Product Description

Ken Tanaka is on his first trip to Japan. His enjoyment, however, quickly gives way to confusion and fear when he finds himself wrapped up in a mystery surrounding his samurai sword. The sword, bought at a garage sale, turns out to be a rare seventeenth-century blade that is somehow connected to the Toyotomi clan. That the blade is potentially quite valuable is the good news. The bad news is that Ken is being tracked and threatened by two yakuza thugs for reasons not at all clear to him. Now, with the help of new friends and old, Ken must try to unravel both the mystery of the sword and the powerful forces trying to stop him from doing so, before it is too late.

"Tanaka is appealing and bright in a clever and captivatingly original story." (Carolyn Hart, author of Death on Demand series)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3158037 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio Cassette

From Library Journal
Unemployed computer programmer Ken Tanaka, whose last case (Death in Little Tokyo, St. Martin's, 1996) received attention in Japan, flies to Tokyo to be interviewed on a TV talk show. There, he becomes fascinated by a series of international robberies and murders tied to a group of 17th-century engraved swords?one of which he happens to own. Yakuza-connnected thugs, a Hawaiian sumo wrestler, a James Dean emulator, and Ken's own L.A. girlfriend add color to the Tokyo scenery, where authentic detail, gripping action, and lurking danger abound. A most involving and vastly entertaining work; highly recommended.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
His first stab at amateur sleuthing (Death in Little Tokyo, 1996) has given unemployed computer programmer Ken Tanaka his 15 minutes of fame, most of them in Japan, where he's invited to be a guest on the News Pop TV show. With the earnest friendliness of a tour guide, Ken shares what he's learning about Japanese manners, families, dining, dress, driving, and cultural assimilation, slipping in illustrative jokes as conscientiously as a preacher. Gradually, though, he realizes that the two thugs following him are interested in more than a mugging; the 17th- century sword he picked up at a garage sale is one of the keys to a treasure, and somebody (the Yakuza? a militaristic right-wing group?) has been traveling the world stealing other swords in the set and killing their owners. Lightweight vacation fare, though it does makes you worry that Ken might find himself seriously out of his depth if he fulfills his climactic vow to qualify as a private eye back in L.A. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

Customer Reviews

Entertaining but the main character is annoying
The book has a fun and interesting setting -- contrasting new & old Japan -- as well as some well-written characterizations. However -- as a Japanese-American who has traveled throughout Japan -- I found Ken Tanaka's obtuseness about the Japanese irritating and somewhat unbelievable. Early on, Tanaka claims to have had a "lifelong" interest in Japanese culture -- well, perhaps, though we are told few specifics. He thens proceeds to address everyone he meets in Japan in English and seems surprised that they can't understand him. Worse, he then disses them (at least to himself) for assuming he speaks Japanese. Does the fact that he's in Japan, where Japanese IS the primary language, ever cross his mind? Not really. Does it occur to him that learning a bit of Japanese might help him communicate? Apparently not. Okay, he is three generations removed from Japan, but STILL -- what kind of idiot travels the world expecting everyone to speak English fluently?

On the plus side, Junko, the Korean-Japanese producer, is well-rounded and used to illuminate some of the contradictions of modern Japan.

I have not read "Death in Little Tokyo" but feel I should in order to fill in some gaps in "Toyotomi Blades". His Japanese-American girlfriend, Mariko, for example -- is it her first trip to Japan? What part of Japan is her family from? Some of the things that would naturally come up when Japanese-Americans visit Japan are oddly missing from this story.

Fun, but no Thriller Diller!
Ken Tanaka is getting his shot at fame in 'Big' Tokyo this time around, thanks to his girlfriends' promotion of his first adventure. The book starts out great, but quickly hits a slow patch. Deadly ninjas, the Japanese Yakuza (Mafia), royal intrigue, ancient swords, the new Japan, and the mystery of buried treasure, et al, somehow adds up to merely a pleasant read. Although it was nice visiting Japan with Ken and friends, the writing could have been sharper. members.aol.com/raywking

Toyotomi Baldes is a fun read.
The second book in the Ken Tanaka series, the Toyotomi Blades is an enjoyable read. The plot is fast moving and the reader is not thrown too many curves. Ken Tanaka is a computer programmer turned amateur sleuth who finds himself unemployed and staring in a 400 year old mystery.

Dale Furutani adds just enough Japanese historical background to keep the reader interested without becoming overwhelmed with the minutia. This may not be the right book for hard-core mystery readers, but for someone who wants a relaxing read the Toyotomi Blades is a very good choice.