Laura Joh RowlandAnmeldelser

Plot that carefully incorporates many genuine historical personages and events, crystal palace, steam powered airship, Jack the Ripper, Thackeray. Unfortunately, at least for me, it didn’t work. Felt forced. May be too big a Charlotte fan to accept her as a fictional character in someone else’s world

This was the first in the series and I'll try more.
It did a good job of balancing the samurai ethos with what would be palatable to a modern western audience.
The protagonist is motivated partly by obedience, duty and honor, but somehow, ultimately by a desire to know the truth. Is it plausible that a samurai steeped in the traditions of the time would make the choices Sano does, perhaps not, but, for the sake of the story, it works. Women and servants enter the rooms on their knees, only certain classes can ride a horse and a samurai can, without question,kill someone for a minor infraction. The author presents the reality, but creates a sort of internal world that still appeals with familial ties and personal honor helping to link a world that might otherwise be out of reach

Due to the shogun's evil chamberlain briefly taking over the court in the shogun's illness, Sano Ichiro is exiled, more or less, to Nagasaki with his chief retainer, Hirata. While at this time, Nagasaki is more like a resort town, it is also a hotbed of treachery and smuggling. This is because it is the only port that is open to the outside world. Everything is tightly controlled here because it's much easier to commit treason with the Dutch on your doorstep. It's also a recipe for disaster for Sano, who prizes truth and investigation above all. One easily misconstrued step, and he is finished. Yet, he and Hirata navigate the numerous alliances and secrets to discover the truth about who killed the Dutch director Jan Spaen.

In his search for truth, Sano is repeatedly pushed into the world of the Dutch, where he learns that Japan is a small country in a very big world, that there are all sorts of knowledge - scientific and otherwise - that are forbidden to locals simply because they're foreign. More than anything else, this tests Sano's loyalty to Japan. Throughout most of the book, he questions his life choices and his loyalties. He really grows in this book, and his transformation is really interesting.

The mystery is really compelling, but it's not resolved well, in my opinion. Sano keeps getting ultimatums to solve the mystery (three days, then two more days, then another day), so that the gimmick starts to lose its urgency. Additionally, the mystery isn't solved by Sano's deadline. All he and Hirata have are theories, but by a stroke of luck, they get that one more day they need to come upon the criminals in the act. It's wrapped up a little too miraculously at the end, but it was a very ambitious story. It's no surprise that things didn't quite come together. This untidiness also comes through in Sano's personality. There are times when the stress seems to get to him, and he becomes almost violent with his suspects, particularly a low class prostitute named Peony, that felt uncharacteristic of him.

In The Way of the Traitor Bushido is criticized even more than it was in the previous book. Many of the characters express they had no choice but to follow a life of crime because it was what their lord required of them, and Bushido demands complete and utter obedience. With such a strong cultural guide, you can't help but wonder as a reader what choice some of these people had, as they're forced to become criminals by circumstance. I also couldn't help the feeling that this is all likely to repeat itself, and more innocent people will be condemned because of their adherence to their strict culture. It certainly is a bittersweet ending.

Overall, this entry isn't as strong as the previous two, but it's still a poignant story that debates several themes of loyalty, truth, honor, and patriotism. The world is as vibrant as ever, and the scope is admirable. I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to the next one in the series.

While women have played always played a prominent part of Sano Ichiro's world and mysteries, they take center stage in this volume. The Concubine's Tattoo at last elevates this series to what it is capable of being: an in-depth look at Japanese society for all walks of life. Not only must Sano solve the mystery of the murdered courtesan, he must also grapple with how the world he has taken for granted treats the people it deems less than. It's a compelling novel full of larger-than-life characters who are relatable across time and cultures.

After stalling for two books, Sano finally marries Ueda Reiko, the daughter of the local magistrate. He is looking forward to a quiet home life with a docile wife, but what he gets is someone as brave, as stubborn, and as intelligent as himself. The two clash almost immediately as Reiko is determined to help him solve the murder. However, it's not just chauvinism that prevents Sano from letting Reiko help. He knows how dangerous the work can be, and he's still haunted by the death of one of his assistants from the first book. He won't let that happen to Reiko, but he's unable to fully articulate that fear of his.

