The Samurai's Wife - Sano Ichiro Novels

Jacket Description/Back: IN THE IMPERIAL CITY OF KYOTO, POWER IS MERELY CEREMONIAL. BUT AN ANCIENT EVIL STILL SURVIVES... 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 cry", 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 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. Review Quotes: "You'll immediately recognize ÝSano¨ as an ancestor of Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade."--"Denver Post" "As a fan of "Shogun," it's easy to say that "The Samurai's Wife" provided me with the same sense of place and culture that was so invigorating in James Clavell's epic yarn... Rowland's a pretty terrific storyteller."--"Chicago Tribune"Review Quotes: "You'll immediately recognize [Sano] as an ancestor of Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade."--"Denver Post""As a fan of "Shogun, " it's easy to say that "The Samurai's Wife" provided me with the same sense of place and culture that was so invigorating in James Clavell's epic yarn... Rowland's a pretty terrific storyteller."--"Chicago Tribune"Biographical Note: LAURA JOH ROWLAND is the author of the Sano Ichiro mysteries, which have twice been named Best Mysteries of the Year by "Publishers Weekly. "She lived through a natural disaster when Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed her house in New Orleans, and now lives in New York City. Publisher Marketing: Sano 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 can't help recognizing 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 send 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 inflitrate the emperor's inner circle. Rowland's series "positively smokes with historical atmospherics" ("Publishers Weekly"), and THE SAMURAI'S WIFE is her most intricate and compelling novel to date. Review Citations:

Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2000 pg. 215 (EAN 9780312203252, Hardcover)

Booklist 03/01/2000 pg. 1199 (EAN 9780312203252, Hardcover)

Publishers Weekly 03/06/2000 pg. 86 (EAN 9780312203252, Hardcover)

Library Journal 04/01/2000 pg. 135 (EAN 9780312203252, Hardcover)

Library Journal 03/15/2000 (EAN 9780312203252, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Rowland, Laura Joh LAURA JOH ROWLAND is the author of the Sano Ichiro mysteries, which have twice been named Best Mysteries of the Year by "Publishers Weekly. "She lived through a natural disaster when Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed her house in New Orleans, and now lives in New York City.