The Shrine Virgin — I.J. Parker

When an imperial princess disappears from the Ise shrine, Akitada, newly governor of Mikawa Province, has barely had time to settle there with his family before he is dispatched by imperial order on a secret assignment to locate her.The world Akitada finds at Ise turns out to be anything but spiritual. The pilgrimage town is a murky, dangerous place where no one can be trusted and where someone wants him dead. Gangs of robbers work the roads and forests, and two young women are murdered within days of each other. Although Akitada's mission becomes known, putting his life in jeopardy, he persists with the unlikely help of a dwarf. Meanwhile, Tora and Saburo, left to look after the new province in their master's absence, get involved in local problems and jeopardize Akitada's new appointment and his careerSuccess is almost in sight, when a monster storm strikes the coasts of Ise and Mikawa.“Elegant and entertaining . . . Parker has created a wonderful protagonist in Akitada. . . . She puts us at ease in a Japan of one thousand years ago.” The Boston Globe“You couldn't ask for a more gracious introduction to the exotic world of Imperial Japan than the stately historical novels of I. J. Parker.” The New York Times