The Samurai Detectives

Volume 1

Shotaro Ikenami

$24.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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Japanese

Penguin Books Ltd
04 November 2025

Crime & Mystery; Historical adventure; Fiction in translation

Series: The Samurai Detectives

Shogun meets Sherlock Holmes! Over 24 million copies have been sold of this beloved samurai adventure

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.

By: Shotaro Ikenami
Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 200g
ISBN: 9781405975766
ISBN 10: 1405975768
Series: The Samurai Detectives
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 04 November 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Shotaro Ikenami (1923 - 1990) was a bestselling Japanese author famed for his multi-million copy selling series of historical fiction novels. Over his lifetime, he won the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award and Naoki Award for popular literature. Over a dozen of his works were adapted for film and television, and his work remains exceptionally popular in Japan.