Customer Reviews

The Fire Kimono (Historical Fiction)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After the supremely wooden Red Chrysanthemum and the only marginally-better The Snow Empress, both of which seemed to have been penned by a none-too-adept ghost writer, Laura Joh Rowland regains her footing and rediscovers her game with this latest installment. After blundering through the last two books like lobotomy victims, our three principals, Chamberlain Sano Ichiro, his wife, Lady Reiko and his loyal retainer, now Sosokan-sama Hirata have also regained their recognizable personalities, to my vast relief. The Fire Kimono is a story that lives up to the promises of its evocative cover art, returning Sano & Co. to what they do best--investigating murder and navigating court intrigue in Tokogawa-ruled Edo. This time around, Sano puts aside much of the stuffy propriety of his elevated post which has hobbled him in the previous two outings in order to investigate the murder of the Shogun's cousin that took place before he was born--and one he is vested in for a very personal reason: his mother is the accused. As he works feverishly to exonerate her and clear his family's name, he is motivated not only by samurai honor but also fear--his entire family will be executed if she is found guilty. It is a pleasure to see Lady Reiko acting with more of her old verve, as well as Hirata, who has returned from his mystical martial-arts wanderings and once again works alongside his old friend and former master. As the narrative shifts between Sano's present and the Great Fire of 1657, when his mother was a young girl, readers have an armchair experience of one of the seminal disasters in Japanese history. Sano's samurai stoicism is intact, but events of the previous two novels had not been kind to either Reiko or Hirata--it's good to see them back in their old form. I can't help but notice that the spirit of Rowland's prose improves in direct proportion to the presence of Sano's nemesis--former Chamberlain Yanigisawa. The books have been suffering from his notable absence. He's baaaack--and the series is that much better for it. Though I have wondered how long Rowland plans to continue, the denouement of this novel is not only surprising, but portends many more chapters of the Sano saga to come.

As a loyal reader of the Sano Ichiro series, I find that the ahh stammering Shogun is annoying in his spinelessness. The Fire Kimono finally has him showing that he might eventually "get it" at last. Ms Rowland weaves into this latest novel a better sense of what the Shogun is like more than others I can recall.

The arch-rivalry between Lord Matsudaira and Chamberlain Ichiro continue. Within both sides are traitors and spies. When Sano Ichiro is commanded by the Shogun to find the killer of his cousin, Tadatoshi he is hard-pressed to sort out the truth from the red herrings in order to save his family.

I would have enjoyed more character involvement on the part of Hirata, whose near-mystical powers are most helpful to Sano Ichiro (now Chamberlain) in solving crimes and more of Reiko, Sano Ichiro's wife. Reiko has been portrayed in past novels as such a strong and smart woman - this book took a bit away from her personality and that was disappointing.

Still and all I love the concept of intrigue/mysteries set in ancient Japan and Ms. Rowland did not let us down.

The first six or seven of the Ichiro Sano books were great. Don't miss them.
Now, starting with The Dragon King's Palace, each is more predictable and improbable, at the same time. In this last one, The Fire Kimono, you can see it coming from the first pages.
If you haven't yet, get Bundori, Shinju or The Way of the Traitor. Or even better, all three.

Having been a longstanding fan of Laura Joh Rowland, The Fire Kimono is one of my favorites in the Sano Ichiro mysteries. Sano, our favorite detective, is thrown once again into a murder mystery filled with unexpected twists and turns. Sano battles like never before against his political rivals, using every bit of his cleverness and wit to save the lives of his family.

Ms. Rowland weaves a story filled with complex and appealing characters as usual. This includes the villains, and how they are pitted against the protagonists. Even some of the characters once thought to be static become dynamic and more humanized. As the reader, I felt connected to almost every character placed in the spotlight. Even the shogun gets some gumption in this one!

I completely recommend The Fire Kimono to readers who are searching for a fascinating, fictional story set in feudal Japan. And, to the die hard fans of Sano Ichiro: do not miss this one.

The only books I buy in hard cover are Rowland's. The Fire Kimono did not disappoint. I love her writing and the problems that Sano Ichiro encounters.

