A wise and witty thriller of ancient Japan by the award-winning I. J. Parker Government official turned sleuth Akitada Sugawara, on his way home to attend the sickbed of his bitter, aging mother, is spending the night in a monastery when he finds himself drawn to a brilliantly illustrated screen depicting the horrors of hell. His brief stay is complicated by the murder of a beau-tiful young woman. Personal and professional interests begin to merge as Akitada becomes ensnared in a tangled web of deceit and malevolence that will, in the end, strike very close to home. Rich, textured, and historically researched, this com-plex mystery is the second in an acclaimed series featuring Akitada Sugawara.

• historical mysteries