Bridge of Darkness: The Return of the Master Assassin

Master Assassin Baian #2

by Shōtarō Ikenami, Gavin Frew (Translator)

The sublimely fatalistic Fujieda Baian, master assassin and acupuncturist, returns in four tales of murder and intrigue from the shogun's capital of Edo. Baian is an assassin with a conscience: He uses his needles to save the lives of the innocent and to seal the fate of the guilty. Assisted as always by the trusted Hikojiro, Baian is joined by a new accomplice, Kosugi, a young master swordsman down on his luck.
Spring Snow - Baian forgoes his usual fee to avenge a dying woman.
Rabbit Stew - An attempt on Baian's life leads to murder and intrigue.
Autumn Rain - When Kosugi is falsely accused of murder by scheming rivals, he escapes death and gets his revenge with Baian's help.
Bridge of Darkness - The brutal murder of a constable plunges Baian and his accomplices into a deadly game with the most powerful of the shogun's retainers.
The pace never slackens, and the deaths and double-crosses multiply as Baian and his two friends carve a bloody path through Edo's underworld. Shotaro Ikenami will delight, surprise, and entertain American readers with his unique brand of historical thrillers from Japan's samurai period.

Genres: Japanese Literature

188 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1993

About the author

See 池波 正太郎.

Reviews

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Ikenami Shotaro writes historical detective stories, set in the Eddo period. Was quite popular and also filmed for TV. The Japanese originals are quite good, and written in a literary style. However, the translations we have here are abominable - more like excerpts or summaries - everything that is beautiful in the original is left out. This is even the second volume. Avoid. (The original Japanese stories would get 4 stars...)