Reiko is a wonderful character, if a bit naive, but that's to be expected considered her upbringing. For his part, Sano's newest case opens his eyes to how society affects women. His investigation into Harume's life, her mother's, and those of the other concubines reveals to him how limited their options are, and how some of their talents are utterly wasted by their positions. While I doubt Sano is now a model feminist, his transformation is believable, and the novel does an excellent job of breaking down women's roles, something that is largely ignored. This extends beyond the women's roles to those of the eta, a class of 'undesirable' people who have lurked throughout the novels. Readers finally learn more about them, and we see along with Sano, how samurai society has imprisoned everyone in a rigid hierarchy.

Part of Sano's process to solve the mysteries is to go through the victim's life, and I particularly enjoyed learning about Harume's. There were so many twists. Just when you think you've figured it out, there's conflicting evidence. The characters of the Miyagi clan, Lady Ichiteru, Lady Keisho-In enliven the novel. Even the evil chamberlain Yanagisawa gets a new dimension in this novel that is both heartbreaking and justified. You feel just a tinge of pity for him before watching in horror as he ruins it for himself.

A word of caution: this novel is just as graphic and sexual as the previous two books, particularly since this is dealing with the world of concubines, and sexual politics is the name of the game. There are many scenes of coercion, some assault, sweet unions, and then some out-there stuff. Some folks might be uncomfortable reading these scenes while others might just be plain weirded out. There's definitely a lot to wade through, so keep that in mind.

Even with that warning, I still think this is one of the stronger books in the series thus far. The sex scenes are all about power - who has it, who lacks it, who wants it - and I think they're more purposeful than they have been in the past. Overall, it's a great mystery and a fascinating look at 17th century Japanese society that I have to recommend this book.

Another intricate and suspenseful mystery from Laura Joh Rowland. In this one, Sano Ichiro has less than a week to solve a series of grisly murders of the descendants of samurai generals. It probably would be very doable if he hadn't inadvertently made an enemy of the shogun's second in command, Chamberlain Yanagisawa, who thwarts his every move. Add in a female ninja, 4 intriguing suspects, a potential marriage match, and a new junior detective, and you have a recipe for an exciting mystery.

There a host of suspects in this novel, and they're all super intriguing. The more you get to know them, the more you wonder who the murderer could be. Through these suspects, readers learn a lot about Japanese and Bushido culture: the good, the bad, and the complexities. Everyone in this book feels an intense desire to uphold family honor and to do their duty. Each character represents this desire in a different way. Even Aoi, who is from a family of ninjas and not samurai, still feels this pull for her family and feels she must do her duty - no matter how much she loathes it - in order to protect them and make them proud. That pull, that desire, is what humanizes the characters and makes them relatable and sympathetic. It is also this push and pull that makes it very difficult to figure out who the killer is, and I couldn't put the book down.

Just as in the first book, Bundori is full of historical detail that immerses the reader into the era. So, while you're riding the wave of the mystery, you're also learning plenty about medieval Japanese culture. Moreso than the first book, I got a better sense of place, as if Edo and the palace were laid out in a map in my head. Previously, Sano would visit various places, but I didn't really understand how close everything was or their connection. That's much clearer here.

One thing that folks might have an issue with is the amount of graphic sex in this book. The first book had absolutely none, so it was shocking to read about various scenes of sex and assault in this book. I had a sense that it was needlessly gratuitous at times, but it didn't dampen my overall enjoyment of the novel. That said, I would say beware to readers who aren't interested in that sort of thing.

Overall, this is a fantastic novel with well-rounded characters and a nuanced view of Bushido. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series and see how Sano grapples with the rigidity of his code while also keeping to his moral compass and staying alive, two things often at odd with the samurai code.

This was a great historical mystery! Oh my gosh, it's so good! From the very first page, readers are immersed into the mystery as a mysterious somebody is depositing two murdered bodies into the river. The setting of medieval Japan jumps from the page, and it feels as real as the modern day. Rowland does a superb job of brining the unique setting to life. Readers won't be able to resist being swept away on this remarkable journey.

