Laura Joh Rowland – författare

Laura Joh Rowland''s acclaimed Sano Ichiro novels, set in seventeenth-century Japan, are riveting, richly imagined, and suspenseful. As Sano navigates a treacherous political landscape he works to protect the people of Edo, his family, and his honor in these compelling thrillers.The Concubine''s TattooSano Ichiro, the Shogun''s most honorable investigator, is summoned to the imperial palace to find the murderer of a young concubine poisoned while applying a lover''s tattoo. Sano''s new bride, Reiko, insists on helping him with the case. Reiko''s samurai blood and warrior''s skill alarm her new husband, who expected a docile wife. But Reiko is only the first of many surprises...The Samurai''s WifeSano Ichiro, the Shogun''s Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, has his doubts about the partnership that he and his spirited new wife, Reiko, have forged: While he recognizes that her help on his cases can be invaluable, he sometimes longs for a more traditional wife. Still, when a botched case and the resulting loss of face sends Sano to the Imperial city to find a killer whose methods are as terrifying as they are elusive, Sano needs the talents of his wife more than ever to infiltrate the emperor''s inner circle.Black LotusWhen Sano Ichiro is called on to investigate the burning of a cottage belonging to the Black Lotus Temple, he makes a shocking discovery. The three victims of the blaze were murdered before the fire even began. Sano''s search for a killer leads him to Haru, an orphan girl found at the scene of the crime. But Sano''s wife, Reiko, investigating the case against Sano''s wishes, is convinced of Haru''s innocence. Behind the walls of the Black Lotus Temple she discovers a sect involved in extortion, prostitution, and hedonistic rituals. Could one of the sect''s members be the killer? Now Reiko must risk her marriage to Sano in order to prove Haru''s innocence...

A deadly power struggle in feudal Japan threatens to ignite a civil war as Sano Ichiro navigates a treacherous political landscape to solve a murder mystery.The Perfumed Sleeve is the ninth book in Laura Joh Rowland''s captivating mystery series set in feudal Japan, featuring the honorable investigator Sano Ichiro. In November 1694, the streets of Edo are erupting in violence as two factions vie for control over the ruling Tokugawa regime. Sano finds himself caught between the rival camps, each pressuring him to join their ranks.When one of the shogun''s most trusted advisers is found dead, Sano is obliged to fulfill the man''s posthumous request for a murder investigation. Makino, the Senior Elder, suspected his death would be the result of assassination rather than natural causes. Despite their bitter rivalry, he knew the incorruptible Sano would honor his final wish.Under the watchful eyes and thinly veiled threats of the two opposing factions, Sano must tread carefully as he investigates the death. Each side is eager to implicate the other, and Sano must determine if 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 the case.As Sano''s investigation progresses, another of the shogun''s favorites falls victim to violent death. With his wife, Reiko, working undercover and his chief retainer, Hirata, by his side, Sano races against time to solve the murders and prevent the outbreak of a devastating civil war in this gripping historical mystery set in ancient Japan.

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.