Laura Joh Rowland recreates the Edo era in Japanese history with the kind of machinations and political intrigue that one would expect in one of Sharon Kay Penman’s historical novels based in Medieval England. Then, she manages to weave the intricate pas de deux of a married couple where both partners have superior ability and intellect. Although both spouses manage to conduct their individual lives with courage, creativity, and dignity, it is when those lives become enmeshed in the greater conspiracies of Medieval Japan that the books are at their best.In Red Chrysanthemum, the opening pages unveil a scandal. Reiko, the wife of the shogun’s chamberlain, has been found in a bloody and compromising position with the emasculated and defaced corpse of an alleged supporter of a rebellion against the shogun’s regime. Since the chamberlain is Sano, the protagonist of the novel, the plot thickens as the investigation makes things look worse and worse for Sano’s beloved Reiko. Before the story has navigated the twists and turns of the plot (as well as the tiny streets and alleys of Tokyo before it was Tokyo (the Edo period), both spouses have opportunity to doubt the other and must decide whether their devotion rests on trust or the ability to survive. Reiko’s investigation deals with an alleged child molester who uses, abuses, and, all too often, murders young boys. This makes her initial position less probable, but the situation is more complicated as a result of a cover-up which can only be explained by noting the denial which often surrounds such depraved atrocities. Of course, in spite of the larger national conspiracy which has come into play, this offers a significant clue on part of the murder mystery for those who know about the psychology of such victims.In terms of psychology and emotional tension, Red Chrysanthemum is a very powerful novel. Though it didn’t have any memorable lines that caused me to highlight them for future reference, it did have some interesting artistic touches. For example, it uses several different points of view in order to illustrate the same scene. The fact that some of these versions are based on overt deception doesn’t take away from the effectiveness of the presentation. It was a fascinating approach to exposition and I appreciate it greatly.Another fascinating touch in this book is the idea of combining a mystery that has an apparent solution with an overarching conspiracy. One doesn’t know when the events ensue whether the conspiracy caused the primary murder or if the conspiracy is using the murder to advance its ends. So, even though the probable murderer seems fairly obvious from early in the book, one is never quite sure because of the glimpses of other considerations (sleight of hand? red “minnows” as opposed to “herrings?”) which weave in and out of the frame.Red Chrysanthemum is as bloody as the sanguinary-stained flower for which it is named (an artifact in the emasculation/murder scene). The novel is satisfying and well-paced, but feels somewhat more forced than the first “Sano” novel that I read. Red Chrysanthemum is interesting on many levels and has certainly done nothing to dissuade undergoing other investigations with this fascinating couple.
I always enjoy these books to a point....I read them with out putting them down several times to read other books, I don't find them boring, and even so, they are not books I would go out of my way to recommend. Perhaps it is the overall theme of duty and the samuri life style, which is so foreign I have a difficult time really engaging with the philosophy of the books. Perhaps it is the somewhat stilted writing, which I do think is "in character" with the time period and the culture. Whatever it is, they just don't compell me the way other books and series do.[close:] July 1698. Sano Ichiro, the samurai detective who has risen to become the shogun’s second-in-command, is investigating rumors of a plot to overthrow the ruling regime. When the investigation brings Sano’s deputy Hirata to Lord Mori’s estate, he is shocked to find Lord Mori murdered and grotesquely mutilated in his own bed, and Sano’s pregnant wife, Reiko, lying beside him. The only solid clue is a chrysanthemum soaked in blood. Reiko’s account of her actions is anything but solid. She insists that she went undercover to Lord Mori’s estate in order to investigate claims that he molested and murdered young boys. But when Sano inspects the crime scene, he finds no trace of what Reiko described. And every other witness tells a different story: Lady Mori alleges that Reiko was Lord Mori’s scorned mistress and murdered him for revenge. And Lord Mori himself, speaking through a medium, claims his murder was part of Sano’s plot to overthrow the shogun! Unless Sano can prove his wife’s unlikely claims, both he and Reiko—and their unborn child—face execution for treason. Sano fights desperately to save his family and his honor, as Laura Joh Rowland draws on the tradition of the classic film Rashomon to bring us a masterful tale of intrigue and treachery.
What do You think about Red Chrysanthemum (2006)?
Rowland's strengths are in plot, not prose. This book is a complex, gripping story told with an appalling lack of finesse. In seemingly every paragraph, the author presents striking visual images and deep emotions with all the blunt force of a heavy club, rather than a delicate paintbrush! The dialogue feels much too colloquial-American-thriller for the time and place ("You can take your offer and shove it up your behind."). And just when you think things couldn't get nastier (castration, pedophilia, sort-of incest, a pregnant woman fighting hand-to-hand combat), there's actually a fight in a rendering plant. Really! I'd prefer some restraint!And yet the story itself really is compelling; it's the only thing that kept me reading past the first few pages. Nevertheless, I don't believe I'll hack my way through another of Rowland's books.
—Lisa
Sano Ichiro’s pregnant wife Lady Reiko has been found next to the mutilated and bloody corpse of Lord Mori. Not only is she accused of his murder, Sano stands accused of treason. The two of them must face these charges together or be executed together.This book didn’t have much to recommend itself to. I found the characters acting in a manner that was very unlike the Japanese culture in which this book was set in. This may have been the point, but it rankled.Sano went around accusing all the suspects point blank of killing Lord Mori without any proof in desperation. Only it didn’t come off as desperate really. It came off as blustering and blundering without a clue. Lady Reiko did some investigating of her own with much the same effect. She did a lot of accusing of her own which made her seems just as clueless.The dialogue was trite and unbelievable. I heaved great sighs of annoyance throughout the book.While the climax of the book had an intellectually stimulating satisfying ending, the dialogue! The dialogue killed it!Finally, the antics of the antagonist in her final moments before the executioner’s block had me in disbelief. It was a sub-par effort for sub-par book. All in all a very disappointing book for what is usually a very good series.
—Opal
In this installment of Laura Joh Rowland's series starring Sano Ichiro (he has various titles depending on how far along in the series you are), we find disturbing parallels to the news in the contemporary United States - the horrors of child molestation and child murder. Rowland explores the political intrigue and dangers surrounding exposing & proving these charges in the setting of feudal Japan. More a thriller than a mystery, Sano and his wife, Lady Reiko, find themselves trapped by the roles they are expected to play in their society. While trying to stop the heinous practices of another member of the aristocracy, Lady Reiko finds herself (and therefore her husband and son) in greater danger than ever before.Rowland masterfully portrays the feudal Japanese setting, explaining potentially unfamiliar concepts without breaking the action. The tension of the social structure as it existed in Japan at that time adds to the suspense of this thriller/mystery. I've read all the books in this series and look forward to her next! The characters are as well-rounded and complex as the setting. Readers interested in this setting will not be disappointed! The dialogue is rich and not stilted.Interested readers should start with Rowland's first novel, Shinju and will be grateful there are many more in the series to read after that! Her latest book in the series is The Snow Empress, which I can't wait to get my hands on!
—Ellee
