The Toyotomi Blades

The second book in the Ken Tanaka series, the Toyotomi Blades is an enjoyable read. The plot is fast moving and the reader is not thrown too many curves. Ken Tanaka is a computer programmer turned amateur sleuth who finds himself unemployed and staring in a 400 year old mystery. Dale Furutani adds just enough Japanese historical background to keep the reader interested without becoming overwhelmed with the minutia. This may not be the right book for hard-core mystery readers, but for someone who wants a relaxing read the Toyotomi Blades is a very good choice.

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.

Amateur sleuth Ken Tamaka has been invited to appear on Japanese television for helping solve the murder of businessman Mr. Matsuda (delightfully described in DEATH IN LITTLE TOKYO). As the great American detective (who cares that it was his first and only case), Ken quickly accepts the all expense paid trip to the land of his ancestors. While there he plans to research a seventeenth century sword he now possesses. To Ken, Japan is a revelation. He realizes that though he does not have the visage of the foreigner, he clearly has the mentality of a visiting westerner. His stay in Japan should have been a simple mixing of a vacation and the TV appearance on the News Pop show. However, pretty soon Ken finds himself in a life and death struggle with Japanese thugs who want the sword. If he does not learn why and who is behind his suddenly dangerous vacation, Ken may find himself joining his honorable ancestors sooner than he would prefer. Let's cut to the chase, THE TOYOTOMI BLADES is absolutely great. Ken is a fabulous character and the story line is quite intriguing. However, it is Dale Furutani's homage to Japanese culture (both modern and historical) that turns this mystery novel into a must read. This reviewer gives its strongest recommendation to both of the Tamaka tales. They are among the best books of its' kind written today. Harriet Klausner

Having lived in Japan some years ago, and having loved Death in Little Tokyo, the first in the Ken Tanaka Mystery Series, I fully expected to enjoy Dale Furutani's "Toyotomi Blades." I was not disappointed. Featuring extremely well-drawn characters, it is an engrossing, intriguing and beautifully written mystery, set mostly in Japan, that pulls the reader along in as smooth and efficient a manner as that country's famous bullet train. The book begins with three crimes, one in New York, one in Rotterdam, and one in Tokyo. I'm not going into details of the plot because I'm not good at summarizing even my own--ask my editor-- and I'd hate to commit a spoiler. I will say this--that I have a saying written on the bulletin board above my office desk--a reminder: "No reader ever waited in suspense for the suspense to begin." In Toyotomi Blades, the reader doesn't have to wait. It's right there on the first page. After the crimes, Ken Tanaka appears on scene, along with an invitation for him to appear on a television show in Tokyo. Somewhere in there, Ken also appears in a story in the Asahi Shimbun, holding a Samurai sword. Soon after his arrival in Tokyo, Ken is followed by a couple of men who are not particular fans of his and the story is off on its fascinating and unpredictable journey. Dale Furutani's controlled prose cuts as clean and shining a path as any of the swords involved in this mystery. An extra bonus is the fascinating background of Japanese lore, legend and customs. Ken Tanaka, the engaging and endearing sleuth featured in Death in Little Tokyo and Toyotomi Blades is the rare kind of character who walks right off the pages of the book and into the reader's mind and heart. I like him a lot. He's not in the least inscrutable. He's witty and possessed of a gentle, often self-deprecating humor. Listen toKen's idea of his own machismo during a fight with some bad guys: "The tall one let fly with a fist to my head. I'd like to say my cat-like reflexes allowed me to avoid the blow, but the only cat my reflexes match is the chubby cartoon character Garfield. I did manage to move my head enough so the blow was just glancing, but it still hurt. A lot." And a few minutes later when Ken tries to save himself by rolling under a park bench and becomes trapped between the two bad guys, "I don't know how long I could have kept up my impression of a rolling log." There's a lot of humor in this novel. Ken's eating of a fish head, for example, and the amazing saga of the ice-cold noodles. Throughout the story there are interesting remarks that appear to be just casual comments, but are later shown to be important to the plot. The ending interested me a great deal because it makes so much sense in the Japanese context. I'm already looking forward to the next Ken Tanaka mystery. Judging by the last line of Toyotomi Blades, Ken is due for yet another major challenge. Submitted by Margaret Chittenden author of The