Black Arrow (Penguin Books)

In I. J. Parker's latest mystery set in ancient Japan, a cold and hostile land pits Akitada against his deadliest foe yet I. J. Parker's engrossing historical novels bring eleventh-century Japan to life in all its colorful, treacherous glory. As "Black Arrow" opens, Sugawara Akitada assumes his new post as provisional governor of Echigo, a frigid province in the far north notorious for its hostility to outsiders. But the snow that threatens to completely isolate the region is the least of his problems-which include a local uprising, a series of brutal murders, and a mystery that's as old as the frozen hills and a lot more dangerous. Superbly written and rich in period detail, "Black Arrow" is another bravura performance from a master of the historical thriller.