A Samurai Never Fears Death (The Samurai Mysteries)
Grade 5–9—In this sequel toThe Ghost in the Tokaido Inn(Philomel, 1999), Seikei, the adopted merchant-class son of a great samurai, Judge Ooka, is now 16. He finds himself in the midst of trouble when he and the judge visit the teen's hometown, where his brother appears to be involved in unethical activities. His sister is in love with a puppeteer who is arrested for the murder of the manager of the theater in which he works. Seikei tries to solve this crime and other murders in the puppet theater without bothering Judge Ooka. Much of the novel is based on historical figures, including those who worked as puppet masters in ancient Japan. The world of puppetry is vividly described, especially the use of the plays to convey messages about the politics and restrictive class system of the time. Seikei continues to be a dogged detective who often stumbles into situations that help him solve the case while struggling to live up to his adoptive father's ideals.—B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.