14th book in the Sano Ichiro murder mystery series, set in 17th century Japan. A woman is brutally murdered in a bamboo prison, while at Edo Castle, chamberlain Sano Ichiro is suspicious of his old rival.

Laura Joh Rowland came to writing by accident, having first gained a degree in microbiology and a masters in public health, and then working as a chemist and microbiologist. She is the author of more than a dozen acclaimed murder mysteries, particularly the Sano Ichiro series set in feudal Japan and featuring samurai detective Sano Ichiro. The granddaughter of Chinese and Korean immigrants, Laura Joh Rowland grew up in Michigan and now lives in New Orleans.

“One of the best mysteries of the year.”—"Publishers Weekly"
“Rowland has a painter’s eye for the minutiae of court life, as well as a politician’s ear for intrigue.”—"The New York Times Book Review
"“Entertaining. . . . . Rowland creates a well-crafted portrait of an exotic place and time.” —"The Times-Picayune "on "The Cloud Pavilion
"“An exercise in pure entertainment . . . ["The Fire Kimono"] takes us to an exotic time and place and overwhelms us with intrigue, romance, adventure, and frequent bloodshed.” —"The Washington Post
"“Demonstrating an impressive level of sustained excellence, Rowland’s mysteries set in seventeenth-century Japan form one of the best recent series in the genre.” —"Publishers Weekly" (starred review) on "The Snow Empress"