The Dragon King's Palace: A Novel [Hardcover]

Laura Joh Rowland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 2003

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 Ichir_, 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 women are in imminent danger, and the delivery of a ransom note only complicates matters---forcing both Sano and Reiko to take desperate measures. Once again, Laura Joh Rowland’s dazzling combination of history and storytelling draws us into a sumptuous and treacherous world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Rowland's eighth engrossing 17th-century Japanese mystery (after 2002's The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria), Sano Ichiro, the shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations and People, is roused in the middle of the night when the shogun's mother and Sano's wife, Reiko, are kidnapped en route to Mount Fuji and their escort slaughtered. The crisis is exacerbated by the identities of the two other abductees: the wife of Sano's primary rival, the chamberlain Yanagisawa, the real power behind the shogun; and the pregnant wife of Sano's chief assistant. Sano's considerable deductive, strategic and diplomatic skills are repeatedly tested as he juggles the caprices of his ruler, who struggles with his figurehead status, Yanagisawa's ambitions for succession and the interests of the court's other power players. The organizer of the crimes, who calls himself the Dragon King after a traditional folk tale, makes an unusual ransom demand that only adds to the mystery of his identity and motivation. While her husband races to put the pieces of the puzzle together before the shogun's recklessness imperils the hostages, Reiko, bright and self-reliant, schemes to free herself and her companions. 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.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The eighth Sano Ichiro mystery is pretty much like its forerunners, which is both good and bad. Good, because the latest adventure of the seventeenth-century Japanese Samurai combines modern detective work with sharp historical drama; bad, because we've seen it all before, seven times, and, aside from the plot (involving the kidnapping of the hero's wife), Rowland isn't really doing anything very new here. Good, because fans of period-themed mysteries will be pleased with the author's narrative style, with the way she introduces historical details subtly, making them part of the story's natural flow; bad, because this same narrative style is becoming rather predictable, as we are now beginning to expect these details to appear at certain points in the story. What began as fresh and exciting, then, has now reached the point where it's becoming formulaic, and that does not bode well for the future. Still, series fans won't be ready to give up yet. This remains a good series, but it needs a second wind. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (April 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312282664
• ISBN-13: 978-0312282660
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,325,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

L AURA JOH ROWL AND, the author of thirteen previous Sano Ichiro mysteries 'demonstrating an impressive level of sustained excellence' (Publishers Weekly), lives in New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but..., July 1, 2003

By 

Amber (TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dragon King's Palace: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book has the usual political intrigue and sensual moments readers have come to expect from Laura Joh Rowland's novels. However, I came away feeling less than satisfied with this tale and eager to read the next novel in her series. It seemed as if maybe this book is a "bridge" - it wasn't so much a story in itself but was there to set up for future events. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the book, but for anyone who is following the series, there should be a MAJOR shake-up of political power in the next book. That interests me more than what happened in this book.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fast paced and exciting -- an enjoyable read, April 10, 2003

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dragon King's Palace: A Novel (Hardcover)

Another exciting and fast paced Sano Ichiro mystery novel! And truthfully speaking, if you're looking for a good historical mystery novel that will keep you at the edge of your seat, you need not look any further than this latest Sano Ichiro installment, "The Dragon King's Palace."

It's June of 1694, and the city of Edo seems to be suffering from the effects of a particularly bad heat wave. In order to escape this stiflingly bad weather, Lady Keisho-in, shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (Japan's supreme military leader)'s mother has decided to mount a 'small' trip to Mount Fuji. And she's decided that Reiko (the wife of Sano Ichiro who also happens to be the shogun's Most Honourable Investigator of Events, Situations and People), Reiko's heavily pregnant good friend, Midori (who is also the wife of Sano's most trusted aide, Hirata), and Lady Yanagisawa (the wife of Chamberlain Yanagiswa, the shogun's second-in-command and Sano's arch enemy) should accompany her on this trip. But en route to Mount Fuji, the party is attacked; the ladies are kidnapped and Lady Keisho-in's entire entourage of servants and guards slaughtered. Who could have mounted such an outrageous attack, and why? Was it some power hungry daimyo trying to show just how weak and powerless the shogun actually is? Or could it be some enemy of the Chamberlain's retaliating for some past wrong? Or could it be as Sano fears, that the Black Lotus sect trying to seek revenge on Sano for having caused the downfall of their once powerful and wealthy sect? Thrown together because of circumstances, Sano and the Chamberlain must put their past distrust and dislike of each other behind them so that they can discover who actually is responsible for the kidnapping as well as mount a rescue of the ladies before it's too late. But even as the two men face the danger and treachery around them, neither is quite ready for the strange and amazing twists that this case will take, or the personal cost that each will suffer...

I finished "The Dragon King's Palace" in one sitting. Fortunately, I had the day off -- a day I had planned to do a lot of weeding! Instead of which I found that I had spent the entire afternoon breathlessly turning the pages, reading along as Sano tried to discover who was behind this outrageous kidnapping and hoping that Reiko did not come up a cropper! What an exciting and suspenseful read this was. Laura Joh Rowland has written a cleverly plotted book that is full of wonderful and rich detail, and that fits in (comfortably) with the past books in this series. I particularly liked that this book really focused on the courage, intelligence and resourcefulness of Reiko. The novel unfolded smoothly, seamlessly and at an incredibly swift pace. All in all, a really good installment in the Sano Ichiro mystery series, and one not to be missed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, May 9, 2005

By 

Highlander (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dragon King's Palace: A Novel (Hardcover)

I appear to be a contrarian when it comes to the Sano Ichiro series. To now, I've enjoyed the Tokugawa milieu and have been captured by the culture and the actions of the characters within the culture. I have been disappointed by what I perceive as amateurish, illogical, and impulsive decisions by the characters to push an often plodding plot ahead and by the need for an ocasional lucky circumstance to resolve awkward plot logjams.

However, with DGP, I finally have seen Rowland let the plot horses run and the result has been a quickly moving, exciting plot structure with the characters in accord with events -- swept along perhaps -- rather than shuffling along behind a stiff story line.

So, I finally read a Ichiro novel that had me keep turning the pages and one where I did not keep asking myself, "Why in the world whould he or she do something that stupid?" It was a good read and I hope the next story maintains the pace.