I. J. Parker – The Dragon Scroll

Very enthralling and entertaining criminal story set in the 11th century Japan, the starting point of a series of novels around Sugawara Akitada (菅原 顕忠), a fictional official/scholar in the Heian period who solves several difficult cases using his great balance of knowledge and common sense.

Akitada is sent to the far north (nowadays around Chiba) to check what has happened to the last three tax convoys that never appeared in the capital. He pokes around and unravels a involved plot to overthrow law and order. A few love stories, dead ends, and lots over wandering around brings the story to a wild finish.

The first book in the Akitada series reads very smoothly and quickly, never boring. It gives nice fews onto the society as imagined by the (scholarly) author, and somehow manages to transfer the feeling of living in this area to the reader.

For those with interest in criminal stories and Japan, it is a very recommendable book.