Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rashomon Gate | 2002 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 2 | The Hell Screen | 2003 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 3 | The Dragon Scroll | 2005 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 4 | Black Arrow | 2006 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 5 | Island of Exiles | 2007 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 6 | The Convict’s Sword | 2009 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 7 | The Fires of the Gods | 2010 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 8 | The Masuda Affair | 2010 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 9 | Death on an Autumn River | 2011 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 10 | The Emperor’s Woman | 2012 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 11 | Death of a Doll Maker | 2013 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 12 | The Crane Pavilion | 2014 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 13 | The Old Men of Omi | 2014 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 14 | The Shrine Virgin | 2015 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 15 | The Assassin’s Daughter | 2015 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 16 | The Island of the Gods | 2015 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 17 | Ikiryo: Vengeance and Justice | 2017 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 18 | The Kindness of Dragons | 2018 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 19 | The Nuns of Nara | 2019 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 20 | Massacre at Shirakawa | 2020 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 21 | The Lucky Gods of Otsu | 2021 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
| 22 | Spring Festival in Akaiwa | 2023 | Sugawara Akitada | Buy |
The Sugawara Akitada series spans twenty-two novels from Rashomon Gate (2002) to Spring Festival in Akaiwa (2023). The books follow the title character, a minor Japanese nobleman in the Heian period (roughly the eleventh century), as he investigates crimes across Japan. Each novel presents a new mystery while advancing Akitada’s personal story and relationships.
The Heian period setting gives these mysteries a distinctive character. The social rules, religious practices, and political structures of the era all play into the plots, and author I.J. Parker uses the investigation format to explore a society very different from the Western settings that dominate historical mystery fiction. The series has earned a dedicated following among readers who appreciate both the puzzle-solving and the historical immersion.