A Sano Ichiro Collection

The Concubine's Tattoo, The Samurai's Wife, and Black Lotus

Laura Joh Rowland's acclaimed Sano Ichiro novels, set in seventeenth-century Japan, are riveting, richly imagined, and suspenseful. As Sano navigates a treacherous political landscape he works to protect the people of Edo, his family, and his honor in these compelling thrillers.

The Concubine's Tattoo
Sano Ichiro, the Shogun's most honorable investigator, is summoned to the imperial palace to find the murderer of a young concubine poisoned while applying a lover's tattoo. Sano's new bride, Reiko, insists on helping him with the case. Reiko's samurai blood and warrior's skill alarm her new husband, who expected a docile wife. But Reiko is only the first of many surprises...

The Samurai's Wife
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 recognizes 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 sends 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 infiltrate the emperor's inner circle.

Black Lotus
When Sano Ichiro is called on to investigate the burning of a cottage belonging to the Black Lotus Temple, he makes a shocking discovery. The three victims of the blaze were murdered before the fire even began. Sano's search for a killer leads him to Haru, an orphan girl found at the scene of the crime. But Sano's wife, Reiko, investigating the case against Sano's wishes, is convinced of Haru's innocence. Behind the walls of the Black Lotus Temple she discovers a sect involved in extortion, prostitution, and hedonistic rituals. Could one of the sect's members be the killer? Now Reiko must risk her marriage to Sano in order to prove Haru's innocence...