Shinju
- 432pages
- 16 heures de lecture
The fantastic first book in Laura Joh Rowland's 17th Century mystery series featuring Sano Ichiro
Sano IchiroSéries
Cette série transporte les lecteurs à l'époque des samouraïs du Japon Edo, où chaque affaire se déroule comme un mystère captivant ancré dans l'histoire et la culture. Suivez l'astucieux Juge Sano Ichiro alors qu'il navigue à travers des intrigues complexes et découvre des secrets cachés dans des palais opulents et des ruelles modestes. Les récits mêlent habilement un travail de détective passionnant à des détails historiques authentiques, créant une atmosphère immersive et exotique. C'est un choix idéal pour ceux qui apprécient un bon mystère dans un riche contexte historique.
Ordre de lecture recommandé
- 1
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The sequel to the acclaimed novel Shinju again features detective Sano Ichiro as he trails a serial killer stalking feudal Japan.
- 3
In 1690 Nagasaki, Samurai detective Sano Ichiro investigates the murder of a Dutch trader, a case that could lead Japan to war. Framed for treason, Sano must uncover the killer to clear his name before facing execution.
- 4
The Concubine's Tattoo
- 376pages
- 14 heures de lecture
Twenty months as the shogun's sosakan-sama has left Sano Ichiro weary, and he looks forward to the comforts of his arranged marriage: a private life with a sweet, submissive wife and a month-long honeymoon. However, the death of the shogun's favorite concubine interrupts their wedding ceremony, shattering Sano's hopes for peace. As he investigates Lady Harume's death, traced to a self-inflicted tattoo, he must navigate the cloistered world of the shogun's women to unravel a web of lovers, rivals, and secrets. Complicating matters, his new bride, Reiko, proves to be a headstrong and intelligent aspiring detective, eager to assist Sano in the case. Her unladylike behavior horrifies him, but it also ignites sparks between them, making their budding romance as thrilling as the mystery itself. Amid the political tensions of feudal Japan, Sano faces a complex investigation filled with murder, jealousy, and intrigue. The story unfolds with the subtlety of a lacquered screen and the intensity of a sword's slash, weaving a captivating tale that holds readers in suspense until the final, shocking conclusion.
- 5
The Samurai's Wife (Sano Ichiro Novels)
- 302pages
- 11 heures de lecture
A compelling murder mystery set in seventeenth-century Japan, filled with finely drawn characters and suspenseful plot twists, Laura Joh Rowland's The Samurai's Wife is a novel as complex, vivid, and artful as the glorious, lost world it portrays. 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...
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In September 1693, Sano Ichiro investigates a triple murder linked to a fire at the Black Lotus Temple, where the victims were found dead, but not from the blaze. His search for the killer puts him at odds with his wife, Reiko.
- 7
In The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria, Laura Joh Rowland once again has written a book in which "an exotic setting, seventeenth-century Japan, and a splendid mystery...make for grand entertainment" (New York Daily News). In the carefully ordered world of seventeenth-century Japan, the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter is a place where men of all classes can drink, revel, and enjoy the favors of beautiful courtesans. But on a cold winter's dawn, Sano Ichiro--the shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People--must visit Yoshiwara on a most unpleasant mission. Within a house of assignation reserved for the wealthiest, most prominent men, a terrible murder has occurred. In a room that reeks of liquor and sex, the shogun's cousin and heir, Lord Mitsuyoshi, lies dead, a flowered hairpin embedded in his eye, in the bed of the famous courtesan, Lady Wisteria. The shogun demands quick justice, but Sano's path is blocked by many obstacles, including the disappearance of Wisteria and her pillow book, a diary that may contain clues. The politics of court life, the whims of the shogun, and interference by his long time rival, Edo's Chief Police Commissioner Hoshina, also hinder Sano in his search for the killer. Sano's wife, Lady Reiko, is eager to help him, but he fears what she may uncover. When suspicion of murder falls upon Sano himself, he must find the real murderer to solve the case and clear his name.
- 8
The Dragon King's Palace
- 384pages
- 14 heures de lecture
On a whim of the shogun's mother, a procession has left the sweltering heat of Edo, bound for the cooler climate of Mount Fuji. Among her traveling companions are Reiko, the beautiful wife of Sano Ichiro, the shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People; Reiko's friend Midori, nine months pregnant; and Lady Yanagisawa, the deranged wife of the shogun's powerful second-in-command. None of them look forward to the trip. But their troubles have only begun when their procession is stopped suddenly on a deserted road. The entire retinue is viciously slaughtered and the four women are bound and taken away, imprisoned by a mysterious kidnapper. Sano now finds himself faced with the most important case of his career. The shogun demands quick action, and under the threat of death, Sano is forced to work with his bitter enemies-Chamberlain Yanagisawa and Police Commissioner Hoshina. The delivery of a ransom note only complicates matters-forcing both Sano and Reiko to take desperate measures. In The Dragon King's Palace, Laura Joh Rowland’s dazzling combination of history and storytelling once again draws us into a sumptuous and treacherous world.
