From Publishers Weekly
Rowland once again delivers a mystery laden with details of period and place, with strong portrayals of palace intrigue in 17th-century Japan. Sano Ichiro has risen to the rank of Most Honorable Investigator for the shogun in 1690 Japan. As his fourth adventure (after 1997's The Way of the Traitor) begins, he is marrying the beautiful Lady Ueda Reiko. The wedding is interrupted by the sudden death of Hamune, one of the shogun's concubines, the victim of poisoned ink that Hamune used to give herself an intimate tattoo. Sano's investigation requires extraordinary skill and care, for failure in a case involving the shogun's household could mean his death. Suspects include Yanagisawa, Sano's bitter rival for the shogun's favor; a young officer who loved Harume; and other concubines who had much to lose as Harume gained the shogun's affections. Meanwhile, Reiko rebels against the submissive role of Japanese wife and insists on helping in the investigation. The book suffers, as Rowland's previous novels have, from a common hazard of historical mysteries: the pace is weighed down by the very details with which the author so painstakingly bedecks her narrative. Even so, Rowland's understanding of the society she depicts shines through, and she succeeds in presenting Sano as an intriguing combination of wiliness and decency, making this a good bet for fans of historicals as well as of mysteries past. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
When a 17th-century shogun's favorite concubine suddenly dies, it falls to his chief investigator, Sano Ichiro, to discover how and why. Sano must interrupt his plans for a honeymoon; contend with an educated, wayward, and sleuthing wife; foil the wily machinations of his evil arch-nemesis (second-in-command to and longtime lover of the shogun); and still keep peace with his pusillanimous employer. A fascinating, well-researched, and action-filled costume adventure, perhaps even better than Rowland's The Way of the Traitor. (LJ 5/1/97).Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Suspects abound in Rowland's fourth mystery set in seventeenth-century Edo (Tokyo). After surviving the dangers described in The Way of the Traitor (1997), Sano Ichiro, the shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, hopes that nothing will interfere with the celebrations surrounding his arranged marriage to Reiko Ueda, the only daughter of a local magistrate. His desire is thwarted when his wedding feast is interrupted by news of the death of a concubine in the women's quarters at Edo Castle. Sano must tiptoe carefully through palace intrigues and jealousies as he sorts through suspects' alibis. Most important, Sano must come to an accommodation with his well-educated, highly intelligent young wife, who is determined to assist him in discovering the murderer. Despite a few instances of overwrought prose, Rowland offers fascinating glimpses into the culture of medieval Japan, especially into the thankless lives of women. A good choice for fans of historical mysteries. Nancy Pearl


Book Description
Twenty months spent as the shogun's sosakan-sama--most honorable investigator of events, situations, and people--has left Sano Ichiro weary. He looks forward to the comforts that his arranged marriage promises: a private life with a sweet, submissive wife and a month's holiday to celebrate their union. However, the death of the shogun's favorite concubine interrupts the couple's wedding ceremony and shatters any hopes the samurai detective had about enjoying a little peace with his new wife.

After Sano traces the cause of Lady Harume's death to a self-inflicted tattoo, he must travel into the cloistered, forbidden world of the shogun's women to untangle the complicated web of Harume's lovers, rivals, and troubled past, and identify her killer. To make matters worse, Reiko, his beautiful young bride, reveals herself to be not a traditional, obedient wife, but instead, a headstrong, intelligent, aspiring detective bent on helping Sano with his new case. Sano is horrified at her unladylike behavior, and the resulting sparks make their budding love as exciting as they mystery surrounding Lady Harume's death. Amid the heightened tensions and political machinations of feudal Japan, Sano faces a daunting complex investigation.



From the Publisher
"Rowland has a painter's eye for the minutiae of court life, as well as a politician's ear for intrigue, so the sleuthing is conducted amid sumptuous scenes of imperial excess and under the watch of imperious villians."-The New York Times Book Review

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Twenty months spent as the shogun's sosakan-sama - most honorable investigator of events, situations, and people - has left Sano Ichiro weary. He looks forward to the comforts that his arranged marriage promises: a private life with a sweet, submissive wife and a month's holiday to celebrate their union. However, the death of the shogun's favorite concubine interrupts the couple's wedding ceremony and shatters any hopes the samurai detective had about enjoying a little peace with his new wife. After Sano traces the cause of Lady Harume's death to a self-inflicted tattoo, he must travel into the cloistered, forbidden world of the shogun's women to untangle the complicated web of Harume's lovers, rivals, and troubled past, and identify her killer. To make matters worse, Reiko, his beautiful young bride, reveals herself to be not a traditional, obedient wife, but instead, a headstrong, intelligent, aspiring detective bent on helping Sano with his new case. Sano is horrified at her unladylike behavior, and the resulting sparks make their budding love as exciting as the mystery surrounding Lady Harume's death. Amid the heightened tensions and political machinations of feudal Japan, Sano faces a daunting, complex investigation.

SYNOPSIS

Set in feudal Japan, this richly imaginative mystery revolves around the death of a powerful shogun's favorite concubine, Harume. Sano, the shogun's sosakan-sama, responsible for investigating such situations, finds his marriage ceremony and honeymoon disrupted by the concubine's death. Delving deep into the complexities of the concubines' world to find the cause of Harume's death, Sano discovers something that could give him the answer -- a tattoo.

FROM THE CRITICS

Marilyn Stasio

Although some characters get lost in this panopoly of settings...everyone (especially those who are not to be trusted) is beautifully dressed. —The New York Times Book Review

Washington Times

An appealing character in a fascinating setting in a book enhanced by creative plotting and highly professional writing.

Washington Post Book World

Rowland is a sturdy, persuasive storyteller, and will worth keeping an eye on.

Wash. Post Book World

Rowland is a sturdypersuasive storytellerand will worth keeping an eye on.

New York Times Book Review