The Fire Kimono, Laura Joh Rowland
The Fire Kimono, Laura Joh Rowland
List: $29.95 | Sale: $20.97
Club: $14.97

The Fire Kimono

Author: Laura Joh Rowland

Narrator: Bernadette Dunne

Unabridged: 11 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/01/2008

Synopsis

Japan, March 1700. The strife between Sano Ichiro, the samurai detective who has risen to power in the shogun's court, and his enemies has escalated to the brink of war. Called away from the crisis by the shogun's orders to investigate a mysterious skeleton, Sano and his wife, Reiko, must confront dangerous, long-buried secrets. What was Sano's own mother doing on the night when a burning kimono ignited a blaze that nearly destroyed the city? The shogun gives Sano and Reiko just three days to find out—or risk losing not only their position at court but their families' lives as well.

About Laura Joh Rowland

Laura Joh Rowland is the author of the Sano Ichiro mysteries, which have twice been named Best Mysteries of the Year by Publishers Weekly. She lived through a natural disaster when Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed her house in New Orleans, and now lives in New York City.

About Bernadette Dunne

Bernadette Dunne has been honored to narrate the work of some of the finest fiction and nonfiction writers of our time, including Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, and Sandra Day O'Connor. The winner of more than a dozen Earphones Awards and a three-time Audie Award nominee, she has voiced countless bestsellers, including Memoirs of a Geisha, The Devil Wears Prada, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. She studied at The Royal National Theater and lives in New York.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Joe on September 10, 2010

Another visit with the samurai detective Sano Ichiro is always a great time. Murder, thrills, swordfights, politcal intrigues, sex: Rowland always delivers a trashy but thrilling adventure. The balnce shifts a little this time around, being less of a mystery-though there is always a mystery-and more......more

Goodreads review by Mieczyslaw on December 09, 2011

I find Laura Joh Rowland’s Sano Ichiro series entertaing. There is always a hint of a formula being used; Sano is at odds with his opponent in the Shogun’s court, it is dangerous for his family and himself, the odds are against him but good shall always prevail. Oh! And there’s always a bit of kinky......more

Goodreads review by Jason on November 30, 2008

There are a ridiculous number of Sano Ichiro novels now, and I was sucked in long ago. Unfortunately, like so many series, the quality has declined probably due to the one novel a year production calendar. I care about the characters and want to see how it ends, so I will stick with it. Plus it's a......more

Goodreads review by Jo-Ann on September 01, 2019

This was a real page turner. I could not put it down. The characters are well developed and the story moves at a fast clip. Sano only has three days to solve a murder or it may cost him and his family their lives. There was no time for lolly gagging. The settings are interesting and the writing makes......more

Goodreads review by Pramudith on December 09, 2017

exceptional......more

Quotes

“Pure entertainment...It takes us to an exotic time and place and overwhelms us with intrigue, romance, adventure, and frequent bloodshed.” Washington Post

“An exciting and enthralling story set in a vividly rendered setting. I was captured by it from the moment a Shinto priest, buffeted by winds, his robe flapping ‘like a swan in mad flight,’ discovers those buried remains heaved from the earth.” Boston Globe

“Outstanding…Rowland has given her hero his greatest challenge yet in this suspenseful look at feudal Japan.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Rowland brings Sano, his wife, a cast of supporting characters, and 18th-century Japan to life with a sweet, simple writing style.” School Library Journal

“The novel displays Rowland’s gifts for seamlessly incorporating period detail and historical information into the traditional mystery format. Fans of historical mysteries—at least those few who haven’t already sampled this series—should be enthusiastically steered in Ichiro’s direction.” Booklist

“The historic setting is mesmerizing. Great escape fiction.” Kirkus Reviews

“Dunne tells this story in graceful and genteel tones. The characters represent a broad spectrum—from toddlers to octogenarians, as well as both genders. Dunne creates unique personas for each, providing continuity in an otherwise winding narrative that alternates between the present and scenes that occurred forty-three years earlier.” AudioFile

Awards

  • Wall Street Journal Best Book
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