Despite resistance from his peers and superiors, Sano Ichiro knows something is fishy about deaths of high-born Niu Yukiko and lowly artist Noriyoshi. Previously a tutor, Sano's most valuable skill is his critical thinking, and he uses it to systematically solve the mystery that's before him. As you follow Sano around the city of Edo (before it was Tokyo), you meet a host of fascinating characters who are tenuously connected to the deaths. The Niu family is intriguing, and I always love reading about a powerful lady like Lady Niu. There's also the passionate courtesan Wisteria, the skilled kabuki actor Kikunojo, Sano's pretentious boss Ogyu, and spunky Midori. You will constantly be guessing and re-guessing who the murderer is, making it an entertaining read.

Sano is a great character. His pursuit for the truth while constantly trying to balance it with his family values. This allows him to act as a bridge for the modern reader who isn't used to more traditional Japanese values. It's extremely helpful, and it illustrated how complex the relationships and medieval society were. The supporting cast is truly unforgettable. While Sano interacts with people, the author can launch into an expositional info dump. This happens fairly frequently. However, they didn't slow down the narrative, and they were every much necessary.

The pacing of the mystery is great. Because there really aren't any subplots, the story-telling is straightforward, and the mystery is always front and center. Yet, as it unfolds, the reader is never bored. It's a very well thought-out plot. A word of caution to the wise: there are some gritty elements to the story, so if you get squeamish or want all the good people to be live happily ever after, then I would read something else. There were definitely moments when I needed to take a break, and I had needed to take a moment after I finished the book.

Edit: I initially docked this a star because it's a weak point of me for wanting a romance in my mysteries, as well. However, I have not been able to stop thinking about this book all year. That can only be the mark of a 5 star novel!

A fun read, sometimes overly overwrought, but exciting at the end. Charlotte gets to reconcile nicely with her real professor in Brussels and experience reciprocal love. I think her real-life husband appears briefly as an annoying guy. The author's note at the end says who is historically real and who is make believe.
The only book I've read by Charlotte Brontë is Jane Eyre. It seems to me that the relationship there that is most like the relationship between Charlotte and John Slade is the one between St. John Rivers and the woman he loves but will never marry. Charlotte's decision to not marry John Slade is perhaps very modern and feminist, but also, sadly, quite wise. Like St. John, she realizes that the lives they want are just too different. The quote from The Rainmaker by Lizzie that she can be Melisande for a night, but Lizzie for her whole life seems apt. A nice touch is Charlotte saying "Reader, I let him go." It's reminiscent of Jane Eyre saying, "Reader, I married him." (The exhibit I saw at the British Library with the original manuscript was opened to this page.)

Really good, I'll be reading the rest of the series for sure.

A "romance" book masquerading as a mystery, written (evidently) for adolescent girls? Mediocre writing masked and driven by action of violence and sex.

I listened to this one and wasn’t overwhelmed by the narrator, so that likely colored my opinion. The repeated trope of determined woman haring off without regard to hers or anyone else’s safety and the big strong policeman husband angrily chastising her is worn out after this many episodes into the series.

Rather simplistic good guy/bad guy characters, including the "noble savages" who are much better than the more sophisticated people who dominate them. But the story clips along well. And there are some bright spots: Takere is a wonderfully evil character (although it is the colonizer race that made her that way) and Wente is a more complex character than most. But still. No more of this series for me.

A punto de entregarse a los placeres y las comodidades de un matrimonio concertado con la joven y bella Reiko, Sano Ichiro es reclamado en el palacio imperial para descubrir al asesino de Harume, la concubina favorita del sogun, que ha sido envenenada mientras se hacia un tatuaje amoroso. Con la experiencia de sus veinte anos de sosakan-sama - muy honorable investigador de sucesos, situaciones y personas -, Sano debe penetrar en el hermetico y prohibido mundo de las mujeres del sogun para intentar desenmaranar la compleja trama de amantes y rivales de Harume, que se mueven como pez en el agua entre las intrigas y maquinaciones politicas del Japon feudal.

Good murder mystery set in 1700 feudal Japan.

Just reread this one since Rowland is one of my favorite authors. Even though I knew what was going to happen, it was still a page turner. That's a great book to me.

River Of Fallen Angels is the seventh book in the A Victorian Mystery series by Laura Joh Rowland.

