Island of Exiles (Sugawara Akitada)
by I. J. Parker
Akitada Rocks!
In I.J. Parker’s newest mystery set in eleventh-century Japan, Akitada
disguises himself as a prisoner to solve the, murder of a prince
As her audience grows with each evocative historical thriller featuring
Sugawara Akitada, I. J. Parker returns with a gripping tale of political
intrigue and cold-blooded murder in ancient Japan. When the exiled Prince
Okisada, the most illustrious prisoner of the penal colony on Sado Island,
is poisoned, Akitada is called upon by the emperor’s envoys to investigate
incognito. Posing as a prisoner, he discovers a deadly conspiracy, only to
fall into the hands of brutal guards and disappear. It falls to Tora, Akitada’s
devoted assistant, to begin his own dangerous search of the island for his
lost friend and the truth.

Personal Review: Island of Exiles (Sugawara Akitada) by I. J.
Parker
I've developed a voracious appetite for Parker's Sugawara novels that's
unlike anything I've experienced for a long time, and if it didn't carry with it
an unwarranted diminution of her previous titles, I'd call "Island of Exiles"
her best work yet. There are scenes in this novel reminiscent of Tolkien,
as raw and gritty a dramatization of a man's reduction to an animalistic
state as I can remember.
This one vaults Sugawara entirely out of his familial and official milieus to
do some undercover work - *seriously* undercover - and the departure is
both harrowing and exhilarating. Akitada's extramarital fling in this one
detracts somewhat from his character's sense of integrity, but in
Sugawara's cultural/historical context it's certainly not an implausible nor
even unusual occurrence. Presumably his lapse will feed into later
character evolution? At any rate, the plot, which begins with a horrific,
dreamlike ordeal, builds gradually into an absolute rip-snorter that is
thoroughly engrossing. I lost countless hours zooming in on Sadoshima
Island via Google Earth while reading this novel, and have added it to my
list of must-visit Japanese locales for future vacations. The novel feels so
real that I half expect to find the temples and horrific mines Parker
describes when I get there. Actually, I was floored when I saw the posted
images of the real-world Choukoku Temple at Hase - the image of
Shunsai's monastery that Parker had painted in my head previously was
virtually identical to them.
Once again, the wait for her next is going to be as excruciating as it was
for this one. Amazon is indicating the hardcover version of "Island" is set
for release in a couple of weeks - very odd that the paperbacks were
published beforehand.
I highly recommend Parker's novels for historical fiction fanatics,
Japanophiles in particular. Reading the Sugawara novels in order is not
essential but on the whole probably more enjoyable, as there are
numerous references within them to prior cases. Enjoy!
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