers who may have a clue to the whereabouts of his dead lord's daughter. Just as in that previous book, a chance encounter on the road propels Kaze into intrigue and danger. This time, he comes across a merchant being attacked by bandits. He naturally saves the man and his cargo from immediate danger, but then they must trek through the lawless wilderness to safety with the merchant's valuables, avoiding the rest of the bandits. Most readers will probably pick up on a slightly discordant note in all this that for some reason Kaze seems to miss, even with obvious prompting.

When Kaze then proceeds on his quest, he locates his targets, but is forced to help them before they will reveal their information-all of which dovetails to his adventure with the merchant. This all hinges on a bit of coincidence that isn't too annoying as long as one doesn't think about it too long. Another minor quibble is that just as in the previous book, the villain here is a powerful, but insane figure who manages to maintain a semblance of normality. All in all the story telegraphs its clues and direction, and most readers will and unraveled all the connections well ahead of Kaze, yet it's still fun to read.

Unlike so many mysteries, it's a pleasantly compact tale, easily digested in a single night's reading. The cast of characters is small and well depicted-although not perhaps as vivid as the villagers of the previous book. What is impressive is the development of Kaze as a protagonist you can't get enough of, from his mastery in swordsmanship, to his sly sense of humor, compassion, and reverence for humanity-he's an excellent dispenser of cosmic justice. (Justice is one of the book's themes, as a careful delineation is made between murder and killing.) As with the earlier book, Furutani weaves period detail throughout. Often, a ritual or object will lead to a brief tangential discussion of its development and use. These asides are not always subtle, but are fascinating slices of history and custom. I look forward to the completion of Kaze's quest in Kill the Shogun.

This book ranks up in the top near a good nancy drew mystery. While the first couple of pages were a little dry and the main character switches from present to past back to present, it is a wonderful book and I would reccomend it to anyone and everyone who loves a good mystery book. I initially picked this book out because in my 11th grade english III class (in the United States)we had to chose from a list of minority authors and we have to do this project, this was the most interesting book I could find and I still wasn't very excited I guess you could say about having to read this "long" book but I love it and would like to read the whole series if possible!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Good nights read. This one shouldn't take you to long, but you will enjoy it (at least I did). Clever premise and believable action. I was sorry it ended so soon. I identified with the main character, being half Japanese. Nice to see a "detective" with a little ethnic twist.

Not only is this book entertaining, but it also educates. There is information about AA, about Japanese culture in Hawaii and California, about the treatment of US citizens of Japanese descent during WW II (at which we should all be appalled), about LA sociogeography, and more. These asides do not detract from the story. The book's plotting and characters are well-developed. I recommend this book to anyone who reads mysteries.

Grabs you on the first page and pulls you right through to the suprise ending. A good, honest read with an interesting and touching treatment of Asian subject matter. I look forward to reading everything Furutani writes.

I think it is an insult to list this book with the likes of Takagi and Matsumoto, who are superb murder mysterdy writers. They are professionals, which is not what can be said of Dale Furutani. I found this book annoying to say the least. Being half Japanese, the "Japanese" aspect of this book annoyed me to no end - can one be more cliche? Don't waste your time or moeny reading or buying this book. If you want an excellent Japanese murder mystery (although both writers I mentioned can be classified as excellent murder mystery writers even outside of Japan), look for books by the two authors I mentioned above.

I have recently become very interested in this genre after reading the series by Laura Joh Rowland and Massey (Rei Shimura series) and recently "The Tattoo Murder Case" by Takagi. Believe me, this is definately not in the same league as those authors. This book starts off very amateurishly, with several disjointed, disconnected scenes by different characters who seem very flat and stereotypical. Usually it's easy to tell within the first few pages how good a book will be, and I was bored stiff after the first 3 pages of this book. I'm sticking with it since I spent money to buy the book, but, had I been buying this in a bookstore instead of Amazon and browsed through a few of the pages first, I probably wouldn't have bought it. The other authors I mentioned above are MUCH more enjoyable reads.

For those who don't know Japan and its customs, this book is a good introduction. Find out the protocol for bathing in a public bath, get a look at the Japanese mafia, meet a sumo wrestler, visit a Japanese shrine temple, and see how a third generation American Japanese reacts to the differences in culture in his ancestral home, Japan.