The story starts with Sarah Barrett at the shore of the Thames near London’s Tower Bridge, taking photographs of a young worker hanging from the bridge by a rope tied to his leg. Upon leaving after the man was rescued, Sarah and her friends, Mick, Hugh, and her sister Sally come across a lady's torso near the water’s edge. This torso is the second torso to wash ashore in two years, and the police fear there is a serial killer responsible and are referring to it as “The Torso Killer”. Unfortunately for Sarah and her husband, DS Thomas Barrett, their nemesis, Inspector Reid, has been put in charge of the investigation. Inspector Reid believes that Jack the Ripper is responsible for the torso. Reid continues to think that Sarah has kept secrets about the Ripper investigation and has been ordered off the investigation. Sarah and Barrett, along with Hugh, Mick, and Sally, and trying to stay out of Reid’s way, will set out on their own investigation. They will also have input from Hugh’s doctor, who specializes in criminal profiling. Their quest will have looked into a barber, a midwife, and the pastor of a religious cult.

This series is one of my favorite historical cozy series. The books are well-written, plotted, and historically accurate. The characters are well-developed and interesting. There are enough twists and turns that I was kept guessing until the end as to the reveal of the murderer.
I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the exciting series.

Torso murderer?

Once again it’s Sarah Bain Barrett and her family elect against the odds.
Dismembered bodies are turning up in the Thames, identification is impossible and Inspector Reid is convinced it’s the work of Jack the Ripper. Sarah and friends know that’s impossible. Sarah’s sister Sally is alarmingly taken with the idea, and how to divert her is troublesome.
When a charasmatic vicar is tracked down, his flock of sacred lambs and vestal virgins is no laughing matter. Guilty of starting a cult he may be, but murder?
An exciting mystery that travels further into the lives of Sarah and Thomas, and leaves one rewarded but exhausted.

A Crooked Lane Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Una luminosa mañana de septiembre de 1693, los habitantes de Tokio son despertados por la campana de incendios. El fuego ha prendido en una cabaña del Loto Negro, un templo budista situado en las proximidades del castillo de Edo, desde donde el sogún Tokugawa Tsunayoshi gobierna Japón. Y cuando una de las víctimas resulta ser el jefe de la policía, el caso recae en Sano Ichiro, el muy honorable investigador de sucesos, situaciones y personas.

Cuando la bella y rica dama Yukiko y el artista de humilde cuna Noriyoshi son encontrados ahogados juntos en un shinju, o suicidio ritual por amor, todos creen que el culpable es un amor prohibido. Todos, salvo el recientemente nombrado yoriki, Sano Ichiro. Como samurai, Sano debe obedecer o, por el contrario, deshonrar a su padre. Pero la búsqueda de la justicia le impulsa a arriesgarlo todo por descubrir la verdad. Finalmente, se abre una vía de corrupción e intriga que le conduce hasta un miembro de la familia real. Su descubrimiento llevará a desvelar la naturaleza de la corrupción que gobierna el país.

Sarah Bain Barrett and her crew including her husband Detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett, Lord Hugh Staunton, and Mick O'Reilly are on the case again when Sarah almost steps on the torso of a woman while taking photographs. It is feared that a serial killer who has left a trail of women's body parts in the Thames is back in action again.

Spearheading the police investigation if Inspector Reid who is a long-time enemy of Sarah's. He's certain that she knows more than she's saying about the Jack the Ripper murders, which is true, but the truth coming out would mean that she and her partners would be in grave legal trouble.

Reid is convinced that the Ripper murders and the Torso murders were committed by the same person and Sarah's sister Sally who has begun a new career as a reporter also believes this. Meanwhile, Sarah and Thomas have radically different ideas about how to pursue this new case and discover who the Torso murderer is which creates a lot of conflict in their marriage.

Hugh's new psychologist Dr. Joshua Lewes is a pioneer in the field of criminal profiling and is quick to share is favorite theories about this murderer too. Sarah is afraid that he might just be too perceptive about the various secrets she's hiding.

This was an engaging and entertaining historical mystery set in London in 1891.

