Shinju: Sano Ichiro Series, Book 1 and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.


or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Search inside this book
Start reading Shinju: Sano Ichiro Series, Book 1 on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Shinju [Mass Market Paperback]

Laura Rowland (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 10.99
Price: CDN$ 9.89 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 25. Details
You Save: CDN$ 1.10 (10%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 1 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.
Want it delivered Wednesday, May 22? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout.

Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition --   CDN $8.99 --
Hardcover CDN $27.23   -- --
Paperback --   -- --
Mass Market Paperback CDN $9.89   -- --

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17 2001

When beautiful, wealthy Yukiko and low-born artist Noriyoshi are found drowned together in a shinju, or ritual double suicide, everyone believes the culprit was forbidden love. Everyone but newly appointed yoriki Sano Ichiro.

Despite the official verdict and warnings from his superiors, the shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People suspects the deaths weren't just a tragedy -- they were murder. Risking his family's good name and his own life, Sano will search for a killer across every level of society -- determined to find answers to a mystery no one wants solved. No one but Sano...

As subtle and beautiful as the culture it evokes, Shinju vividly re-creates a world of ornate tearooms and guady pleasure-palaces, cloistered mountaintop convents and dealthy prisons.

Part love story, part myster, Shinju is a tour that will dazzle and entertain all who enter its world.

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Way Of The Traitor by Laura Rowland Mass Market Paperback CDN$ 9.50

Shinju + Way Of The Traitor
Price For Both: CDN$ 19.39

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Shinju by Laura Rowland Mass Market Paperback

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 25. Details

  • Way Of The Traitor by Laura Rowland Mass Market Paperback

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 25. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product Details

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Seventeenth-century Tokyo is the setting for Rowland's debut novel, a murder mystery starring the Senior Police Commander in the district of Edo. Sano Ichiro, a samurai whose academic background puts him at odds with most of his peers, discovers two bodies in the Sumida River, a man and woman bound together in what appears to have been a shinju, or "double love suicide." The man is a peasant, the woman the high-born daughter of an important official. Told by his superior to close the case without an investigation, Sano, suspecting murder, determines to investigate on his own. He orders an illegal autopsy and learns that the victims did not drown but cannot make his discovery known. Amidst many tribulations, he uncovers a trail of corruption and intrigue that ultimately leads him to suspect a member of a royal family. Replete with convincing details, the setting's time and place provide lively and diverting passages; the plot, however, twists only occasionally before its fairly predictable, politically rooted resolution. Rowland crafts a competent mystery her first time out, shows sure command of her background material and demonstrates that she is a writer of depth and potential.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

YA?Sano Ichiro suspects that a ritual love suicide (shinju) is in reality a double murder, but his boss inexplicably orders him to drop the investigation. As samurai, Sano must obey or dishonor his father. The quest for justice, however, impels him to risk all to uncover the truth. His course causes more deaths and reveals the depravity of a powerful family that plots to assassinate the shogun. Sano is an unlikely, headstrong hero whose talk and stumbling actions endanger others. His repeated weighing of the samurai code of loyalty and duty versus the pursuit of justice slows the plot occasionally, but not seriously. The descriptions of the lives of townspeople, samurai, the privileged class, and inhabitants of the "pleasure district" in 17th-century Edo (Tokyo) are brutal, but rich and sensual, especially the Tea Ceremony and New Year celebrations. YAs who liked James Clavell's Shogun will enjoy Rowland's novel of political intrigue.?Judy Sokoll, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Yoriki Sano Ichiro, Edo's newest senior police commander, made his way slowly on horseback across Nihonbashi Bridge. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Good mystery, a glimpse into another world Jun 21 2004
By Teresa A. McTigue
Format:Mass Market Paperback
When I picked up this book, I was a little worried that it would fall into the trap of concentrating so heavily on historically accurate details that the idea of a mystery (or plot in general) would be lost. Happily, that isn't the case. Laura Joh Rowland sets a solid mystery in an interesting period of time. She manages to give us a flavor of era and still present a great read. I highly recommend this novel. If you are interested in the Sano Ichiro series, definitely start with this book.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent characters and atmosphere Nov 15 2003
By Barbara B.
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This was my introduction to Sano Ichiro (and Rowland's books) and I was fascinated with the descriptions of 17th century Japan. I've done a bit of historical reading into that era (early Shin Buddhism) and found this book was accurate and richly descriptive.

