The Samurai's Wife: A Novel (Sano Ichiro Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Laura Joh Rowland (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sano Ichiro Mysteries | Publication Date: April 15, 2001

Far from the Shogun's court at Edo, Most Honorable Investigator Sano Ichiro begins the most challenging case of his career. Upon the insistence of his strong-willed and beautiful wife Reiko, Sano arrives with her at the emperor's palace to unmask the murderer--who possesses the secret of kiai, "the spirit city," a powerful scream that can kill instantly. A high Kyoto official is the victim. Treading carefully through a web of spies, political intrigue, forbidden passions, and intricate plots, Sano and Reiko must struggle to stay ahead of the palace storm--and outwit a cunning killer. But as they soon discover, solving the case means more than their survival. For if they fail, Japan could be consumed in the bloodiest war it has ever seen...

A legendary land comes alive in this compelling murder mystery set in seventeenth-century Japan. Filled with finely drawn characters and suspenseful plot twists, The Samurai's Wife is a novel as complex, vivid, and artful as the glorious, lost world it portrays.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sano Ichiro, the Shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, is back in action in Laura Joh Rowland's latest, The Samurai's Wife. After a heated dispute with his colleague and archrival, Honorable Chamberlain Yanigasawa, Sano finds himself in Miyako, Japan's imperial capital, investigating the mysterious death of Minister Konoe Bokuden. Apparently a victim of murder by kiai, a martial arts technique in which a burst of pure mental energy is concentrated in the voice of the killer, Konoe had been plotting an overthrow of samurai rule. Sano must determine whether his death is a personal or political matter, all the while tiptoeing around the delicate sensibilities and violent tempers of the Emperor and his Imperial Court. His roster of suspects ranges from the Emperor himself to Kozeri, Konoe's former wife, a Buddhist nun whose habit barely conceals a powerful and disturbing sensuality.

Rowland has obviously done her homework; her zest for historical detail complements, rather than overwhelms, the story, giving the reader a glimpse into the ceremoniality of 17th-century imperial Japanese culture: "In the southern sector of the imperial enclosure stood the Purple Dragon Hall.... The austere half-timbered building faced a courtyard bounded with covered corridors supported by vermilion posts. The ground was covered with white sand to reflect the light of the sun and moon onto the hall. A cherry tree and a citrus tree flanked the entrance, representing the guardian archers and horsemen of ancient tradition. Leading up to the door, eighteen steps, framed by red balustrades, symbolized the number of noble ranks in the court hierarchy. Sano and Hoshina slowly approached the bottom of the steps, where a line of courtiers waited."

Unfortunately, Rowland seems sometimes to sacrifice accuracy for the sake of action, creating a bond between Sano and his spirited wife Reiko so modern that one feels that even the most liberated Genroku woman would have been far more circumscribed by ritual and expectations. On the level of plot, rather than philosophy or politics, Sano's deductions have less to do with dogged investigation than with divine inspiration.

Laura Joh Rowland's previous Sano mysteries include The Concubine's Tattoo and The Way of the Traitor. Mystery fans intrigued by the notion of a Japanese mise en scène may be interested in Dale Furutani's Death at the Crossroads and Jade Palace Vendetta, also set in 17th-century Japan. --Kelly Flynn --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

With her fifth mystery set in 17th-century Japan, Rowland (The Concubine's Tattoo, Bundori, etc.) offers a rich historical that is equal parts police procedural and political thriller. The shogun sends his Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations and People, Sano Ichiro, to the ancient court city of Miyako to investigate the murder of imperial minister Konoe Bokuden. Normally such a crime wouldn't concern the shogun, but the victim was a spy who reported on activities among nobles of dubious loyalty. Sano has to solve the murder and diffuse any resulting political tensions, a job that requires delicacy and etiquette--and vigilance. Felled by a rare martial art that can vanquish the most skilled samurai, Bokuden had discovered a secret plot against the shogun involving members of the court, feudal lords, gangsters and ronin. To find the killer and avert civil war, Sano must step on imperial toes and risk both censure from the shogun and the displeasure of Reiko, Sano's spirited young wife. Rowland delineates the class distinctions of her characters with subtlety and pulls together the strands of her multifaceted plot with enviable grace. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1st edition (April 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312974485
• ISBN-13: 978-0312974480
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #643,668 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

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful mystery, April 15, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Samurai's Wife (Hardcover)

In 1691 Japan, Imperial Minister Konoe Bokuden searches for any noble threatening the rule of his Shogun. However, the minister must have gotten too close to uncovering a plot because, an unknown assailant, applying the extremely difficult to master and therefore rarely used spirit cry of kiai, kills Konoe.

The Shogun sends his Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, Sano Ichiro to make inquiries into the death of Konoe and to uncover what the minister learned. Sano knows he must succeed because the failure of his previous case not only dishonored him but also left the Shogun wondering whether to replace him. Over his initial objections and his fears how the Shogun will react, his new wife Reiko insists on helping him with this dangerous case. As the newlyweds get closer to the truth, their lives and that of the nobility is endangered, as civil war seems eminent unless they can expose the culprit.

THE SAMURAI'S WIFE, the fourth historical mystery starring the Samurai Detective Sano, continues in the tradition of providing readers with entertaining novels. The who-done-it is cleverly designed and the lead couple is a fascinating duo working as a team over Sano's objections. However, what makes talented author Laura Joh Rowland's novel a jubilation for historical fans is the resplendent descriptions of Feudal Japan that makes the audience feel they are visiting the island in the late seventeenth century.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better!, February 20, 2002

By 

B. Farrell "Bloodfyr" (My Own World) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Samurai's Wife: A Novel (Sano Ichiro Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

When I read Shinju, the first book in this series, I thought I was reading a very good account of life in feudal Japan. So I continued the series. My library didn't carry The Concubine's Tattoo and the Way of the Traitor, so I skipped from Bundori to this book.

Laura Joh Rowland has taken something good and made it even better. Always, Sano Ichiro is plagued by issues with his honor and loyalty to Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. His rival, Chamberlain Yanagisawa is still trying to destroy him. He has another life and death mission to finish. And now he has a fiery, headstrong wife, Reiko-chan, at his side. Things don't look good for Sano Ichiro.

Heian Kyo, now known as Kyoto, or merely Miyaki, is a world stuck in the past. Hundreds of years previously, the Japanese Emperors ruled Japan from this spot. Since then, the capital has moved to Kamakura, and now Edo (now Tokyo). It is a world living on a pension from the bakufu (government). It is a world suspended in the relics and traditions of the past. It is a place where a dastardly murder has occurred.

The Samurai's Wife is a high-flying adventure through ancient Japan. I suggest you get this book. You'll never put it down.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the Sano Ichiro Series, April 15, 2004

By 

J'aime le fromage! "Jem Lefromadge" (Twin Arrows, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Samurai's Wife: A Novel (Sano Ichiro Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. It was the best of the Sano Ichiro books I have read so far (I can't wait to read "The Perfumed Sleeve"). It was really enrapturing, and this is just a little bit better than "The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria".
The characters in this one were really interesting, at times you almost want to root for the suspects, such as: Lady Jokyoden. Besides from the fact that it was good, it was informative.The culture is really well researched.
Some people may think it's a little over the top, with all the "events", but things like this probably happened in 1600's Japan. It's dramatic but believable and this plot was cool, because it incorporated the imperial family. Who didn't even govern the country, but were just considered living gods.
If you've read the other ones you have to read this, it's the best.