I read this book a few years ago,
but decided to read it again for some inspiration. Of all of Rowland’s books, this one seems to
be the most twisted of plots.
Her hero, Sano Ichiro, has reached
the pinnacle of his career. He is now
Chamberlain, second only to the shogun.
Despite his lofty position, Rowland still has Sano as Japan’s favorite
whipping boy. Everybody is against
him. The only people on his side are the
ones in his pay. He has no friends or
allies. None. Zilch. Nada. This situation is made even more obvious and
more dangerous when Sano’s wife, Lady Reiko, is found one morning naked, next
to the mutilated body of Lord Mori, covered in his blood.
Any supporters he might have had
abandon him like rats off of a burning ship.
And it seems everyone has it in for Lady Reiko. Lady Mori, Police Commissioner Hoshina and
even the shogun is ready to send her to the execution grounds. Lord Mori’s enemies also hamper Sano’s
investigation.
It isn’t long before the scandal
splashes over onto Sano. Nobody seems to
doubt Hoshina’s transparent and lame attempts to have Sano disgraced.
Only Sano believes his wife’s
innocence. Not even Reiko is sure of
herself. Her memory of the night is
faulty. Nevertheless, she decides to
investigate the murder she is accused.
While all of this is going on,
Hirata, Sano’s chief retainer, is studying the mystic arts. Although his success has been less than
encouraging, his powers manifest themselves gloriously during the exciting
climax. I’m not sure how to take Hirata’s
abilities because they seem to shift the story from historical fiction to
science fiction. Everything that transpires
up to the final battle seems plausible but when Hirata exhibits super-human
abilities, the reader has to reconsider what is based on fact and what is truly
fiction.
As the series continues, Hirata’s powers become even more bizarre.
Just a heads-up.
Still, it was well-worth a second read!
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