Laura Joh Rowland

Shinjū is the title of the debut novel by American writer Laura Joh Rowland, a historical mystery set in 1689 Genroku-era Japan. The main character, a yoriki named Sano Ichirō, investigates a double murder disguised as a lovers' suicide, and in the process, uncovers a plot to assassinate Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.

The Snow Empress is a 2007 mystery novel written by Laura Joh Rowland, set in the Genroku of historical Japan It is the 12th book in the Sano Ichiro series. It combines a murder mystery with a portrayal of the strained, and often xenophobic relations between the Japanese rulers and the aboriginal inhabitants of …

A fortress in the sky... Japan, 1701. A woman is brutally attacked within a bamboo prison as clouds swirl around her head. Meanwhile, at Edo Castle, samurai detective turned chamberlain Sano Ichiro is suspicious of his old rival, Yanagisawa, who has been oddly cooperative since his return from exile. But just as …