Book excerpt: In 2005, a dusty collection of papers were discovered in a cellar in Dublin. Untouched since 1860, the papers told the story of Otaro, a Japanese fencing teacher, and Captain Robert Hood, a discharged American soldier. It was a tale of duels, suspense and adventure in a Japan struggling to come to terms with the realities of the steam-powered 19th century. When the two friends discover a samurai lord murdered on the road and his only son and heir kidnapped, they find themselves drawn into a mystery as baffling as it is deadly. They will need sharp wits, sharp swords and stout hearts to survive the enigma that is "The Fox Wife's Tail." Fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Patrick O'Brian and Agatha Christie will love this old fashioned adventure story.