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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
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Assassin´s Touch
- 368pages
- 13 heures de lecture
It is a lost art, passed down by the ancients in great 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 skepticism?another senior official is dead, a fingerprint lightly glazed into his skin. Sano’s wife Reiko has an investigation of her 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?pursure 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. “Elegantly told and interspersed with delicious bits of history” ( Kirkus Reviews ), Laura Joh Rowland's The Assassin's Touch is a mystery you won't want to miss.
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Japan 1698. Sano Ichirô, Samurai, oberster Ermittler und Ratgeber des Shôgun, hat Neider am Hof von Edo, die seinen wachsenden Einfluss fürchten. Da geschieht ein grausamer Mord: Fürst Mori, der Erbe des Shogun, wird tot und verstümmelt aufgefunden, neben ihm Sanos schwangere Frau Reiko, nackt und blutverschmiert. Sano selbst hat Schwierigkeiten, Reikos Erklärungen Glauben zu schenken. Dennoch versucht er, die Wahrheit hinter den Aussagen der Verdächtigen zu ergründen. Seine einzige Spur ist eine weiße Chrysantheme - rot gefärbt mit Blut.
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The Snow Empress
- 310pages
- 11 heures de lecture
Japan, 1699. On a moonlit night in Ezogashima, the northernmost island of Japan, a woman is running through the forest when an arrow zooms out of the darkness to strike her dead. Meanwhile, a world away in the city of Edo, the eight-year-old son of Sano Ichiro, the samurai detective who has risen to power and influence in the shogun's court, vanishes during a moon-watching party. When Sano's political rival, Lord Matsudaira, hints that the boy may be in Ezogashima, Sano's wife, Reiko, insists on accompanying him on the desperate journey. After an eleven-day voyage through cold and treacherous waters, they arrive at Ezogashima, only to find that Lord Matsumae, distraught at the murder of his mistress, is holding the whole province hostage until someone confesses to the crime. No one is allowed in or out of Ezogashima, and although Matsumae tells Sano his son is there, he refuses to release him. Sano strikes a deal: He will solve the murder of Matsumae's mistress if Lord Matsumae will free the hostages and return their son. Soon, however, he and Reiko find themselves caught up in a dangerous scheme that includes clan warfare, jealous husbands, and murderous betrayal
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Třináctý román s šógunovým komořím Sanem Ičiróem, který se setkává s případem čtyřicet let staré vraždy. Pod stromem, vyvráceným v bouři, se najdou lidské ostatky. Podle zbraní, nalezených spolu s nimi, by se mohlo jednat o čtyřicet let nezvěstného bratrance samotného šóguna. Ten pověří vyšetřováním případu svého komořího Sana Ičiróa. Sano v té době čelí řevnivým útokům mocného pana Macudairy, který jej považuje za svého politického soka a necouvne ani před únosem Sanova syna a přepadením jeho ženy. Navíc se brzy objeví podezření, že stopa v případu čtyřicet let staré vraždy by mohla ukazovat k Ičiróově rodině, což by znamenalo konec i pro něj samotného.
- 14
In the aftermath of a woman's brutal attack in 1701 Japan, samurai detective turned chamberlain Sano Ichiro suspects the true motives of a formerly exiled rival who has been oddly cooperative, a situation that is further complicated by a relative's disappearance
- 15
The Ronin's Mistress
- 336pages
- 12 heures de lecture
The Ronin's Mistress is a brilliant new twist on the fabled tale of the 47 Ronin, from Laura Joh Rowland--an author with "a painter's eye for the minutiae of court life [and] a politician's ear for intrigue." (The New York Times) Japan, 1703. On a snowy night, 47 warriors murder the man at the center 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 Honorable 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.
- 16
The Incense Game
- 304pages
- 11 heures de lecture
In the wake of a terrifying earthquake, Sano Ichir No races to solve a crime that could bring down the shogun's regimeJapan, 1703. A devastating earthquake has left the city of Edo in shambles - even the shogun's carefully regulated court is teetering on the brink of chaos. This is no time for a murder investigation.
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The Iris Fan
- 352pages
- 13 heures de lecture
Riveting and richly imagined, with a magnificent sense of time and place, The Iris Fan is the triumphant conclusion to Laura Joh Rowland's brilliant series of thrillers set in feudal Japan. Japan, 1709. The shogun is old and ailing. Amid the ever-treacherous intrigue in the court, Sano Ichiro has been demoted from chamberlain to a lowly patrol guard. His relationship with his wife Reiko is in tatters, and a bizarre new alliance between his two enemies Yanagisawa and Lord Ienobu has left him puzzled and wary. Sano's onetime friend Hirata is a reluctant conspirator in a plot against the ruling regime. 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 center of warring forces that threaten not only his own family but Japan itself.
