The Samurai Detectives

It has been half a year since Akiyama Daijiro became a samurai; half a year since he left his father Kohei – the wisest swordsman in the land – to set up his own blade school by the cool of the river. Ever since, amid the swaying bamboo groves, he waits patiently for his first disciple.

But his serenity is soon disrupted by the visit of a mysterious samurai with an unhonourable offer: in exchange for a vast sum of gold, he must attack and injure the daughter of the Shogun’s most senior counsellor. Troubled by the proposal, Daijiro, alongside his father and Mifuyu, a female warrior without match, soon set out into the underworld of Edo-era Japan to uncover the conspiracy, before quickly finding themselves embroiled in a series of increasingly perilous adventures . . .

Widely considered to be the greatest work by Shotaro Ikenami, the master of Japanese historical fiction, The Samurai Detectives is a twisting, page-turning portrayal of one of the most intriguing, evocative periods in the history of Japan.

In the months since their last perilous quest, a fragile calm has settled over Edo. Daijiro dedicates his days to training his first pupil at his quiet riverside dojo, while his father Kohei – the famed swordsman whose name still inspires awe – wanders through an uneasy retirement, his razor-sharp mind too restless for leisure. But such peace never endures long in the shogunate.

One chill autumn night, Kohei is set upon by a band of tsujigiri – lawless ‘street slashers’ who test their blades on the innocent. To his astonishment, the gang’s leader proves to be no mere rogue, but one of the most important officials in the land. What begins as a chance encounter soon unravels into a deadly game of pursuit and vengeance, dragging father and son into the city’s pitch black heart. Other adventures soon follow, including the task of bringing to justice their most evil adversary yet, a villain of monstrous proportions…

The second instalment in Shotaro Ikenami’s bestselling historical fiction series, The Samuari Detectives: The Killer on the Streets is both tightly coiled mystery as well as a haunting portrait of honour, justice, and survival in the twilight of the Shogun’s world.