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Published Oct 2009
304 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Japan, 1701. A woman is brutally attacked within a bamboo prison as clouds swirl around her head. Meanwhile, at Edo Castle, samurai detective turned chamberlain Sano Ichiro is suspicious of his old rival, Yanagisawa, who has been oddly cooperative since returning from exile.
But just as Yanagisawa's true motives begin to emerge, Sano's estranged uncle comes to him for help: His daughter has disappeared, and he begs Sano and his wife—who once suffered through the kidnapping of their own son—to find her before it is too late.
"Gracefully written and replete with historical detail, more character-driven and linearly plotted than most of its 13 predecessors, this is a fine entry point for series newbies." - Kirkus Reviews
"Starred Review. Established fans will be pleased by how Rowland has developed Sano's son, Masahiro, ... newcomers should find the people, plot and early 18th-century Japanese setting hard to resist." - Publishers Weekly
"Rowland continues to turn out beautifully plotted, suspenseful mysteries." - Library Journal
This information about The Cloud Pavilion was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Laura Joh Rowland is the daughter of Chinese and Korean immigrants. best known for her series of historical mystery novels set in the late days of feudal Japan, mostly in Edo during the late 17th century. Her main protagonist is Sano Ichiro.
She grew up in Michigan and was educated at the University of Michigan, where she graduated with a B.S. in Microbiology and a Masters in Public Health. She lives in New Orleans with her husband, Marty, and their three cats. She has authored of 18 books featuring the samurai detective Sano Ichiro, as well as several fictional novels featuring the adventures of Charlotte Bronte.
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