The Ronin's Mistress A Novel

A brilliant new twist on the fabled tale of the 47 Ronin, from an author with "a painter's eye for the minutiae of court life [and] a politican's ear for intrigue." The New York Times Book Review Japan, 1703. On a snowy night, 47 warriors murder the man at the center of the scandal that turned them from samurai into masterless ronin two years before. Clearly this was an act of revenge--but why did they wait so long? And is there any reason they should not immediately be ordered to commit ritual suicide? Sano Ichiro, demoted from Chamberlain to his old post as Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, has mere days to solve the greatest mystery of samurai legend--while his own fortunes hang in the balance.

LAURA JOH ROWLAND is the author of fourteen previous Sano Ichiro mysteries. The Fire Kimono was named one of the Wall Street Journal's "Five Best Historical Mystery Novels"; and The Snow Empress and The Cloud Pavilion, were among Publishers Weekly's Best Mysteries of the Year. She lives in New York City.