Sano Ichiro Mystery Series

Book 14

A fortress in the sky...

Japan, 1701. A woman is brutally attacked within a bamboo prison as clouds swirl around her head. Meanwhile, at Edo Castle, samurai detective turned chamberlain Sano Ichiro is suspicious of his old rival, Yanagisawa, who has been oddly cooperative since his return from exile.

But just as Yanagisawa's true motives begin to emerge, Sano's estranged uncle comes to him for help: his daughter has disappeared, and he begs Sano and his wife - who once suffered through the kidnapping of their own son - to find her before it is too late.

Book 15

The Ronin's Mistress

by Laura Joh Rowland

Published 1 September 2011

Japan, 1703. On a snowy night, 47 warriors murder the man at the centre of the scandal that turned them from samurai into masterless ronin two years before. Clearly this was an act of revenge - but why did they wait so long? And is there any reason they should not immediately be ordered to commit ritual suicide? Sano Ichiro, demoted from Chamberlain to his old post as Most Honourable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, has mere days to solve the greatest mystery of samurai legend - while his own fortunes hang in the balance.

Book 18

The Iris Fan

by Laura Joh Rowland

Published 9 December 2014

When the shogun's life is threatened, Sano Ichir No faces his biggest challenge yet in the spellbinding new thriller in Laura Joh Rowland's award-winning series set in feudal Japan Japan, 1709. The shogun is old and ailing. Amid the ever-treacherous intrigue in the court, Sano Ichir No. has been demoted from chamberlain to a lowly patrol guard. Evicted from their estate inside Edo Castle, he and his family now live in a hovel in the military district, yet Sano's dedication to the way of the warrior-the samurai code of Honor-is undiminished. Then a harrowing, almost inconceivable crime takes place. In his own palace, the shogun is stabbed with a fan made of painted silk with sharp-pointed iron ribs. Sano is restored to the rank of chief investigator to find the culprit. This is the most significant, and most dangerous, investigation of his career. If the shogun's heir is displeased, he will have Sano and his family put to death without waiting for the shogun's permission, then worry about the consequences later. And Sano has enemies of his own, as well as unexpected allies.
As the previously unimaginable death of the shogun seems ever more possible, Sano finds himself at the centre of warring forces that threaten not only his own family but Japan itself.

The Perfumed Sleeve

by Laura Joh Rowland

Published 6 April 2004

November 1694. The streets of Edo are erupting in violence as two factions struggle for control over the ruling Tokugawa regime. One is led by the shogun's cousin, Lord Matsudaira, and the other by the shogun's second-in-command, Chamberlain Yanagisawa. Each side pressures Sano Ichiro, the shogun's most honorable investigator, to join its ranks.

When one of the shogun's most trusted advisers is found dead, Sano is forced to honor a posthumous request for a murder investigation. Senior Elder Makino believed that his death would be the result of assassination rather than natural causes. Although he and Sano were bitter enemies, Makino knew that the incorruptible Sano would be duty-bound to oblige his final wish.

Under the watchful eyes and thinly veiled threats of both Lord Matsudaira and Chamberlain Yanagisawa, Sano moves with caution. Each is eager to implicate the other in Makino's death. Sano must discover whether the death was indeed murder, and if so, whether it was motivated by politics, love, or sex. The discovery of secret alliances, both romantic and military, further complicates matters. Sano's investigation has barely begun when violent death claims another of the shogun's favorites.

With his wife, Reiko, working undercover, Sano and his chief retainer, Hirata, must not only investigate multiple deaths, but stem the tide of an impending civil war, in Laura Joh Rowland's The Perfumed Sleeve.

The Samurai's Wife

by Laura Joh Rowland

Published 1 April 2000

Far from the shogun's court at Edo, Most Honourable 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 cry," a powerful scream that can kill instantly. A high Kyoto offical 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 storms - 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.

Black Lotus

by Laura Joh Rowland

Published 21 April 2001

With a triple murder on his hands, Sano's search for a killer leads to a clash of wills with Reiko, his headstrong wife. September, 1693, and a cottage belonging to the Black Lotus Temple, spiritual centre for hundreds of Buddhist nuns, monks, priests and orphans, is burned to the ground, leaving three dead. Samuri-detective Sano Ichiro quickly discovers the victims did not die in the fire; they were brutally murdered before the fire began. His investigation of the incident leads him to Haru, an orphan girl found at the scene of the crime. But Reiko, investigating the case against Sano's wishes, is convinced of her innocence. But will Reiko risk her marriage to Sano in order to prove Haru could not be the multiple murderer?

The Snow Empress

by Laura Joh Rowland

Published 30 October 2007

In Japan, 1699. Sa no Ichiro, the samurai detective who has risen to power and influence in the shogun's court, has attracted dangerous rivals. When their son is kidnapped, Sano and his wife, Reiko, set off on a desperate search, only to be trapped by Lord Matsumae, who's been driven mad by the murder of his mistress and is holding an entire province hostage until someone confesses. Sano offers to find the killer if Matsumae will free the hostages. Soon, however, he and Reiko find themselves caught up in an intricate scheme involving racial tensions, jealous husbands, and murderous intrigue.

The Assassin's Touch

by Laura Joh Rowland

Published 1 August 2005

It is a lost art, passed down by the ancients in great secrecy: Dim-mak. It is death, by the lightest touch of a finger. Sano Ichiro, tenuous in the new regime as the shogun's second-in-command, does not have the luxury of scepticism - another senior official is dead, a fingerprint lightly glazed into his skin. Sano's wife Reiko has an investigation of her own: a beautiful, proud, and hopelessly poor woman has confessed to murdering her family. Yet the pieces do not fit, and as Reiko looks deeper into the woman's life as a hinin - a moral outcast, shunned by the world - inexplicable connections appear between her investigation and Sano's. As Reiko's questions spiral her further into the squalor of life as a hinin, Sano and Hirata - his most loyal samurai - pursue their prey, uncovering an intricate tapestry of betrayal woven into the highest levels of the new regime. But they are no match for the one who has mastered dim-mak, a warrior who will strike all those who cross him or his path - even Reiko.

The Dragon King's Palace

by Laura Joh Rowland

Published 23 April 2003

It is June 1694, and Reiko, the beautiful wife of Sano Ichiro; Reiko's friend, Midori; the shogun's mother; and Lady Yanagisawa, wife of the shogun's powerful second-in-command, are kidnapped en route to Mount Fuji and imprisoned in the tower of a ruined palace. The shogun demands quick action - and under the threat of death, Sano is forced to work with his sworn enemies, Yangisawa and Hoshina. The women are in imminent danger and the delivery of a ransom note only complicates the situation - revealing a surprising target for the kidnapper's plot, and creating another impossible situation for Sano.