Rowland, Laura Joh Books

The Way of the Traitor

Laura Joh Rowland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

East Meets West...Unwillingly 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This novel picks up where Rowland's last Sano Ichiro novel left off: once again, Sano is the victor in the battle against crime, but loser of the war that rages within the Shogun's household. And, once again, his enemy is the Shogun's favorite, Yanagisawa. Sano finds himself essentially exiled to Nagasaki, the only port in which Japan allows foreigners -- closely watched, of course. A Dutch trader is murdered, and Sano offers to unearth the murderer, a seemingly impossible, and politically suicidal, task. Will Sano persevere? Since this is a series of novels, it's pretty obvious he will solve the case. However, I don't think I can take much more of Sano and his associates constantly beaten, wounded, and almost assassinated! The most interesting part of the book, in my opinion, is the picture of foreigners Rowland paints in the book: they are, to Sano and other Japanese, dirty, smelly, and almost completely uncivilized. The fact that Sano needs one of the Dutch delegation's help challenges his detective and physical senses to the extreme. Rowland is historically accurate in her depiction of the xenophobia present in Japan, and the fears that foreigners will somehow pollute the purity of Japanese culture, something that James Clavell did so well in 'Shogun'.

Editorial Review:

Samurai Sano Ichiro, our guide through the intricacies of life and death in 17th-century Japan in Laura Joh Rowland's evocative and accessible mysteries (Bundori and Shinju are available in paperback) is called the Shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People. All of these skills--plus a strong sense of survival--are needed in this story about what happens when Dutch traders arrive in Nagasaki in 1690. The foreigners are isolated in a small section of the city, and most ordinary citizens are forbidden to make contact with them--on penalty of beheading. But when the Dutch trade director is found murdered, Sano risks his neck to find the killer and satisfy his curiosity about the world outside his rigorously regimented homeland.

Bundori

Laura Joh Rowland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Hmmm.. 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I read a lot of the reviews before buying this and I can see why the audience is split. Some find this engrossing, some just tedious. My MOR ruling is that it is indeed tedious in places but captivating in others. The historical 'feel' is good, the character tensions enough to keep the plot moving, and the sex scenes provide the necessary interludes. My criticism is that in striving for an antique feel, the author slips into antique language [my favourite was a ghost who talks about 'making dung'] and this can be quite jarring [especially in the sexual interludes, where characters are large of member, dark of nipple].
All in all, acceptable for a plane ride but I don't see collecting the entire set.

Editorial Review:

It is early spring, 1679, and the feudal Japanese capital, Edo, is beginning to blossom. But along its peaceful, misty streets evil lurks. With one stroke, the favored vassal of the ruling family is decapitated, his head taken for a bundori -- a war trophy.
Sano Ichiro, the shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, is called to find the culprit. In a city where danger and deceit lie just below the lush surface, Sano must rely on his mind, his instincts, and his noble training in Bushido -- the Way of the Warrior -- to solve this case that could bring him glory...or everlasting shame. Set against a backdrop of sumptuous castles, tawdry pleasure districts, and serene temples, and filled with unforgettable, rich characters, Bundori is breathtaking entertainment.

The Assassin's Touch: A Thriller (Sano Ichiro Novels)

Laura Joh Rowland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

It is a lost art, passed down by the ancients in great secrecy: Dim-mak. It is death, by the lightest touch of a finger. Sano Ichiro, tenuous in the new regime as the shogun’s second-in-command, does not have the luxury of skepticism?another senior official is dead, a fingerprint lightly glazed into his skin.

Sano’s wife Reiko has an investigation of her own: a beautiful, proud, and hopelessly poor woman has confessed to murdering her family. Yet the pieces do not fit, and as Reiko looks deeper into the woman’s life as a hinin?a moral outcast, shunned by the world?inexplicable connections appear between her investigation and Sano’s.

As Reiko’s questions spiral her further into the squalor of life as a hinin, Sano and Hirata?his most loyal samurai?pursure their prey, uncovering an intricate tapestry of betrayal woven into the highest levels of the new regime. But they are no match for the one who has mastered dim-mak, a warrior who will strike all those who cross him or his path?even Reiko.

The Dragon King's Palace: A Novel (Sano Ichiro Novels)

Laura Joh Rowland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

On a whim of the shogun's mother, a procession has left the sweltering heat of Edo, bound for the cooler climate of Mount Fuji. Among her traveling companions are Reiko, the beautiful wife of Sano Ichiro, the shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People; Reiko's friend Midori, nine months pregnant; and Lady Yanagisawa, the deranged wife of the shogun's powerful second-in-command. None of them look forward to the trip. But their troubles have only begun when their procession is stopped suddenly on a deserted road. The entire retinue is viciously slaughtered and the four women are bound and taken away, imprisoned by a mysterious kidnapper.

