Laura Joh Rowland
Author of Shinjū
About the Author
Historical mystery author Laura Joh Rowland writes the popular Sano Ichiro series, which is set in 17th-century feudal Japan and features a samurai detective protagonist. Before becoming a full-time writer, Rowland held several positions in chemistry, microbiology, and engineering. She studied at show more the University of Michigan and earned a B.S. in Microbiology and a Master's degree in Public Health. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Laura Joh Rowland
Sano Ichiro 1-16 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Rowland, Laura Joh
- Legal name
- Rowland, Laura Joh
- Other names
- Роулэнд, Лора Джо
- Birthdate
- 1954
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of Michigan (B.S., microbiology)
University of Michigan (M.Sc., public health)
New Orleans Academy of Fine Art - Occupations
- chemist
microbiologist
sanitary inspector
quality engineer - Agent
- Pam Ahearn (The Ahearn Agency)
- Short biography
- Laura Joh Rowland is the daughter of Chinese and Korean immigrants. She grew up in Michigan and was educated at the University of Michigan, where she graduated with a B.S. in Microbiology and a Masters in Public Health. She lives in New Orleans with her husband, Marty, and their three cats. My road to publication was almost as accidental as my road to becoming a writer. In 1992 I attended the New Orleans Writers Conference. Everyone who signed up and paid the registration fee got to submit an excerpt from a manuscript to be read and critiqued by one of the editors who would be speaking at the conference. My excerpt from Shinju happened to go to an executive editor at Random House. He liked it and asked to see the whole manuscript. Eventually, he bought it. That was 12 years and 10 books ago.
- Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Michigan, USA
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA - Map Location
- USA
Members
Reviews
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 show more 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. show less
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 show more 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. show less
Victorian Mystery at its best!
Superb continuation of the trials and challenges of denizens of the former detective agency who now work for Sir Gerald Mariner, photographing crime scenes for his London newspaper the Daily World.
Called to a pub to photograph a decapitated body that turns out to be a leading hangman, Harry Warbrick, events open up that will lead the trio through a maze of cover ups, hampered by the Official Secrets Act, along with a threatening visit to Newgate Prison.
Something show more had happened during the execution of Amelia Carlisle, the “Baby-Butcher,” who'd killed hundreds of infants placed in her care. Something that seems to link the murder of Warbrick to Amelia's death. Warbrick had divulged cryptically, "‘Two minutes and fifty seconds.’ [Sarah was] becoming more certain that something of consequence happened during Amelia Carlisle’s last two minutes and fifty seconds alive."
I teetered on the abyss several times with Sarah, I was devastated for Mick O’Reilly, and Lord Hugh Stanton continues to be, well, Hugh!
Inspector Reid is present as malevolent as ever, threatening Sarah and her search for her father. Constable Barrett finds himself caught between his loyalty to his chosen career and loyalty to Sarah. Sarah continues to be self contained, even as she opens up fractionally to Barrett. Even so, as a habitual secret keeper this is tough going for her and comes near to jeopardizing her's and Barrett's growing relationship.
A power house of feelings, of dank and dark places, and all of us, reader and characters, always on the edge of fearful surprises.
Once again a rapid and diverting read!
A NetGalley ARC show less
Superb continuation of the trials and challenges of denizens of the former detective agency who now work for Sir Gerald Mariner, photographing crime scenes for his London newspaper the Daily World.
Called to a pub to photograph a decapitated body that turns out to be a leading hangman, Harry Warbrick, events open up that will lead the trio through a maze of cover ups, hampered by the Official Secrets Act, along with a threatening visit to Newgate Prison.
Something show more had happened during the execution of Amelia Carlisle, the “Baby-Butcher,” who'd killed hundreds of infants placed in her care. Something that seems to link the murder of Warbrick to Amelia's death. Warbrick had divulged cryptically, "‘Two minutes and fifty seconds.’ [Sarah was] becoming more certain that something of consequence happened during Amelia Carlisle’s last two minutes and fifty seconds alive."
I teetered on the abyss several times with Sarah, I was devastated for Mick O’Reilly, and Lord Hugh Stanton continues to be, well, Hugh!
Inspector Reid is present as malevolent as ever, threatening Sarah and her search for her father. Constable Barrett finds himself caught between his loyalty to his chosen career and loyalty to Sarah. Sarah continues to be self contained, even as she opens up fractionally to Barrett. Even so, as a habitual secret keeper this is tough going for her and comes near to jeopardizing her's and Barrett's growing relationship.
A power house of feelings, of dank and dark places, and all of us, reader and characters, always on the edge of fearful surprises.
Once again a rapid and diverting read!
