Customer Reviews

Black Lotus (Sano Ichiro Mysteries)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Black Lotus" is the sixth novel set in 17th-century Shogunate Japan starring the Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations and People, Sano Ichiro, and his wife Reiko. Now married and the parents of a young boy, they are caught up in the activities of rising Buddist cult with much official support, but also with much to hide.

When an arson fire reveals three bodies in a house and a young woman found beaten and unconscious nearby, Sano enlists his wife's help in questioning her. But pressures to solve the case quickly force a split between the couple, as Reiko gradually sympathizes with the orphan who had to choose between entering the temple or becoming a prostitute to support herself, and Sano's need to solve the case quickly.

Complicating the case is Sano's cultural upbringing, which taught him that the man is always right and that a woman's shouldn't get involved in anything as nasty as a murder investigation. Much of "Black Lotus" is caught up in the struggle between the strong-willed couple.

Rowland invests much of the series into opening the world of medieval Japan, with its unusual customs and deadly palace intrigues. Her previous books are filled with the feeling of falling into a foreign and dangerous culture that readers of "Shogun" will find familiar. But in "Black Lotus," the conflict between Sano and the temple -- which seems inspired by the Aum Shinrikyo sect responsible for the gas attack on the Tokyo subway a few years ago -- permits a much narrower scope. With the villains in place early and seemingly little in the way of a mystery to plumb, "Black Lotus" rings the changes with its characters and situations in an energetic but predictable fashion. The earlier books, particularly "The Concubine's Tattoo," which I reviewed on Amazon, are better introductions to the series.

Intriguingly, although this is the 6th book in Rowland's Sano Ichiro series, it was the first one I had heard of or seen. I was thrilled when I spotted it in a bookstore, because it involved two of my passions - mystery stories and feudal Japan. Set in the late 1600s, Sano is a detective working for the Shogun. He's got a young wife, a toddler, and murders to solve. I read it through and had certain thoughts about the book. I then got the previous books, read them up to this point, and read the book again. The books are finish-in-a-rainy-afternoon quickies so it wasn't hard to do, and it let me see this story in its context. I'll try to write my review to suit both jump-in-the-middle-of-the-series readers as well as those who have read the previous 5 books.

As far as Sano and wife Reiko goes, you really don't need much back story. She appears in book 4 as a completely unknown woman he marries in an arranged setup. In book 5 they've been married a year and she acts almost exactly as she does in this book - and their relationship is primarily contentious. So what you see in this book is what you get. He married her expecting a "normal wife". She, brought up to learn martial arts and philosophy, SHOULD have been a wise, intelligent, skilled woman who found healthy ways to help her husband make huge progress in his career while having a fulfilling life of her own. There are certainly many such women all through Japanese history - as well as most other cultures that have a wife-stays-at-home mentality. Heck, even in the 1950s, this was expected of women.

Instead, Reiko acts like a spoiled 2 year old, REPEATEDLY. It's one thing to be intelligent and capable. I've read many biographies of intelligent, capable women who achieved incredible goals. It's quite another thing to be rude, pig-headed and deliberately cause the near destruction of your beloved child numerous times because of your poorly thought out actions. Even if we say she doesn't really love Sano for whatever reason, she is shown to adore her child. And yet she puts her child at risk of death - if not at least being orphaned - repeatedly. It makes no sense that a woman that intelligent would act the way she does.

I'm not saying Sano is a model of intelligence, either. He leaps on clues as if they were the only one he'd ever seen. He has wild panic attacks with every new mission that THIS will be the one that finally gets him and his entire family slain. He has been brought up in this culture - he should be very aware of its nuances and how politics work. But when sending a letter off to ask for help, he words it in a way that was pretty outrageous. Nobody would ever commit words to paper like he did that involved his superiors.

