The Snow Empress: A Thriller (Sano Ichiro Novels)
Laura Joh Rowland
Language: English
Pages: 304
ISBN: 031236542X
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
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.
Tokyo (City Guide, 9th Edition)
South of the Border, West of the Sun
Japanese and an Ezo. He wore a deerskin coat and mittens lined with fur, and fish-skin boots. His face was as weathered and lined as the barbarians’, his brows bushy; the eyes beneath them squinted as if from a lifetime spent looking at sun on snow. But his bare head had its crown shaved and its gray hair gathered in a topknot, samurai-style. At his waist hung the customary two swords. Sano introduced Hirata. As they walked along the covered corridor to the palace, three guards fell into step
hidden from other humans. Skirting the palace, they slipped through a gate and emerged into a compound. On a low hill at the center stood the keep. Seen at close range, the square tower wasn’t white but dingy gray, the plaster on its surface cracked and weather stained. Gulls swept down from the brilliant turquoise sky and perched on the tiled roofs, whose upturned eaves protruded above each story. Bars covered the small windows. Reiko squinted against the sun at them, and although she couldn’t
real or imagined sign that he was reaching her, he said, “Without you, I wouldn’t have solved that case, or the others that followed. No matter the trouble or the danger, you were always brave, always ready to go anywhere and do anything. I could always count on you.” Sano took her hands in his. They were clenched into fists, all hard, cold bone. “Can I count on you now?” Reiko averted her gaze. Sano could feel in her exactly what he’d felt when he’d thought Lord Matsumae had killed his son—the
mysteries past.” —Publishers Weekly “Rowland is deepening and broadening her distinctie series in interesting ways. She expertly evokes an exotic world—in its difference and brooding darkness—that can be confused with no other…. Both author and detective come through with colors flying.” —The Times-Picayune “A fascinating, well-researched, and action-filled costume adventure.” —Library Journal “Rowland offers fascinating glimpses into the culture of medieval Japan.” —Booklist ALSO BY
throat, strangled himself, and banged his head against the floor. His body bucked; his legs kicked. He gasped for air and choked. “Stop him!” Gizaemon yelled at the troops as he ran to his nephew’s aid. “Before he kills himself!” Chapter Twenty-Five Reiko tiptoed down a passage in the women’s quarters and stopped outside a door that led to the section where the native concubines lived. Through it filtered their voices, conversing in their language. Reiko banged on the door, then shoved it open