The Crane Pavilion

The Crane Pavilion (2014) I.J. Parker

I skipped the book before this after reading the blurb for this book.

After the loss of his wife and newborn son, Akitada returns home, ostensibly to care for his motherless children, but really to withdraw from the world into his grief. When his friends and family join in an effort to draw him out of his seclusion by tempting him with a mystery, he responds halfheartedly until he becomes intrigued by the young woman’s alleged suicide and the slipshod way in which the police investigated. But more serious problems arise: he faces dismissal and punishment for having left his last post without permission. Then Tora and Saburo are arrested for the murder of a gambler. Their dilemma forces Akitada to delve into the world of a gangster boss who controls gambling and prostitution, and this time Akitada will not escape.

No interest in reading about the death of his wife, so I read this.

I think I’m going to put this series down for awhile. Every book seems to have a major plot thread of Akitada in danger of losing his position. I like the historical bits, and the mysteries are interesting, and I do like how Akitada gets older as the series progresses (and has to deal with these changes in his body and mind) but I’m frustrated by the repetition of his position at court and his constant lack of funds.
Rating: 6.5/10

Published by Ingrid J. Parker Inc.

• Browse the archives:
  
• The Apothecary Rose » »
• « « The Emperor’s Woman