The Concubine's Tattoo - Hardcover

Rowland, Laura Joh

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312192525 ISBN 13: 9780312192525

Publisher: St Martins Pr, 1998

Synopsis

When a young concubine is murdered by poisoned tattoo ink, Sano, the shogun's investigator, begins his search for the killer, but his investigation brings him to the forbidden world of the shogun's women, in a mystery set in seventeenth-century Japan

About this title

About the Author

Laura Joh Rowland is the granddaughter of Chinese and Korean immigrants. She grew up in Michigan and was educated at the University of Michigan, where she graduated with a B.S. in microbiology and a Master of Public Health. She lives in New Orleans with her husband, Marty, and their three cats. She is the author of Shinju, Bundori, and The Way of the Traitor, all of which feature the samurai detective Sano Ichiro.

Reviews

Rowland once again delivers a mystery laden with details of period and place, with strong portrayals of palace intrigue in 17th-century Japan. Sano Ichiro has risen to the rank of Most Honorable Investigator for the shogun in 1690 Japan. As his fourth adventure (after 1997's The Way of the Traitor) begins, he is marrying the beautiful Lady Ueda Reiko. The wedding is interrupted by the sudden death of Hamune, one of the shogun's concubines, the victim of poisoned ink that Hamune used to give herself an intimate tattoo. Sano's investigation requires extraordinary skill and care, for failure in a case involving the shogun's household could mean his death. Suspects include Yanagisawa, Sano's bitter rival for the shogun's favor; a young officer who loved Harume; and other concubines who had much to lose as Harume gained the shogun's affections. Meanwhile, Reiko rebels against the submissive role of Japanese wife and insists on helping in the investigation. The book suffers, as Rowland's previous novels have, from a common hazard of historical mysteries: the pace is weighed down by the very details with which the author so painstakingly bedecks her narrative. Even so, Rowland's understanding of the society she depicts shines through, and she succeeds in presenting Sano as an intriguing combination of wiliness and decency, making this a good bet for fans of historicals as well as of mysteries past.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Suspects abound in Rowland's fourth mystery set in seventeenth-century Edo (Tokyo). After surviving the dangers described in The Way of the Traitor (1997), Sano Ichiro, the shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, hopes that nothing will interfere with the celebrations surrounding his arranged marriage to Reiko Ueda, the only daughter of a local magistrate. His desire is thwarted when his wedding feast is interrupted by news of the death of a concubine in the women's quarters at Edo Castle. Sano must tiptoe carefully through palace intrigues and jealousies as he sorts through suspects' alibis. Most important, Sano must come to an accommodation with his well-educated, highly intelligent young wife, who is determined to assist him in discovering the murderer. Despite a few instances of overwrought prose, Rowland offers fascinating glimpses into the culture of medieval Japan, especially into the thankless lives of women. A good choice for fans of historical mysteries. Nancy Pearl

When a 17th-century shogun's favorite concubine suddenly dies, it falls to his chief investigator, Sano Ichiro, to discover how and why. Sano must interrupt his plans for a honeymoon; contend with an educated, wayward, and sleuthing wife; foil the wily machinations of his evil arch-nemesis (second-in-command to and longtime lover of the shogun); and still keep peace with his pusillanimous employer. A fascinating, well-researched, and action-filled costume adventure, perhaps even better than Rowland's The Way of the Traitor. (LJ 5/1/97).
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: St Martins Pr
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0312192525
• ISBN 13: 9780312192525
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 326