Seven Paths to Death (Samurai Detective) (Volume 6)
Hot on the heels of A Samurai Never Fears Death (2007), this latest in the Samurai Mystery series, which is set in eighteenth-century Japan, reunites adversaries Seikei, adopted son of Judge Ooka, and ninja Kitsune as they separately race toward an unusual treasure. The kicker is that each piece of the treasure map is tattooed on the back of a different man. The moral ambiguity of the ending is a surprise, but like its predecessors, this is a successful historical mystery, chockablock with adventure (including a bit of mostly offstage violence) and cultural details. An afterword fills in facts. Grades 6-9. --Stephanie Zvirin--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.