The Ninja Apprentice: The Tsuba of Kotogawa: Book 2 in The Ninja Apprentice Series

by Jon F. Merz

BOOK 2 IN THE BESTSELLING SERIES "THE NINJA APPRENTICE" IS HERE!It's been just over a year since Jimmy Matsuda discovered he was the last member of a mighty warrior family. Destined to become to heir to the Matsuda-ryu Ninja clan, Jimmy's ascension has been anything but easy. In order to restore his family's honor, Jimmy must retrieve nine sacred relics that were stolen by the evil Kotogawa samurai hundreds of years before.In the mountains of Nepal, Jimmy found the first relic.And now, he knows where the second one is.London.In a high-rise steel and glass fortress, the head of the Kotogawa clan has a seemingly unremarkable a tsuba that once belonged to the Matsuda-ryu. This ancient sword guard, mined from special ore in the mountains of Hokkaido, Japan is rumored to be endowed with magic.But all Jimmy cares about is how he's going to get it back.Facing his biggest challenge to-date, Jimmy must find a way inside the building, evade security patrols, alarms, cameras, and more as he makes his way to the most secure location of them Kotogawa's office. Only there can he hope to steal back the tsuba.But it won't be easy. Especially when Kotogawa and his henchmen are all still gunning for the Ninja Apprentice.In this thrilling sequel to the bestselling Lost Scrolls of Fudo Shin (written by an author who holds a 5th degree black belt in authentic Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu), Jimmy finds himself continuing his ninjutsu training under the watchful eyes of both the ghost of his ancestor Goro, and British intelligence operative and aunt, Vanessa. Packed with lessons on concealment, cover, and invisibility, Jimmy has to digest all of it (and you can learn them too!) even as the forces of evil mount attack after attack upon him. In times like these, he could use a good friend...

About the Jon F. Merz is the author of over 30 novels (including the bestselling Lawson Vampire supernatural espionage series) ranging from urban fantasy to espionage and sword & sorcery fantasy. Prior to becoming a full-time writer Jon served in the United States Air Force, protected a variety of Fortune 500 executives, and taught defensive tactics to government agencies like the State Department, Bureau of Prisons, and others. He is an active CrossFitter, a 5th degree black belt in Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu, enjoys doing GORUCK challenges, and in 2014 started modeling and acting, most recently starring as Alfred P. Sloan in THE CARS THAT MADE AMERICA on the History Channel. He lives each and every day by the motto, "Who Dares Lives."

301 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2017

About the author

As a writer, Jon has published over 40 novels with major publishers like Kensington's Pinnacle Books, St. Martin's Press, and many more. He is also the author of eleven installments in the internationally bestselling adventure series Rogue Angel (2006-present) with Harlequin's Gold Eagle line. His short fiction story "Prisoner 392" (appeared alongside Stephen King in FROM THE BORDERLANDS, 2004, Warner Books) earned him an Honorable Mention in 2004's Year's Best Fantasy & Horror edited by Ellen Datlow. Jon has also co-authored two non-fiction books: LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER with Nancy Merz Nordstrom (2006, Sentient Publications) and THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO ULTIMATE FIGHTING with Rich "Ace" Franklin (2007, Alpha Books/Penguin/Putnam).

Jon is perhaps most famous for his Lawson Vampire series of supernatural action novels starring the Fixer Lawson, a jaded anti-hero charged with protecting a race of living vampires from exposure. There are currently six novels (The Fixer, The Invoker, The Destructor, The Syndicate, The Kensei, The Enchanter) two novellas (Slave to Love, The Courier) and five short stories (The Price of a Good Drink, Interlude, Red Tide, Rudolf the Red Nosed Rogue, Enemy Mine) in the series with many more adventures yet to come.

Jon's latest novel is the new Shadow Warrior series debuting in September from Baen Books. Book 1, UNDEAD HORDES OF KAN-GUL is due out September 3rd in stores everywhere.

Jon also publishes his backlist independently. You can find his ebooks on Amazon: http://bit.ly/jonfmerz Barnes & Noble's Nook store: http://bit.ly/bnjonfmerz and on Kobo: http://bit.ly/kjonfmerz

As a producer, Jon has formed New Ronin Entertainment with longtime friend Jaime Hassett to create television and feature film projects in the New England area. Their first project is THE FIXER, a new supernatural action series based on Jon's Lawson Vampire novels. Filming of the pilot begins in 2013.

Jon has studied authentic Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu/Ninjutsu for over twenty years under Mark Davis of the Boston Martial Arts Center. He has also trained with senior Bujinkan instructors both in the United States and Japan. During a trip to Japan in February 2003, Jon earned his 5th degree black belt directly from the 34th Grandmaster of Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu, Masaaki Hatsumi. In addition to traditional training, Jon has also taught defensive tactics to a wide range of clients, including civilian crime watch groups, police and EMS first responders, military units, and federal organizations including the US Department of State, the Department of Justice, and the Bureau of Prisons.

In his past, Jon served with the United States Air Force, worked for the US government, and handled executive protection for a variety of Fortune 500 clients.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book

For me the first chapter was a little sluggish. I had a hard time getting into this book after reading the first one. But then after the first chapter or so it really picked up and I didn't want to put it down. Anxiously waiting for the third book in the series!