A NetGalley ARC show less
A Mortal Likeness is second in Laura Joh Rowland's Victorian Mysteries series. In the aftermath of the Ripper case, Miss Sarah Bain and Lord Hugh Staunton set up a detective agency. Cases are sparse, and funds sparser. While tracking an adulterous husband, the pair stumble upon evidence that may be of help regarding a prominent kidnapping case. When they take the information to Sir Gerald, father of the missing Robin Mariner, he hires them to investigate the possibility of the kidnapping show more being an inside job. There are stipulations to employment though- they must sign a confidentiality agreement and must move into Mariner House for the duration of the case. From the start, these conditions cause problems. Sarah ends up having to lie to her new fiance. Both have to lie to Mick, their young charge. He's too smart though, and tracks them down. Life at Mariner House is fraught with danger for the trio. The family and servants are hostile to questioning. Deadly accidents plague the investigators, and personal agendas begin to cloud their objectivity and drive a wedge between Sarah and Hugh, and between Sarah and her fiance. Can they solve Robin's kidnapping, and keep their relationships intact?
Ok, so this was my first foray into Rowland's Victorian Mysteries series. I didn't realise it at first. Mentions are made of the events in Ripper, enough that I got the gist of what happened. I do plan to read it soon! I want the full story. I love stories set in Victorian times, and this read didn't disappoint. The mystery itself was interesting, and called to mind the true kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. Sarah is a photographer, a profession fostered by her father before his disappearance, and she brings that talent to the investigation business. It was neat to learn about earlier photography. Rowland has a certain gift for bringing place to life. It's easy to immerse myself in her stories and feel as if I'm there. I adore her Sano Ichiro series set in feudal Japan.
I feel Sarah and Hugh both have a lot of growing up to do. There were times when Mick, the teen, seemed the adult of the group. This was probably due to him being a street kid and needing to grow up very fast. Hugh, on the other hand, lived a life of privilege until being disowned. Sarah seems in the middle of the two, personality-wise. There were still times I wanted to thwack her for her behaviour. The insistence that Hugh be objective regarding Tristan was ludicrous given her thoughts regarding Sir Gerald, or the times it felt like she was twisting evidence to fit certain people. Especially Tristan, which I feel was due to her fear that he would lure Hugh from their partnership. I'm looking forward to reading the first, and the next, in the series. Recommended for those who love mysteries and historical fiction!
***Many thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for the Tulsa Book Review. show less
Ok, so this was my first foray into Rowland's Victorian Mysteries series. I didn't realise it at first. Mentions are made of the events in Ripper, enough that I got the gist of what happened. I do plan to read it soon! I want the full story. I love stories set in Victorian times, and this read didn't disappoint. The mystery itself was interesting, and called to mind the true kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. Sarah is a photographer, a profession fostered by her father before his disappearance, and she brings that talent to the investigation business. It was neat to learn about earlier photography. Rowland has a certain gift for bringing place to life. It's easy to immerse myself in her stories and feel as if I'm there. I adore her Sano Ichiro series set in feudal Japan.
I feel Sarah and Hugh both have a lot of growing up to do. There were times when Mick, the teen, seemed the adult of the group. This was probably due to him being a street kid and needing to grow up very fast. Hugh, on the other hand, lived a life of privilege until being disowned. Sarah seems in the middle of the two, personality-wise. There were still times I wanted to thwack her for her behaviour. The insistence that Hugh be objective regarding Tristan was ludicrous given her thoughts regarding Sir Gerald, or the times it felt like she was twisting evidence to fit certain people. Especially Tristan, which I feel was due to her fear that he would lure Hugh from their partnership. I'm looking forward to reading the first, and the next, in the series. Recommended for those who love mysteries and historical fiction!
***Many thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for the Tulsa Book Review. show less
This is the second book in Rowland's Sano Ichirō series that I have read. (The first, [b:The Cloud Pavilion|6429321|The Cloud Pavilion (Sano Ichiro, #14)|Laura Joh Rowland|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1317791840s/6429321.jpg|6618767], didn't make me a fan. I dislike mysteries where the crime is sexual assault. It somehow feels more voyeuristic to read those than murder mysteries, though I haven't analyzed my feelings on the subject.) It had been several years but I was able to show more remember the main characters and setting.
What worked for me:
The characters and relationships. Sano and his wife, Reiko, are a well-drawn couple. Reiko is quite modern in many ways in her concerns about poverty, women in distress, and desire to use her influence and means to make a positive difference. (In this way, she reminds me a bit of Hero Jarvis from [a:C.S. Harris|22067|C.S. Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1283051864p2/22067.jpg]'s Sebastian St. Cyr series.)
I also like Sano's relationship with Hirata and the growing tension between the two. I'm not sure where they have been or where they are going in their loyalties to each other. But this book shows the internal conflict in Hirata between his loyalty to Sano and the samurai code of honor, and his intriguing new relationship with a mysterious group of men and his own curiosity about the mystical martial arts. At some point he will have to choose between the two.
