Parker, I(ngrid) J.

views updated

PARKER, I(ngrid) J.

PERSONAL:

Born in Munich, Germany; married Anthony R. Parker; children: Karin. Education: University of Munich, B.A.; Texas Technological University, M.A., 1962; University of New Mexico, Ph.D., 1971. Hobbies and other interests: Gardening.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Virginia Beach, VA. Office—c/o Author Mail, St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Professor of English and foreign languages. Writer.

MEMBER:

Private Eye Writers of America.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Shamus Award, Private Eye Writers of America, for "Akitada's First Case" (short story).

WRITINGS:

Rashomon Gate, Minotaur (New York, NY), 2002.

The Hell Screen, Minotaur (New York, NY), 2003.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

The Masuda Affair.

SIDELIGHTS:

I. J. Parker, a retired language professor, writes mysteries set in eleventh-century Japan and centered on Sugawara Akitada, featured in the award-winning story, "Akitada's First Case." Scion of a noble family fallen on hard times, Akitada toils as a minor official at the Ministry of Justice in Heian Kyo, Japan's one-time capital. In Rashomon Gate, Parker's debut novel, a professor at the Imperial University calls upon his former student Akitada to unravel a blackmail plot and save the University from a cheating scandal. Akitada decides to go undercover, assuming the identity of a lecturer, and is soon immersed in a world of petty intrigues and gossip. His investigations take a more serious turn when a professor and then a young woman are murdered, and a student draws Akitada into his own search for his missing, possibly murdered, grandfather, a delicate matter since the emperor has ruled the old man's disappearance a "miracle." "The story moves slowly and seems overlong … but the characters feel genuine, as does the unusual setting," wrote Booklist reviewer Carrie Bissey. "Akitada, impetuous, passionate and intelligent, is aided by a scampish servant, Tora, and an elderly, resourceful retainer, Seimei. Readers should welcome further tales about the trio," concluded a Publishers Weekly reviewer.

Sugawara Akitada returns in The Hell Screen. On his way to visit his mother, Akitada stops in a monastery for the night, only to be awakened by a woman's scream. He later learns that a woman was supposedly murdered by her lover in the monastery, and he decides to investigate when he realizes that it was her scream that awoke him. A Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote, "Readers will be enchanted by Akitada, an honorable sleuth who proves more progressive than his time."