OK, so back to the story. There's a cult in town with a charismatic, almost psychic leader. His force of will borders on supernatural. I say borders on because the previous book was WILDLY supernatural with death-causing-shouts, so it was good in this one that it at least tried to be more realistic. The cult is of course bad news, and Haru, a wild teen girl, gets caught up in 3 murders. Reiko believes in Haru despite her numerous lies. Sano thinks she's guilty and wants to get the case closed up quickly. You also have a sideline story with Sano's helper acting like a royal jerk - and Reiko's friend acting extremely immaturely. So while normally Sano and Reiko would have annoyed me greatly, in this one they actually paled in comparison with how irrationally their two friends were acting.

I do want to point out that I keep buying these books and reading them, so I'm not saying they are awful. The texture of the descriptions is marvelous. I have studied feudal Japan for many years, and yes there are numerous errors. You have to sort of ignore those. I really enjoy the descriptions of the architecture, the gardens, even the scenes in nature.

The reason Reiko in particular annoys me so much is that in general this is EXACTLY the character I wanted to read about in books. A Japanese heroine, skilled in sword, intelligent and educated, living in this feudal world. I'd been dreaming of a series like this for many years. To see that character act in such an outrageously inept manner, foolishly causing great risks to herself and her family when a wiser course of action would have found success, bugs me to no end.

It also bugs me a bit that, as far as a mystery story goes, there really isn't one. It's sort of obvious pretty quickly what has happened. Reiko and Sano don't find clues as much as have clues dropped into their laps. The wrap-up scene is a bit too much, as well. I always love it when bad guys explain all of their motives and stories in immense detail to someone they're about to kill.

I don't get bothered by sex much, so the fact that all of these books involve guys having sex with guys, girls having sex with girls, people in authority having sex with youngsters, etc. mostly for the 'shock factor' doesn't overly concern me. If that sort of storytelling bugs you, be aware it's in here.

On the other hand, I do notice that in pretty much every book in the series (including this one) there are numerous comments made about only teenagers being beautiful - and anyone older than say 25 is a has-been who can only dream of their "lost beauty". In some cases it's written that it's shocking that someone over 25 could still be thought of as attractive. This certainly was NOT an attitude held at the time, and it's not one that's true in modern times, either. I would really like to see this kind of age-bashing toned down in future books.

To summarize, I keep buying and supporting the series hoping that as Reiko gets older, she'll start to actually exhibit some wisdom and maturity. I don't want her to become a "boring housewife" - that's not my point. If she really IS an intelligent, skilled woman, it's about time she begun to act like it, and to achieve her goals in a mature manner. I also really hope that somewhere along the way, Sano and Reiko begin to learn what detecting is all about.

The "Black Lotus," the latest installment in the Sano Ichiro mystery series set in 17th century Japan, is an absolutely brilliant read! This novel is exciting and tautly paced, with almost non-stop action and revelations. I found that I just couldn't put this book down -- I was that eager to get to the resolution of this novel; and while I was able to work out a few of the solutions, there were still a few revelations that managed to astound me.

Sano Ichiro, the Most Honourable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, is enjoying a rare moment of bliss: not only has his relationship with the powerful Chamberlain Yanagisawa taken a turn for the better, but Sano is also enjoying the early days of proud fatherhood. Life seems so wonderful at present and little does Sano suspect that the routine investigation into the case of arson and murder at the Black Lotus temple would so abruptly put an end to this peaceful period.

The Black Lotus sect is a rather mysterious one that seems to be have grown in numbers and patrons almost overnight under the leadership of the charismatic Anraku. Early one morning the priests and nuns are rudely awakened by a fire set to one of the cottages on the temple grounds. And when the fire is put out the bodies of a naked man and the burnt bodies of a woman and child are found. Also found near the cottage is a young girl, Haru, almost incoherent with terror. It is soon becomes evident that the cottage was set on fire on purpose. And when Sano arrives to take over the investigation of the arson, he recognises the naked man as Oyama Jushin, the chief police commander of the area. Further investigation also reveals that all three did not die because of the fire, but that they had been murdered. The only person who might be able to shed some light on the matter is Haru. But she is almost inarticulate with terror. Reasoning that a woman may be able to cut through Haru's fear, Sano asks his wife Reiko to try and gently interrogate Haru. Reiko is ecstatic: months of being confined to the house has made her feel dull and uninteresting. And since her insistence in being involved in Sano's previous cases has been a sore point of contention between them, she takes it as a good sign that he is now asking for her help. Unfortunately this case only serves to estrange Sano and Reiko, for while Reiko sees Haru as a victim in need of protection, testimony from the abbess of the Black Lotus temple, and others paint Haru as a liar and troublemaker. It is also intimated that Haru knew Oyama, and that she hated him. Sano is convinced that Haru is guilty, and Reiko is aghast at his quick conclusions. Especially as her investigations intimate that there is something terribly wrong with the Black Lotus sect. Sano however will not listen to Reiko, even when his own investigators start to come across a lot of people who claim that the sect has not only kidnapped their loved ones, but have also engaged in a series of brutal acts of intimidation. Realising that Haru has no one in her corner, Reiko is determined to prove her innocent, eventhough she fears that her marriage may fall apart as a result.

