Island of Exiles (Sugawara Akitada Mysteries Book 5) - Historical Japanese Detective Novel for Mystery Lovers & Book Club Discussions

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 and triumphant reemergence from it 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!