THE AIKIDO SENSEI is the 4th book in the Aikido Mysteries series. We find Parker, our sometimes private eye and full time Aikido Sensei trying to help his old teacher, Hunter James, build a barn up at his farm in Maine. Hunter reveals why he gave up Aikido and tells Parker about the time he spent in Japan before he received his black belt promotion from the founder of aikido, O'Sensei. Parker is still the man's loyal student and they remain very close, spending days in the field hunting birds and nights around the table drinking beer. So why was he murdered? Parker has to return to Maine and tear the town apart until he finds the killer. It takes help from his friends and students, it requires a crash course in computer pirating and hacking skills, it takes guts, courage and sheer will plus the protection of Nico, his constant companion, a furry ball of love, claw and fangs. Nico is watching out for Parker and in the North woods it turns out to be what he needs. The town seems crazy to Parker. Although he grew up in a small town out in Wyoming he knows nothing about the way that the taciturn Yankees live their lives and the only way through the maze is by asking questions. "Doing it the old fashioned way," he says. Her knocks on doors until one knocks back - and then it's game-on. Parker at his best