Sano now finds himself faced with the most important case of his career. The shogun demands quick action, and under the threat of death, Sano is forced to work with his bitter enemies-Chamberlain Yanagisawa and Police Commissioner Hoshina. The delivery of a ransom note only complicates matters-forcing both Sano and Reiko to take desperate measures.

The Perfumed Sleeve: A Novel (Sano Ichiro Novels)

Laura Joh Rowland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Sano Ichiro, Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People is faced with his most challenging case when he investigates the death of Senior Elder Makino, the shogun's most trusted adviser. There is only one puzzling clue-a torn, perfumed sleeve of a kimono. Under the watchful eyes of the shogun's cousin, Lord Matsudaira, and the shogun's second-in-command, Chamberlain Yanagisaw, Sano moves with caution. For each is eager to implicate the other in Makino's death. But Sano must determine whether the death was indeed murder, and if so, whether it was motivated by politics, love, or sex.

When a second violent death occurs, Sano is faced with several suspects, each with a compelling motive. Was it Agemaki, Makino's stone-faced second wife; Okitsu, his beautiful young concubine; Koheiji, his handsome male houseguest; or Tamura, his faithful retainer? Or was it a political assassination? With the help of his wife, Reiko, Sano must solve the murder as he discovers just how intertwined desire and danger really are...

Red Chrysanthemum: A Thriller (Sano Ichiro Novels)

Laura Joh Rowland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Kabuki Theater Meets Madame Butterfly Melodrama 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Reader, be prepared to be jerked around by the writer. This is the first (and will be the last) book in the series I've read. I like thrillers with exotic (for me) settings, but this one was way over the top. There were unfortunate lapses into contemporary English vernacular (like "Hey!" coming from one of Sano's subordinates). Stage machinery was way too evident, and the "acting" by the principles, by Lady Mori and her servant, was overwrought and operatic. Perhaps, as other reviewers have noted, the writer was forced into getting the book to the publisher before it was ready. (I'm surprised she even found a publisher.)

Editorial Review:

Tokyo, 1698: Sano Ichiro, the samurai detective who has risen to become the shogun’s second-in-command, is investigating rumors of a plot to overthrow the ruling regime. But conspiracy theories travel far too close to home when Sano discovers that Lord Mori, heir to the shogun, has been found murdered in his own bed…with Sano’s pregnant wife, Reiko, lying naked beside him. Was Reiko Lord Mori’s scorned mistress, and vengeful assassin, as Lady Mori alleges? Or is she involved in a stunning hoax with her husband—as the ghost of Lord Mori has charged? Now, in a desperate race against time, Sano must find the real killer or face execution for treason. . .unless he can solve the mystery of the RED CHRYSANTHEMUM

The Samurai's Wife: A Novel (Sano Ichiro Novels)

Laura Joh Rowland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Sano Ichiro, the Shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, is back in action in Laura Joh Rowland's latest, The Samurai's Wife. After a heated dispute with his colleague and archrival, Honorable Chamberlain Yanigasawa, Sano finds himself in Miyako, Japan's imperial capital, investigating the mysterious death of Minister Konoe Bokuden. Apparently a victim of murder by kiai, a martial arts technique in which a burst of pure mental energy is concentrated in the voice of the killer, Konoe had been plotting an overthrow of samurai rule. Sano must determine whether his death is a personal or political matter, all the while tiptoeing around the delicate sensibilities and violent tempers of the Emperor and his Imperial Court. His roster of suspects ranges from the Emperor himself to Kozeri, Konoe's former wife, a Buddhist nun whose habit barely conceals a powerful and disturbing sensuality.

Rowland has obviously done her homework; her zest for historical detail complements, rather than overwhelms, the story, giving the reader a glimpse into the ceremoniality of 17th-century imperial Japanese culture: "In the southern sector of the imperial enclosure stood the Purple Dragon Hall.... The austere half-timbered building faced a courtyard bounded with covered corridors supported by vermilion posts. The ground was covered with white sand to reflect the light of the sun and moon onto the hall. A cherry tree and a citrus tree flanked the entrance, representing the guardian archers and horsemen of ancient tradition. Leading up to the door, eighteen steps, framed by red balustrades, symbolized the number of noble ranks in the court hierarchy. Sano and Hoshina slowly approached the bottom of the steps, where a line of courtiers waited."

Unfortunately, Rowland seems sometimes to sacrifice accuracy for the sake of action, creating a bond between Sano and his spirited wife Reiko so modern that one feels that even the most liberated Genroku woman would have been far more circumscribed by ritual and expectations. On the level of plot, rather than philosophy or politics, Sano's deductions have less to do with dogged investigation than with divine inspiration.