The "Black Lotus" is a well crafted mystery novel, with a complex and fascinating plot. Who is right, Reiko or Sano? And what dark secrets does the Black Lotus sect really hold? These are the two forces that move this novel. And Laura Joh Rowland is successful in maintaining this fast paced momentum, and in moving to and fro on the issue of Haru's guilt or innocence. Everytime you think that the issue is going in one particular direction, evidence to the contrary is brought forward, thus really keeping you on your toes sotospeak! This is a really engaing and facinating novel, and is probably worthy of a 6 star rating!

In 1693 Edo, witnesses saw the teenage girl flee and later hide in shock during the fire at the Black Lotus Temple where three bodies are found. Like just about everyone else, the Shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People Sano Ichiro believes that the girl committed homicide.

However, Sano's spouse Reiko cannot believe this fifteen-year-old is a cold-blooded killer. Instead, she feels they have captured an abuse victim and that the truth is hidden inside the mysterious BLACK LOTUS sect. As Sano goes down his official investigative path, Reiko travels a different journey with both seeking the truth even if it destroys their marriage.

BLACK LOTUS is an incredible seventeenth century Japanese mystery that brings to life the exciting Samurai period. The customs of the various classes augments the depth to a strong who-done-it. The rivalry, competition, and camaraderie between Sano and Reiko provide additional entertainment to this terrific tale. As with the entire series, Laura Joh Rowland has written another triumphant novel that will thrill mystery and historical fiction readers who will feel they traveled back in time.

Harriet Klausner

"Black Lotus" is another one of the wife and husband super duo mystery novels by Laura Joh Rowland. Unlike the first two this one brings a lot more questionable material to within its pages. There are a lot of riscae, and even perverted parts of the book that the reader may wish they had been more prepared for.

If you do have a solid stomach, and unshakeable resolve to get through even the most 'detailed' of detective novels, then this may be for you. Romanticism, warrior-pride, lust and betrayal is all jam packed into this wonderful 350 page roller-coaster. Definately give it a go, if you are a first time Rowland reader though, read 'Samurai's Wife', or 'Concubine's Tattoo' first.

In fact, three murders, but two of them don't really count. Still, a triple homicide in a Temple, the bodies found in a remains of a burnt cottage (which is a serious crime all by itself in 17th Century Edo) demands that somebody investigate. So Sano, with his huge title, is sent to find blame, kill that person and make everybody happy before the evening meal. But of course nothing is so easy.
The characters were lively and the plot seemed to flow well but, and you saw that but coming, for me the weak background spoiled the mood.
James Clavell's Shogun was a whole world - I felt that waves of action and major events and real history was being made outside the character's own stories. Outside the castles and towns the massive armies formed, silent spies ran down the dark streets and Lords hatched plots against each other.
In Black Lotus I feel like the buildings are all false fronts and if the characters took a wrong turn they might find the stage hands having a coffee break. The book feels like it could be used to make a soap opera for bored housewives (including the tossed in sex scenes) - there is no feeling of history or depth.
Get used, if at all.