Laura Joh Rowland's Victorian Mystery Series is a delight for readers of historical mysteries. Like many such series it features an interesting mix of central characters, in this case a septet:

• Sarah Bain Barrett: abandoned by her criminal father as a child, she is now a photographer, crime reporter, and amateur detective and is married to—
• Thomas Barrett: a detective-sergeant and Sarah Bain Barrett's husband
• Lord Hugh Staunton: a nobleman rejected by his family and society after being caught in a raid on a gay club and now working as a crime reporter
• Fitzmorris: Lord Staunton's valet
• Mich O'Reilly: a former street urchin and assistant to Sarah and Lord Hugh
• Dr. Joshua Lewis: psychologist and friend of Lord Hugh
• Sally Albert: Sarah's half-sister—also abandoned by Sarah's father when he left the woman he'd left Sarah's mother for...

They all live in the same household except Sally and Joshua, who are newer to the group.

So what would my odds be of finding a group of this mix of individuals if I time-traveled to Victorian London? Slim to none, as they say. But fiction, including historical fiction, isn't time travel. It's a world based upon a particular moment in time that is shaped the the imagination of the authors and readers.

I quite like having women who are smart, who can take the lead, and who are considered equals to the men around them. I also quite like having a gay man who is discrete, but not at all ashamed of his identity. And, I also like having characters represent different class strata and areas of expertise.

This isn't my favorite book in the series. The introduction of Dr. Lewis has Sarah thinking in "psychology" a lot—which seems anachronistic and becomes irritating. She ponders things like "communication in marriage" in ways that seem that seem distractingly of the present moment.

The action here is fast and complex and involves our cast of characters working to solve a series of murders before their nemesis Inspector Reid can do so. Reid does all he can to intimidate and obstrutct. Our characters keep coming up with new ways to get around him.

If you like ahistorical-historical mysteries, you'll enjoy spending time with Laura Joh Rowland's unlikely cast of characters.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title; the opinions are my own.

I have a weakness for Stephanie Barron's mystery series starring Jane Austen, so I was fairly excited to see a Charlotte Bronte spin-off. However, Laura Joh Rowland should have stuck with Japan. It is possible that she's too Charlotte Bronte in this one, as she captures all the things I find irritating in Bronte writing: too obvious intimations of dire happenings, stiff writing and a tendency toward misery, but I would have expected Emily Bronte rather than Charlotte. It's definitely more Wuthering Heights than Jane Eyre. I fault LJR, though, for the horrible pacing and the less-than-engaging main character. It was boring and eventually irritating, so I stopped reading it. The fact that it was a mystery and I didn't care what happened should tell you something right there.

Garden Of Sins is the sixth book in the A Victorian Mystery series by Laura Joh Rowland.

The story begins with Sarah and her husband, Thomas, riding on the underground on their way to the first day of her father’s trial for murdering a young girl. Suddenly their carriage and others derail, crashing into one another. They are not injured and proceed to enter cars to aid the wounded. They come to a dead woman but quickly learn that she has been strangled.
They assume the victim is American as she had the new Kodak camera, which has not arrived in England yet. They will soon learn that she was a Pinkerton agent and was tailing a wealthy American heiress. When Sarah gets the film from the camera developed, she and Barrett are shocked to see that one of the pictures is of His Highness Prince Edward, and the pictures had been taken at Cremorne Gardens. Cremorne Gardens had once been a lovely destination but has turned into a rather seedy area, and now any type of entertainment, legal or not, can be found. Once Commissioner Bradford of Scotland Yard sees the picture of Prince Eddy, he puts Barrett and Sarah on an undercover assignment ordering them not to share any information with anyone until they can get Prince Edward cleared of any wrongdoing, if possible. Sarah and Barrett will head to Cremorne Gardens to learn its connection with the Pinkerton agent and the Prince. They find that the Gardens is being run by a dwarf, who considers himself an actor, a former trapeze artist, and a tattooed Hercules-type man.
As if this isn’t enough for Sarah, she comes home one day to find Barrett in a compromising position with his ex-girlfriend, who has been trying to break up their marriage.

Sarah has Mick, the street urchin, and she has provided a home for, and possibly Hugh. Hugh has been extremely despondent lately as he is having difficulty recovering from a gunshot wound received in an earlier case.