Laura Joh Rowland's previous Sano mysteries include The Concubine's Tattoo and The Way of the Traitor. Mystery fans intrigued by the notion of a Japanese mise en scène may be interested in Dale Furutani's Death at the Crossroads and Jade Palace Vendetta, also set in 17th-century Japan. --Kelly Flynn

Shinju

Laura Joh Rowland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Pretty good beginning to a great series. 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Sinju is the first, but definitely not the best of the Sano Ichiro series.
While this is a good book, it is not a great book. That being said, it is pretty much necessary character development if you want to get some of the dynamics of interaction in the rest of the stories. If I had read this first, I may not have been so enthusiastic about the rest of the series, but because I read "Bundori" first I was hooked years ago. I kind of look at Sinju as an interesting prequel. It is a pretty good detective story, a pretty good historical novel, and a pretty good look at the "Boshido Way" in the end of the Samuri era.

So my advice is, if you are interested in any of these themes, this is a good read. However, you will probably like the next story much better (I know I did), so get "Bundori" also and read through if you have the patience, otherwise, start with Bundori and get hooked on the series first and then go back and read "Sinju" for a better understanding of the primary characters.

As for the rest of the series, Ms. Roland's writing gets better all the time .

Editorial Review:

When beautiful, wealthy Yukiko and low-born artist Noriyoshi are found drowned together in a shinju, or ritual double suicide, everyone believes the culprit was forbidden love. Everyone but newly appointed yoriki Sano Ichiro.

Despite the official verdict and warnings from his superiors, the shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People suspects the deaths weren't just a tragedy -- they were murder. Risking his family's good name and his own life, Sano will search for a killer across every level of society -- determined to find answers to a mystery no one wants solved. No one but Sano...

As subtle and beautiful as the culture it evokes, Shinju vividly re-creates a world of ornate tearooms and guady pleasure-palaces, cloistered mountaintop convents and dealthy prisons.

Part love story, part myster, Shinju is a tour that will dazzle and entertain all who enter its world.

Black Lotus (Sano Ichiro Novels)

Laura Joh Rowland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Samurai detective Sano Ichiro, the hero of Laura Joh Rowland's beautifully written mysteries set in Shogun-era Japan, (The Samurai's Wife, The Concubine's Tattoo), investigates an arson murder at the Black Lotus temple, in which the only witness--a young girl who swears she doesn't remember what happened--is also the only suspect. But Sano's wife, Reiko, believes that Haru is innocent and that the real culprits are hiding behind the barred gates of the temple, home to a mysterious sect that is rumored to be responsible for a number of criminal acts. Under pressure to solve the crime, Sano agrees to let Reiko help, but when she takes matters into her own hands, it puts his career in jeopardy and nearly destroys their marriage. Who is the mysterious Abbess of the Black Lotus, and what is the sect's real goal? Is Haru the innocent youngster Reiko believes her to be, or does the evidence Sano uncovers reveal her deceitful nature and complicity in the murders of a child, a young woman, and a high-ranking police commander? As usual, Rowland turns in a brilliant re-creation of a time and place unfamiliar to most readers: the imperial court of 17th-century Japan, whose intrigues and excesses provide a fascinating backdrop for the most charming husband and wife detective team since Nick and Nora Charles. If you haven't discovered Rowland yet, Black Lotus is your opportunity; this is a series with real staying power. --Jane Adams

The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria (Sano Ichiro Novels)

Laura Joh Rowland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Samurai sleuth Sano Ichiro has a very personal motive in determining who killed the shogun's heir apparent with a hairpin: he's trying to save himself from being executed for the crime.

The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria introduces readers into Yoshiwara, the well-ordered but cruel pleasure quarter of 17th-century Edo (Tokyo), where the corpse of Lord Mitsuyoshi is found sprawled on a bed. The woman with whom he'd spent his final hours, a top-ranking courtesan known as Lady Wisteria, has disappeared, along with her private journal, which might supply clues to her complicity in this slaying. In the absence of both, and with the capricious old shogun ordering that Mitsuyoshi's family not be quizzed about his death, Sano is left to look for assassins among the courtesan's attendants and prominent clients. Meanwhile, Sano's enemies vie for credit in solving the murder (even if they must pin it on Sano), a woman's headless body is found wearing Wisteria's kimono, and Sano's amateur investigator wife, Reiko, threatens to discover the link between her samurai and the enigmatic prostitute.

Laura Joh Rowland cooks up wonderfully knotty plots. Yet it's her renderings of Sano's world--with its Machiavellian politics, exotic fashions, and hierarchical communities--that make her series particularly interesting. Although this seventh installment lacks the cinematic violence of its immediate predecessor, Black Lotus, it still makes you glad to be observing shogunate Japan from afar. --J. Kingston Pierce