Death on an Autumn River

• CHARACTERS
  
• The River
  
• The Old Couple
  
• Naniwa
  
• A Sparrow Among Cranes
  
• The Ugly Man
  
• The Dead End
  
• The Amulet
  
• The Hostel of the Flying Cranes
  
• The Black Dragon
  
• The Ugly Man Returns
  
• Ducks
  
• A Flea between a Dog's Teeth
  
• The Bawdy Postmaster
  
• Karma
  
• Return to Naniwa
  
• Family Ties
  
• The Evils of Gambling
  
• Melons and Courtesans
  
• The Pirate Ship
  
• The Lady of the River Mansion
  
• The Shared Cup
  
• The Island
  
• The Goblin's Tale
  
• The Bodhisattva
  
• Treading on the Tigers's Tail
  
• A Sword in his Belly
  
• Even Monkeys Fall From Trees
  
• Reckoning
  
• Akogi
  
• Homecoming
  
• Historical Note
  
• Contact Information 
  

Copyright 2011 by I. J. Parker

Praise for I. J. Parker and the Akitada series

“Elegant and entertaining . . . Parker has created a wonderful protagonist in
Akitada. . . .
She puts us at ease in a Japan of one thousand years ago.” 
The Boston Globe

 “
You couldn’t ask for a more gracious introduction to the exotic world of Imperial Japan than the stately historical novels of I. J. Parker.” 
The New York Times

 “Akitada is as rich a character as Robert Van Gulik’s intriguing detective, Judge Dee.” 
The Dallas Morning News

 “Readers will be enchanted by Akitada.”
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review

“Terrifically imaginative”
 
The
Wall Street Journal

“A brisk and well-plotted mystery with a cast of regulars who become more fully developed with every episode.”
 
Kirkus

“More than just a mystery novel, (
THE CONVICT’S SWORD
)
  is
a superb piece of literature set against the backdrop of 11
^th
-cntury Kyoto.” 
The Japan Times

“Parker’s research is extensive and she makes great use of the complex manners and relationships of feudal Japan.” 
Globe and Mail

“The fast-moving, surprising plot and colorful writing will enthrall even those unfamiliar with the exotic setting.” 
Publishers Weekly,
 
Starred
Review

“. .
.the
author possesses both intimate knowledge of the time period and a fertile imagination as well. Combine that with an intriguing mystery and a fast-moving plot, and you’ve got a historical crime novel that anyone can love.” 
Chicago Sun-Times

“Parker’s series deserves a wide readership.” 
Historical Novel Society

Also by I. J. Parker

The Akitada series in chronological order

The Dragon Scroll

Rashomon Gate

Black Arrow

Island of Exiles

The Hell Screen

The Convict’s Sword

The Masuda Affair

The Fires of the Gods

 Death on an Autumn River

The collection of stories

Akitada and the Way of Justice

The HOLLOW REED trilogy

Dream of a Spring Night

Unsheathed Swords

Dust before the Wind

The Author

I.J. Parker was born and educated in Europe and turned to mystery writing after an academic career in the U.S.  She has published her Akitada stories in
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine,
winning the Shamus award in 2000.  Several stories have also appeared in collections, such as
Fifty Years of Crime and Suspense
and the recent
Shaken.
The award-winning “Akitada’s First Case” is available as a podcast. Many of the stories have been collected in
Akitada and the Way of Justice.

The Akitada series of crime novels features the same protagonist,
an
eleventh century Japanese nobleman/detective.  It now consists of nine titles.
Death on an Autumn River
is the latest. Most of the books are available in audio format and have been translated into twelve languages.

Acknowledgments

I’m grateful to my readers, Jacqueline Falkenhan and John Rosenman, and to my agent, Jean Naggar.  Without them the series would not exist.

Pronunciation of Japanese Words

Unlike English, Japanese is pronounced phonetically.  Therefore vowel sounds are approximately as follows:

“
a
”  as in “father”

“
e
” as in “let”

“
i
” as in “kin”

“
o
” as in “more”

“
u
” as in “would.”

Double consonants (“ai” or “ei”) are pronounced separately, and M or k are doubled or lengthened.

As for the consonants: 

“
g
” as in “game”

“
j
” as in “join”

“
ch
” as in “chat”.

Death on an Autumn River

In the Yodo’s waters

The young Ayu fish

Cries out.

Pierced by the Cormorant’s beak,

It writhes.

How pitiful!

(
From the
Ryojin hisho
,
a collection of the songs of courtesans by Emperor Go-Shirakawa)

Sugawara
Akitada
 
-
 
midlevel official in the Ministry of Justice

Sadenari
 
-
 
his clerk

Tamako
 
-
 
his wife

Yasuko
 
-
 
his little daughter

Seimei
 
-
 
his elderly secretary

Tora and
Genba
 
-
 
faithful retainers

Kobe
 
-
 
chief of the capital police

Characters in Eguchi:

Fujiwara Takeko
 
-
 
the lady of the River Mansion

Fukuda
and
Harima
 
-
 
two poor, elderly people

Mrs. Wada
 
-
 
owner of the Hananoya brothel

Warden
Wada
 
-
 
her husband

Nakagimi
 
-
 
the reigning queen of courtesans

Akogi
 
-
 
a young trainee in the Hananoya

Characters in Naniwa and Kawajiri:

Oga
Sadazane
 
-
 
governor
of Settsu

Oga Yoshiyo
 
-
 
his son

Munata
 
-
 
the local prefect; a wealthy landowner

Nakahara
 
-
 
chief of the trade office

Nariyuki
and
Tameaki
 
-
 
his clerks

Otomo
 
-
 
a retired professor of Chinese

Watamaro
 
-
 
a local ship owner and merchant

Saburo
 
-
 
a severely disfigured former spy

Kunimitsu
 
-
 
owner of a sailors’ hostel

Akitada watched the passing scenery through half-closed eyes.  The river was as deep green as the wooded shoreline and flowed heavily toward the sea.  Fish swam dimly in the glaucous depths of the water, shadows of silver in the shifting shades of green.  On shore, the green curtain of the forest was broken here and there by a shimmer of gold or a touch of red.  It was autumn, the “leaf-turning month.”

Something he had read somewhere came to his mind:  “Ceaselessly flows the river to the sea, never pausing, always changing, losing itself in eddies and rice paddies, gaining new life from streams and tributaries.  Even so is man.”

He had reached the middle of his life after almost losing himself on several occasions.  His life’s waters moved more calmly now, both in his official life and at home. 

The boat rode low in the water, poled along by three half-naked men and guided by their master at the rudder.  Under its reed covered midsection, the passengers drowsed in the late afternoon warmth. They huddled close together at a respectful distance.  The motion of the boat had made them sleepy and their chatter desultory.  Only the youngsters in front still chattered, bursting into laughter or song from time to time.