This is the thirteenth novel in Rowland's Sano Ichiro detective series, the twelfth I've read - some near-universal pans of the immediately-preceding, "The Snow Empress," kept me away from it, though after reading "The Fire Kimono" I'm picking that one up, reviews be hanged.

"The Fire Kimono" is easily among the best of Rowland's Ichiro series. It lacks the atmospheric richness of "Bundori," (the second book and still my favorite to date,) or the intricacy of "Pillow Book Of Lady Wisteria" (the seventh, and my second-fave,) but has some of the best plotting and political intrigue of the series, a bunch of startling yet logical twists, and some deftly-woven flashbacks that are irresistible in their dramatic/tragic intensity. Where some of the previous books rested heavily on the arbitrary outcomes of climactic battles, the climactic resolution of "Fire Kimono" rests on causality - a carefully-laid trap by Ichiro that's as edifying a logic puzzle as those in Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes mysteries or Asimov's science fiction and "Black Widowers" shorts. That kind of thing is just like catnip to me.

The returning cast of characters is noticeably stronger here than in previous volumes too - though of necessity Lady Reiko takes a disappointing bench-warming role this time out. Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi is more active and decisive than ever - a refreshing change from his largely buffoon-like and malleable weakness earlier in the series - and Sano has matured nicely, particularly in his elaborate trap that becomes the climactic scenes. Stand-up-and-cheer table-turning is long overdue and a great thing to witness from a hero who's ordinarily subdued, low-key and angsty, kind of like a Japanese Harrison Ford - and the more striking for that contrast.

All in all an excellent installment that's got me itching for the next.

In 1700 supporters of Lord Matsudaira almost kill Lady Reiko during an attack on her. Chamberlain Sano Ichiro is outraged on the assault of his beloved wife and vows vengeance against his despicable rival Matsudaira although his adversary denies any involvement.

However, the samurai has to put aside his growing suspicion that a third party attacked his wife when the Shogun orders Sano to investigate the finding of a body buried near a Shinto shrine. Items uncovered next to the corpse imply the deceased is the Shogun's cousin who vanished without a trace four decades ago during an inferno that devastated much of Edo. As the husband and wife investigative team probe the case in which the shogun concedes reluctantly three days to them, they find evidence that implicates Sano's mother Etsuko with the murder.

THE FIRE KIMONO is one of the best Ichiro Japanese historical thrillers, which says a lot as this long running saga is known for its consistent excellence. The story line contains two strong twists, but it is the second one that shocks the samurai hero as his belief system is torn asunder with what he learns about his mother. Fans will enjoy this super entry as Sano and Reiko have three days to prove his mom was not the bearer of the deadly FIRE KIMONO who killed the shogun's cousin and destroyed Edo; but every clue seems to lead to the conclusion she is.

Harriet Klausner

Another outstanding work by Rowland. I have read all his Sano novels and have never been disapointed. She makes old Japan come alive. Cant wait for her next novel.

I find Laura Joh Rowland's Sano Ichiro series entertaing. There is always a hint of a formula being used; Sano is at odds with his opponent in the Shogun's court, it is dangerous for his family and himself, the odds are against him but good shall always prevail. Oh! And there's always a bit of kinky sex. This may sound a bit too corny but Rowland manages to use this formula in ways that can end up keeping you enthralled, on the edge of your seat (as it were) wondering how the hell it's all going to work out. Rowland writes in a style that moves forward at a steady pace and manages to realistically evoke daily life in Seventeenth Century Japan. "The Fire Kimono" is no exception, in fact I feel it is the best of her books so far. The remains of a body are exposed after a tree falls in a storm. The remains turn out to be that of the Shogun's cousin who went missing during the Great Fire of Edo (itself described quite powerfully). Sano is charged with finding out what happened. Digging up the past never really turns out well but who could have foreseen the mess this accidental turning up of old bones brings about. Sano's own mother is accused of murder amidst a torrid play for power in the court and you know things are going to get quite desperate before it gets better. It's gripping. It's good.

Laura Joh Rowland has a series of mysteries set in feudal Japan. Her style of writing grabs your attention immediately. I am on the 6th book in the series and each book just keeps getting better and better.