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Summary
Summary
In the carefully ordered world of seventeenth-century Japan, the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter is a place where men of all classes can drink, revel, and enjoy the favors of beautiful courtesans. But on a cold winter's dawn, Sano Ichiro - the shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People - must visit Yoshiwara on a most unpleasant mission.Within a house of assignation reserved for the wealthiest, most prominent men, a terrible murder has occurred. In a room that reeks of liquor and sex, the shogun's cousin and heir, Lord Mitsuyoshi, lies dead, a flowered hairpin embedded in his eye, in the bed of the famous courtesan, Lady Wisteria.The shogun demands quick justice, but Sano's path is blocked by many obstacles, including the disappearance of Wisteria and her pillow book, a diary that may contain clues. The politics of court life, the whims of the shogun, and interference by his long time rival, Edo's Chief Police Commissioner Hoshina, also hinder Sano in his search for the killer. Sano's wife, Lady Reiko, is eager to help him, but he fears what she may uncover. When suspicion of murder falls upon Sano himself, he must find the real murderer to solve the case and clear his name. Once again, "an exotic setting, seventeenth-century Japan, and a splendid mystery... make for grand entertainment" ( New York Daily News ).
Author Notes
Historical mystery author Laura Joh Rowland writes the popular Sano Ichiro series, which is set in 17th-century feudal Japan and features a samurai detective protagonist. Before becoming a full-time writer, Rowland held several positions in chemistry, microbiology, and engineering. She studied at the University of Michigan and earned a B.S. in Microbiology and a Master's degree in Public Health.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Delicate prose and a plot full of the overtones and undercurrents that shade real life push Rowland's latest historical beyond the standard whodunit. In 17th-century Japan, Sano Ichiro the shogun's "Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People" has had little time to recover from the disturbing events recounted in Black Lotus (2001) when he's called on to solve a murder of deep political consequence. The shogun's cousin and probable heir has been slain in the bedchamber of Lady Wisteria, a high-priced courtesan, who has gone missing. Every step Sano takes brings the possibility of personal ruin, as the shogun's favor is fickle and Sano has powerful, sly political enemies. Self-doubt and mistrust of others are souvenirs of the insidious black lotus case, which continually plagues Sano and those close to him; he doesn't have all of his emotional strength and his enemies are beginning to act more openly. When the murder case stalls, more subtle mysteries capture the reader's attention. How will Sano regain the upper hand against his enemies, or at least hold his ground? How will he get back in the shogun's good graces when all his suspects are being put to death for other crimes? Will he and his wife regain their trust of each other and themselves? All the animosity and fear in this seamless work is put forth in demure language that perfectly suits the culture Rowland portrays. This character- and atmosphere-driven work is sure to expand Rowland's already large fan base. Regional author tour. (Apr. 15) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Here's the seventh entry in Rowland's engaging historical series set in feudal Japan in 1693, when shoguns ruled the land and samurai were great and feared warriors. The detective, Sano Ichiro, a samurai himself, works directly for the shogun and carries this title: Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People. The event he is called upon to investigate this time is the murder of the shogun's cousin and likely successor. Complicating matters is the fact that the last person known to have been with the victim, a high-class courtesan known as Lady Wisteria, has gone missing. And, just to complicate matters a little further, the murder weapon, a hairpin (the victim was stabbed through the eye), belongs to an employee of a brothel who witnessed the dead man and Lady Wisteria together. The mystery is sharp and suspenseful, but, as usual, it's the beautifully re-created feudal Japan--rich in detail but never overloaded with it--that captures our imagination. This series just keeps getting better and better. David Pitt.
Kirkus Review
Samurai Sano Ichiro, the shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations and People, and his wife, Reiko, are recovering from the spiritual and emotional malaise of their last case (Black Lotus, 2001) when the shogun's heir apparent, Honorable Lord Matsudaira Mitsuyoshi, is found dead in an upscale brothel, stabbed through the eye with a hairpin. Everyone who seeks to ingratiate himself with the shogun-that is, everyone in 17th-century Japan-wants to find or frame the murderer, including police Commissioner Hoshida, lover of Chamberlain Yanagisawa, the second-highest shogunate official and Sano's enemy. Hoshida interferes with Sano's investigation and accuses him of a cover-up when Sano remains the only one not jumping to a convenient solution. Evidence, manufactured and real, points to a conflicting array of suspects. Lady Wisteria, the courtesan with whom Mitsuyoshi spent the night, has disappeared from the gated "pleasure quarter," but sections of the journal called her "pillow book" keep turning up. A high-ranking court official's summary execution doesn't prevent a musician who loved Wisteria and a chaperone who hated her from arrest. Under tremendous pressure, Sano asks help of Reiko, who distrusts a surprising overture from awkward Lady Yanagisawa, but distrusts her distrust as well. To solve the crime, Reiko and Sano must sort out the facts from lies and personal feelings. Rowland, whose historical backgrounds always flavor Sano's adventures, offers this time a double helping of exotic sexual practices. Readers will have to decide whether such salacious details spice or undercut Sano's struggle to remain honorable in a dishonorable world.
Library Journal Review
After the shogun's heir apparent is discovered murdered in the bed of a beautiful courtesan, Sano Ichiro, the shogun's investigator, must find the culprit. As he looks for the missing courtesan in the dangerous "pleasure quarter," Sano receives help (as usual) from his wife. Another satisfying visit to 17th-century Japan from the author of The Samurai's Wife. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