The bitter rivalry between Sano and his powerful enemy Yanagisawa is chilling. Though Sano is an honorable man, Yanagisawa is not, and he currently has the ear of the not-too-bright emperor.
The historical setting and political intrigues.
Rowland does an excellent job of setting the story in 18th century feudal Japan. I'm not familiar with the feudal system of Japan during this time period, but the author shows it such that I understood what was at stake, who the political figures were, etc. And let's face it, politics is the same everywhere, during every time period: people battling for power. The consequences may be higher in certain eras (such as in a corrupt totalitarian system, where a fall from favor means prison or execution) or lower (such as in a democracy, where falling out of favor means not being re-elected and--I hope, maybe naively?--rarely results in death). But there's always the corrupt, the back-stabbers, the striving-to-be honorable, the favor-seeking, the powerful-in-name-only and the powers behind them, and the political pawns. It doesn't really matter if it's 18th century Japan, 20th century Soviet Union, or 21st century America; the reader will recognize the rivalries and political schemes.
What doesn't work for me:
The theological worldview. I'm unsure how to describe what I mean. I noticed this in the previous Sano Ichirō book that I read, too. There's no possibility of redemption. No grace, no forgiveness. People hold onto grudges and bitterness for their entire lives. I see this particularly in Sano and Yanagisawa's hatred for each other. There's no possibility for forgiveness for a betrayal. There's no possibility that a villain could change and become a more honorable person. There's no pardon for breaching the samurai code of honor. Things like ritual suicide, duty to avenge another's death, etc., reflect that society's ideology. Despite the tenderness and loyalty in certain relationships, the lack of grace/redemption gives the book a distinctly hopeless feeling to me.
This is more about me as a western reader, deeply immersed in traditional Christian theology, than with Rowland as a writer. It reflects an entirely different worldview than I'm used to. It's good to be exposed to different cultural worldviews. But this one leaves me rather depressed. While I liked the book, I can't honestly give it 5 stars. show less
What worked for me:
The characters and relationships. Sano and his wife, Reiko, are a well-drawn couple. Reiko is quite modern in many ways in her concerns about poverty, women in distress, and desire to use her influence and means to make a positive difference. (In this way, she reminds me a bit of Hero Jarvis from [a:C.S. Harris|22067|C.S. Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1283051864p2/22067.jpg]'s Sebastian St. Cyr series.)
I also like Sano's relationship with Hirata and the growing tension between the two. I'm not sure where they have been or where they are going in their loyalties to each other. But this book shows the internal conflict in Hirata between his loyalty to Sano and the samurai code of honor, and his intriguing new relationship with a mysterious group of men and his own curiosity about the mystical martial arts. At some point he will have to choose between the two.
The bitter rivalry between Sano and his powerful enemy Yanagisawa is chilling. Though Sano is an honorable man, Yanagisawa is not, and he currently has the ear of the not-too-bright emperor.
The historical setting and political intrigues.
Rowland does an excellent job of setting the story in 18th century feudal Japan. I'm not familiar with the feudal system of Japan during this time period, but the author shows it such that I understood what was at stake, who the political figures were, etc. And let's face it, politics is the same everywhere, during every time period: people battling for power. The consequences may be higher in certain eras (such as in a corrupt totalitarian system, where a fall from favor means prison or execution) or lower (such as in a democracy, where falling out of favor means not being re-elected and--I hope, maybe naively?--rarely results in death). But there's always the corrupt, the back-stabbers, the striving-to-be honorable, the favor-seeking, the powerful-in-name-only and the powers behind them, and the political pawns. It doesn't really matter if it's 18th century Japan, 20th century Soviet Union, or 21st century America; the reader will recognize the rivalries and political schemes.
What doesn't work for me:
The theological worldview. I'm unsure how to describe what I mean. I noticed this in the previous Sano Ichirō book that I read, too. There's no possibility of redemption. No grace, no forgiveness. People hold onto grudges and bitterness for their entire lives. I see this particularly in Sano and Yanagisawa's hatred for each other. There's no possibility for forgiveness for a betrayal. There's no possibility that a villain could change and become a more honorable person. There's no pardon for breaching the samurai code of honor. Things like ritual suicide, duty to avenge another's death, etc., reflect that society's ideology. Despite the tenderness and loyalty in certain relationships, the lack of grace/redemption gives the book a distinctly hopeless feeling to me.
This is more about me as a western reader, deeply immersed in traditional Christian theology, than with Rowland as a writer. It reflects an entirely different worldview than I'm used to. It's good to be exposed to different cultural worldviews. But this one leaves me rather depressed. While I liked the book, I can't honestly give it 5 stars. show less
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