I just finished reading this book, after having read The Concubine's Tattoo and The Samurai's Wife. Out of the 3, I'll admit this wasn't the best, but it was still extremely exciting. Some other reviewers argued that the story focused too much on Reiko and her quest to disprove Sano, but I still found their interactions interesting, and I thought the mystery was complemented by this: as a reader, I wanted to see whether Reiko would find enough evidence to prove her suspicions. I also enjoyed the subplot with Hirata and Midori. I was amazed at the lengths to which Midori went to prove her love to Hirata. Even if the story is a little lighter on mystery and investigation tactics than Rowland's others, it still has a lot of action. The final scene in the Black Lotus temple is so riveting, for me it made up for all of the novel's shortcomings. In any case, the story wasn't as strong a mystery as it could have been, but it still was captivating and definitely worth the time to read.

Laura Joh Rowland has written another perfect Japanese mystery novel. Yea Reiko disobeys Sano but it keeps this plot going. I do hope though, Reiko stops disobeying Sano in her next Novel, to keep the family together. I read this novel in a week, it keeps you going tell the end. Can't wait until next book comes out!!

Sano Ichiro, the Shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations and People, is a remarkable man. Starting as the son of a ronin (a masterless samurai), Sano has risen to his title by dint of hard work, sharp thinking, and unmatched integrity. He and his bright, beautiful wife Reiko have had to pit their wits against criminals and the incredible political machinations of the Shogun's court and the Bakufu, the Japanese bureaucracy. Finally, they have had a short period of peace, time to settle in their roles and have a young son, Masahiro.

Unexpectedly, a fire and triple murder at a local Buddhist temple nearly brings this idyllic setting crashing down. Sano has difficulty questioning Haru, a young nurse who was found unconscious at the scene and enlists Reiko in helping to extract Haru's story and determine if she is a suspect or a witness. Haru awakens Reiko's protective instincts and Sano finds his own opinion is in conflict with his wife's. Unlike the typical samurai wife of 17th Century Japan, Reiko is strong-willed and an independent thinker. In short order they are pursuing separate investigations and working at cross purposes.

Reiko suspects that the Black Lotus Buddhist sect has deliberately tried to blame Haru for the murders. The nurse and Pious Truth, a young monk, convince her that there are many suspicious activities at the temple. Reiko focuses her investigations on High Priest Anraku, and his two lieutenants, Kumashiro and Abbess Junketsu-in. Sano, on the other hand finds mounting evidence of Haru's dishonesty and complicity. Worse, there is increasing pressure from the Shogun and his council to arrest Haru and bring the case to a swift conclusion before the temple's influential members can cause trouble.

Reiko, unable to accept her husband's judgement, actively works against him, removing Haru from the Temple and involving both her father and the Shogun's mother. Before Sano realizes it, Reiko has triggered a series of events that that could easily destroy his career and cause the Shogun to demand his life. The conflict between Reiko and her husband appears unresolvable, and the marriage is on the road to dissolution. Even worse, innocent friends have become involved as well. Unable to completely ingnore Reiko's beliefs, Sano realizes that, whether Haru is innocent or not, the Black Lotus temple is involved in many suspicious activities. The action reaches crisis and it takes all of his energy to protect his family and the city of Edo from the plots of Anraku and his monks.

Of all the 'historical' mystery writers, Laura Joh Rowland stands out in her ability to completely capture the society and culture of 17th Century Japan. Her writing seems effortless, and the reader quickly becomes deeply involved in the politics, art, and people of those times. Sano and Reiko are delightful people, surrounded by many intriguing characters. Indeed, Rowland has extended her characterization skills to produce a rich and compelling mystery story that is also a gemlike picture of Japanese life.

I am quite a fan of mystery novels and read most of the popular series by various authors. Black Lotus, the sixth novel by Laura Joh Rowland, is my introduction to her series and I will most definitely go back and read her previous novels. The plots and characters of most series get stale quickly and are often derivative of one another, but Ms. Rowland writes mysteries as historical novels set in 17th century Japan and so has found an interesting new angle for her books.

Judging by some of the previous reviews, it appears that some readers are quite disappointed that Ms. Rowland's characters do not act in a modern fashion, particularly in regards to gender roles. Keep in mind that this is a historical novel, banish your expectations about societal roles, and enjoy a good mystery and some fine historical writing.