The Fire Kimono: A Novel (Sano Ichiro Novels) [Paperback]

Laura Joh Rowland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2009 | Series: Sano Ichiro Novels

Japan, March 1700. The strife between Sano Ichiro, the samurai detective who has risen to power in the shogun's court, and his enemies has escalated to the brink of war.
When a long-buried skeleton with mysterious links to the shogun suddenly comes to light, Sano and his wife, Reiko, who defies social conventions by joining in his investigations, must confront dangerous secrets. What was Sano's own mother doing on the night when a burning kimono ignited a blaze that nearly destroyed the city? The shogun gives Sano and Reiko just three days to find out--or risk losing not only their position at court but their families' lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Set in 1700, Rowland's outstanding 13th Sano Ichiro mystery (after 2007's The Snow Empress) finds Sano, whom the shogun raised to the rank of chamberlain several books back, waging a fierce struggle with his chief rival, Lord Matsudaira. The stakes are raised at the outset when Matsudaira's forces almost succeed in killing Sano's wife and occasional sleuthing partner, Reiko. The chamberlain soon suspects that someone else may have been behind the attack, but soon he faces a more daunting task—proving his mother innocent of the murder of one of the shogun's cousins, who vanished during the great fire that destroyed much of Edo and whose skeletal remains were just uncovered by chance. Sano must now question everything he thought he knew about his mother, with his own family facing execution should she be found guilty. Rowland has given her hero his greatest challenge yet in this suspenseful look at feudal Japan. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—Sano Ichiro, second in command to the shogun, is preparing for war against his enemy, Lord Matsudaira. The shogun is weak and unable to rule effectively and the two wage battle behind his back, each wanting to stop the other from gaining more power. In the thick of this enmity, a skeleton is unearthed and discovered to be the body of the shogun's cousin, murdered 40 years earlier. Sano is sent to investigate, only to find that his own mother is implicated. He must not only save her from execution, but also come to terms with the secrets she's held all his life. This turn of events provides Lord Matsudaira with the fodder he needs to try to oust Sano. The story threads are neatly tied up to create a satisfactory ending that leaves readers wanting more about these all-too-human characters. This series stars Sano and his wife, Reiko, who solve mysteries. The book can be read on its own, but it would be a richer experience for teens familiar with the preceding titles. The plot is complicated, with many auxiliary stories taking place alongside the thread of the mystery. Rowland brings Sano, his wife, a cast of supporting characters, and 18th-century Japan to life with a sweet, simple writing style.—Connie Williams, Kenilworth Jr. High, Petaluma, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312588860
• ISBN-13: 978-0312588861
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,188 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

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rising from the Ashes, February 2, 2009

By 

Hikari (Lima, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Fire Kimono (Sano Ichiro Novels) (Hardcover)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shogun is showing some spirit at last!, December 7, 2008

By 

Chocolate Lab (Northern CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fire Kimono (Sano Ichiro Novels) (Hardcover)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The fire kimono glows cold., November 24, 2009

By 

A. F. Martel (Guaynabo, PR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Fire Kimono: A Novel (Sano Ichiro Novels) (Paperback)

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.