Happy Days!

[I. J. Parker]

It's started, the best time of the year for the hard-working author: The first reviews are coming in.

Usually PUBLISHERS WEEKLY is the earliest. In this instance, I was blessed with a short review in THE DAILY BEAST last week. But now PUBLISHERS WEEKLY has arrived with a starred review:


The Convict's Sword: A Mystery of Eleventh-Century Japan I.J. Parker. Penguin, $15 paper (416p) ISBN 978-0-14-311579-3

In Parker's compelling fifth mystery set in feudal Japan (after 2007's Island of Exiles), Sugawara Akitada, now a senior secretary in the ministry of justice, suffers guilt over his failure to fulfill his promise to Haseo, a recently deceased convict who saved his life in an earlier book, to exonerate him. As Akitada makes some small progress toward finding the truth about the five-year-old murders Haseo was blamed for, he must also clear his own retainer, Tora, of the murder of a blind street singer. His inquiries on both fronts come at a time of increasing tension with his wife, Tamako, and as an outbreak of smallpox disrupts the capital city, Heian-Kyo. A capricious and unreliable boss, Soga, adds to his woes. Besides smoothly mixing action and deduction, Parker gives her protagonist an emotional depth that raises her to the front rank of contemporary historical writers, including Laura Joh Rowland, the author of a similar series set in 17th-century Japan (The Fire Kimono, etc.). (Aug.)

[I. J. Parker]

My thanks to all you other very generous people. I'm appreciative of the warm, fuzzy feeling that produces. :)

[I. J. Parker]

Jack, about your question: I've had several starred reviews from PW. All but Rashomon Gate and Dragon Scroll, in fact. Hell Screen got a star just before Amazon decided to post these, so its star is not on the Amazon listing. My library sales were always fairly good because they are "historical novels." Of course, they fell off when Penguin went to trade paper. That's when reviews fell off also. I'm just about convinced that that was a bad move.

[John McFetridge]

"Starred review," always sounds great - congratulations.

[Eric Christopherson]

A big congrats, Ingrid (from Hakone in 21st century Japan).

[J. F. Juzwik]

Terrific review, I.J. Many congratulations! Joyce

[I. J. Parker]

Thanks, all. Pepper, I really like the last sentence up to the words "historical writers". I do not like comparisons.

[Jack Getze]

"Parker gives her protagonist an emotional depth that raises her to the front rank of contemporary historical writers" Now that's worth repeating. Big congrats, IJ.

Is this your first starred review at PW? I heard it's a big boost to library orders.

[Jon Loomis]

Nice, I.J.--congratulations!

[B.R.Stateham]

Great review. And let me add I really enjoyed 'Island of Exiles' that this new book is the continuation.

[Dana King]

Congratulations! That's an auspicious launch. All the best for success proportional with thiese reviews.