As for the character of Sano, I understand some of the other comments that he wasn't "heroic" enough for a Samurai. But that was one of the things that made him interesting to me. He is a quite "average" man who gets caught up in a system that can easily swallow him whole.

The book, although it had a few minor flaws, was intriquing enough for me to read several more of the series and it's interesting to see the way Sano's character develops. I just finished the fourth book in the series (The Concubine's Tattoo) and look forward to all the others.

Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
2.0 out of 5 stars Riveting, but poorly written Sep 17 2003
By "villekula"
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Unfortunately this promising story is "over-told." The author seems overly enthusiastic to prove she's done her history homework, and the resulting writing style made me feel like I was back in grammar school. If you've ever read anything about Japan at all you will skim several of the awkward descriptions and translations that the author tries to weave seamlessly into the story. The conflict between the main character Sano's sense of filial duty and obedience as a samurai and his burning desire to get to the truth of the murder is weakly explored. Instead of any real conflict emerging, the author just has him think "oh, my father will be so upset, this goes against my whole being as a samurai, I should really stop this investigation" every few pages. By the end of each paragraph he has decided to carry on, in pursuit of justice (mostly for the people who have died as a result of his investigations, and also for the sad courtesan he slept with once, which is a bit tough to empathize with)! What a surprise! The ending took far too long and was a deus ex machina, there wasn't any real suspense. I wanted to know what happened, but I found myself consistently annoyed with having so far to go before the book's end. For those with zero understanding of medieval Japanese culture, this could be a pretty interesting way of learning a great deal. For a more fun take on medieval Japan (that also explores the mystical and spiritual) I'd recommend Tomoe Gozen.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Want to see more reviews on this item?
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful taste of samurai justice
As a longtime lover of mysteries and of things Japanese, I was thrilled when I came across the Sano Ichiro series. This book lived up to my initial excitement. Read more
Published on Sep 14 2003 by David Kudler
5.0 out of 5 stars Great page-turner
I've enjoyed Laura Joh Rowland's historical mystery series featuring detective Sano Ichiro. The main characters are appealing, and the action moves along rapidly. Read more
Published on Sep 5 2003 by anonymous
4.0 out of 5 stars Suicidal behavior
This story is very strong on atmosphere and weaker on real mystery. I found it a fascinating glimpse into what the real tenor of medieval Japan might have been like. Read more
Published on Jan 13 2003 by tertius3
1.0 out of 5 stars Shinju
If you like a story about a samurai policeman who bumbles his way through 437 pages, you'll like this book. Read more
Published on Jan 6 2003 by Ian Tucker
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful adventure!
This fascinating historical fiction only starts as a murder mystery -- then it takes us on a thrill ride as we explore the society, customs, and class clashes of medieval Japan. Read more
Published on Dec 16 2002 by MLPlayfair
5.0 out of 5 stars Best in the Series
I enjoyed this book for the historical references and bits of history to feudal Japan along with the plot twists and turns. Read more
Published on Oct 22 2002 by Debra Day
3.0 out of 5 stars Cliched protagonist "rebel bucks the system"
I am a bit tired of reading mysteries and action books where the hero is one who "goes against all his superiors and hurts people along the way in his/her quest for truth and... Read more
Published on July 17 2002
4.0 out of 5 stars A most worthy introduction of Sano Ichiro.
If you enjoyed James Clavell's "Shogun," then this series of books by Laura Joh Rowland may appeal to you. Read more
Published on May 22 2002 by Edward Alexander Gerster
4.0 out of 5 stars Plot Discrepancies Noted.
While I enjoyed Shinju, and learned something about Old Japan from it, there were some discrepancies that bothered me. For example, what ever became of Toda Ikkyu? Read more
Published on May 6 2002 by R. Burkindine-tiffany
5.0 out of 5 stars good japanese introduction
If you are interested in Japanese folktales, bushido, or just ancient Japan in genral, this is an excellent book, well worth the money. Read more
Published on May 1 2002 by moyogi
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

    Your Shopping Cart is empty.

    Give it purpose—fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics, and more.

    If you already have an account, sign in.

    View Cart (0 items)

      Listmania!

      Create a Listmania! list

      Look for similar items by category

      Feedback

      Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

      Amazon.ca Privacy Statement Amazon.ca Shipping Information Amazon.ca Returns & Exchanges