Ken Tanaka Books In Order
- Death in Little Tokyo (1996)
- The Toyotomi Blades (1997)
Matsuyama Kaze Books In Order
- Death at the Crossroads (1998)
- The Jade Palace Vendetta (1999)
- Kill the Shogun (2000)
- The Ronin Returns (2021)
Novels
- The Curious Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in Japan (2011)
- Makoto (2021)
Collections
- Shaken (2011)
Ken Tanaka Book Covers
Matsuyama Kaze Book Covers
Novels Book Covers
Collections Book Covers
Dale Furutani Books Overview
Death in Little Tokyo
It’s Ken Tanak’s turn to stage a mock mysery for the Los Angeles Mystery Club and he’s determined to do it right. Tanaka sets himself up as a fake P.I., office and all, only to have a femme fatale straight out of the movies try to hire him. Taking the case on a whim, Ken’s detecting leads him to a mutilated corpse in a Little Tokyo hotel room.
The Toyotomi Blades
Ken Tanaka is on his first trip to Japan. His enjoyment, however, quickly gives way to confusion and fear when he finds himself wrapped up in a mystery surrounding his samurai sword. The sword, bought at a garage sale, turns out to be a rare seventeenth century blade that is somehow connected to the Toyotomi clan. That the blade is potentially quite valuable is the good news. The bad news is that Ken is being tracked and threatened by two yakuza thugs for reasons not at all clear to him. Now, with the help of new friends and old, Ken must try to unravel both the mystery of the sword and the powerful forces trying to stop him from doing so, before it is too late. ‘Tanaka is appealing and bright in a clever and captivatingly original story.’ Carolyn Hart, author of Death on Demand series
Death at the Crossroads
Matsuyama Kaze is a ‘ronin,’ a Japanese knight errant. Kaze must travel across Japan until he fulfills a promise made to his dying Lord and Lady to find their nine year old daughter. As this masterless samurai searches the countryside, he is caught up in a series of mysteries that test his strength and skills as well as his Confucian training. Kaze stumbles upon a corpse shot with an arrow at the crossroads leading to a small town. He becomes embroiled with an unlikely and untrustworthy cast of characters, who are as colorful as they are crafty. Each has secrets to keep and axes to grind, and it will take all of Kaze’s subtlety, stealth, and Samurai skills to unravel the mystery and unmask the killer. Richly atmospheric, filled with historically accurate detail, Death at the Crossroads evokes the world of long ago Japan and the often lonely life of an honor bound warrior. It’s a spellbinding, deeply satisfying mystery that will leave readers hungry for the next chapter in Matsuyama Kaze’s journey of adventure.
The Jade Palace Vendetta
In Jade Palace Vendetta, Kaze continues the search to find his lord’s missing child. This time out, Kaze is waylaid when he saves a helpless merchant from a vicious gang of killers and soon discovers that everything is not what it appears. He finds himself trapped in a web of deceit and violence, where a veneer of propriety hides great evil. Only Kaze’s quick wit and martial skills can save him and keep him on his quest to find the kidnapped child.
Kill the Shogun
In Kill the Shogun, award winning mystery writer Dale Furutani presents the latest in his popular samurai mystery series. He returns to the journey of Matsuyama Kaze, the masterless warrior destined to travel the seventeenth century Japanese countryside until he fulfills the dying wish of his murdered lord’s wife. Until now, Kaze’s quick wit and samurai skills have enabled him to solve crimes, untangled himself from deadly schemes, and protect the innocent, all the while keeping his sense of justice and honor. But the danger now facing Kaze, from enemies known and unknown, is greater than ever. Kaze is the closest he’s ever come to fulfilling his quest to rescue his lord’s kidnapped daughter. Following a trail of clues, he is led to Edo, the bustling new capital of Japan. Treading in unfamiliar territory , Kaze is the object of a deadly manhunt when an attempt on the Shogun’s life fails. He must dodge his lord’s rivals, even as he learns that the young girl has been sold into prostitution. In his quest to save her, Kaze teams up with an eccentric cast of local characters who bring feudal Japan to life. The samurai must clear his name and rescue the child as the odds against him grow. With his sensitivity and stength, Matsuyama Kaze has been described by Publishers Weekly as embodying ‘both compassion and ruthlessness.’ Furutani deftly combines Kaze’s compelling spirit,a complex plot, and an acute sense of historical detail to produce an exciting tale of one warrior’s noble quest.
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