Once again, the author has provided readers with an exciting and historically accurate story set during the Victorian era. This book moved at a good pace and was hard to put down. The book is well-written and plotted, and enough red herrings that kept me guessing until the end of the book as to who the murderer was. The book has a great cast of well-developed, believable, and exciting characters.

I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

The title says it all!

So much of peoples’ lives are laid bare, secrets revealed and foul behavior exposed in this sixth title in Rowland’s Victorian Mystery series.
Oh My! What a cliffhanger! Talk about bringing me to my knees! Now if you’ve been following Sarah Bain and Thomas Barrett this episode literally implodes with action, angst, torment and dead bodies.
I scarcely have time to take a breath between page turns.
Sarah Bain—determined, outrageous;Thomas Barrett her detective sergeant husband, a man of integrity; her friends and chosen family/house mates—former street urchin Mick O’Reilly, Lord Hugh Stanton and his valet Fitzmorris. Their inclusion in Sarah’s life are spelt out in previous books.
Sarah is a crime investigator for the Daily World newspaper, a private detective, and a talented photographer.
The huge issue in her life is her father, accused of rape, and on the run for the past years. In her efforts to prove her father innocent Sarah’s followed a trail of breadcrumbs and come in contact with unexpected people, including a half sister, Sally, she never knew she had.
I’v followed her path over five novels. Things are coming to a head. I must admit I really disliked Sarah when I first met her but I’ve come to appreciate her as I’ve seen her strengths and weaknesses. In this section of her life, her story is totally absorbing, even as I cringe at some of the happenings.
The investigation of a death on a train leads to Cremorne Gardens and a rather bizarre case.
Gripping!

A Crooked Lane Books ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I've been wearying of mediocre historical mysteries lately, going so far as to create a list of writers I want to remember to avoid. Laura Joh Rowland is NOT one of those writers. Garden of Sins provides a satisfying blend of fun, menace, and historical scandal that make it well worth reading.

This novel set in the Victorian era includes the central characters, the Barretts (she's a crime-scene photographer; he's a police officer), and their investigative "team" that includes a gay aristocrat and a former street child. There's also evil Inspector Reid who has it in for Sarah Bain Barrett. He's trying to frame her father for a decades-old murder and threatening to frame her husband for more recent ones.

The action shifts between settings—sometimes focusing on Sarah's father's defense team, sometimes returning to Sarah's childhood neighborhood, and often taking place in Crenmore Gardens, a derelict amusement garden with multiple offerings, some more legal than others. Readers get to experience a train wreck, investigate the death of a female Pinkerton agent, discover a dark side to one member of the royal family, search for a missing American heiress, and face a possible reemergence of Jack the Ripper.

In other words, the action is non-stop. If you like historical mysteries, this is a series you'll want to check out. I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the Opinions are my own.

This is the sixth book in this series and it is finally time for the murder trial of Benjamon Bain. Sarah's father had been on the run for twenty-four years until Sarah tracked him down and a bitter enemy of hers - Inspector Reid - arrests him more to get at Sarah than to serve justice.

Sarah and her husband Barrett are trying to adjust to marriage but Sarah's trust issues and an old girlfriend of Barrett's are almost enough to ruin the marriage before it can really take hold. When Sarah and Barrett stumble onto the corpse of a woman after they have survived a train crash, they have a new case to solve. The woman was murdered and their first clues are found in some images on her Kodak camera.

Those images lead Sarah and Barrett to the Cremorne Gardens which Sarah remembers from a pleasant outing with her father when she was a child. Now, the Gardens have fallen into disrepair and are gradually being repaired by former circus performers including a dwarf who sees himself as a Shakespearean actor, a tattooed man, and a woman who was a former acrobat.

But there are deep dark secrets hidden in the depths of Cremorne Gardens which include murders and the possible involvement of a member of British Royalty. Barrett and Sarah are sworn to secrecy in their investigations in order to preserve the reputation of the Royal Family.

This was an engaging story firmly set in the Victoria Era. The characters are well-rounded and intriguing people. The plot is nicely twisty as the cases that are being investigated all begin to have some connections to each other. Fans of rather dark historical mysteries with complex characters will enjoy this series.