The Perfumed Sleeve: A Novel - Hardcover

Rowland, Laura Joh

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312318898 ISBN 13: 9780312318895

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2004

Synopsis

November 1694. The streets of Edo are erupting in violence as two factions struggle for control over the ruling Tokugawa regime. One is led by the shogun's cousin, Lord Matsudaira, and the other by the shogun's second-in-command, Chamberlain Yanagisawa. Each side pressures Sano Ichiro, the shogun's most honorable investigator, to join its ranks.

When one of the shogun's most trusted advisers is found dead, Sano is forced to honor a posthumous request for a murder investigation. Senior Elder Makino believed that his death would be the result of assassination rather than natural causes. Although he and Sano were bitter enemies, Makino knew that the incorruptible Sano would be duty-bound to oblige his final wish.

Under the watchful eyes and thinly veiled threats of both Lord Matsudaira and Chamberlain Yanagisawa, Sano moves with caution. Each is eager to implicate the other in Makino's death. Sano must discover whether the death was indeed murder, and if so, whether it was motivated by politics, love, or sex. The discovery of secret alliances, both romantic and military, further complicates matters. Sano's investigation has barely begun when violent death claims another of the shogun's favorites.

With his wife, Reiko, working undercover, Sano and his chief retainer, Hirata, must not only investigate multiple deaths, but stem the tide of an impending civil war.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"[Rowland's] Japan is a mix of Kabuki theater-like stylized formality, palace intrigue, and physical action that would do a martial arts movie proud."
--The Times-Picayune on The Dragon King's Palace

"Rowland's masterful evocation of the period enables the reader to identify with the universal human emotions and drives that propel her characters while absorbing numerous telling details of a different culture and era."
--Publishers Weekly on The Dragon King's Palace

"Rowland's dazzling array of entertaining narratives continues to score points with readers, with exotic locales, a flair for dramatics.... Highly recommended."
--The Japan Times on The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria

"Sano may carry a sword and wear a kimono, but you'll immediately recognize him as an ancestor of Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade."--The Denver Post

About the Author

Laura Joh Rowland, the granddaughter of Chinese and Korean immigrants, was educated at the University of Michigan and now lives in New Orleans with her husband. The Perfumed Sleeve is the ninth in her widely acclaimed series featuring Sano Ichiro.

Edition details

• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0312318898
• ISBN 13: 9780312318895
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336