Seven Paths to Death by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler

Seikei and Judge Ooka are passing through a northern province when they are told of a man discovered bleeding in a rice paddy, and when they arrive at the village who found the man, they are told of another body of a man all in black, a ninja, who the first man apparently killed in a fight. But the first man has not regained consciousness.

Judge Ooka and Seikei try to discover the identity of the wounded man, but are confounded. The only interesting thing about him is that he has part of a finger missing and a large tattoo on his back and three small ones on his hand. The small tattoos spell three, eight and nine, or Ya-ku-za. The larger tattoo is very colorful and looks as though it might be a map, or part of a map. The Judge has Seikei make a copy of it, but eventually, they must leave and hope the man will someday recover.

When they return to Edo, they are reunited with Judge Ooka's other retainer, Bunzo, a samurai. They seek out a tatoo artist, who tells the judge that the tattoos were done by a famous artist. But he also seems to recognize the tattoo, and after the Judge is done questioning the man, he has Seikei follow him.

Seikei does, after giving the judge his copy of the tattoo, and discovers a criminal with the same sort of Ya-ku-za tattoos on his hands, and another, different tattoo on his back. From the man, who gives his name as Rofu, he learns that there are seven tattooed men, but that one of them, Boko, is already dead. He expects that the man whom Seikei copied the tattoo from is dead, also, but when he finds out that the man is merely unconscious, he names him as Tatsuo. He asks Seikei to make a copy of his tattoo for the judge, and Seikei eventually does.

When he is released, Seikei goes to find Judge Ooka, and finds his adoptive father being shown a very unusual weapon from the Shogun's arsenal, called a musket. Seikei finds it a dishonorable weapon, but the Shogun doesn't feel the same way. The Judge tells him that there are rumors that the outer lords, the ones conquered last by Tokugawa Iaeysu, were never really loyal to him, and still plot his death. There are rumors that the Lords were buying muskets from the same Barbarians that Lord Tokugawa got his from, and the Judge fears that one of the lords cached muskets for a rebellion against the Shogun, since a musket appears in each design. But which of the Lords is it?

Then they learn of another man with a tattoo, an entertainer, and Seikei and Bunzo track him down and bring him back to the Judge. But they aren't alone in wanting to find the other men with the tattoos and question them, for the person who bribed the men with money to get the tattoos in the first place has been hiring ninja to kill the men and cut the tattoos from their backs.

Can Seikei and Judge Ooka find the traitorous house and prevent them from getting their hands on the muskets? Or will either or both of them fall victim to the ninja that they encountered before, Kitsune. But this time, Seikei doesn't have the rock entrusted to him by Kitsune's sister. Can he face off against the ninja and come away with his life intact?

Once again, an excellent book involving feudal-era Japan, a mystery that introduces readers to Japanese customs, practices and culture. And intertwined with all of that is a mystery that involves actual Japanese history and Western muskets.

The mystery and intrigue surrounding the weapons, and the villainous nature of the Lord who hid the muskets in the first place will send a shiver down the spine of readers, as does the threat and menace of the ninja hired by the Lord to kill the holders of the tattoos and flay them from the backs of the men who wear them. Though some readers may not know about the Japanese Yakuza, who are criminal clans of Japan, much like Ninja are clans of spy/assassins, they will learn why they are called such and the meaning behind the name.

This series is an excellent mixture of history, mystery and thriller, and is highly recommended for teen readers, especially those who enjoy manga and anime.