Black Lotus

Sano Ichiro #6

by Laura Joh Rowland

When veteran samurai-detective Sano Ichiro, the most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, is called on to investigate the burning of a cottage belonging to the Black Lotus Temple, he makes a shocking discovery. The three victims of the blaze did not die in the fire, but were brutally murdered before the fire even began.

With a triple homicide on his hands, Sano's search for a killer leads him to Haru, an orphan girl found at the scene of the crime. But Sano's wife, Reiko, investigating the case against Sano's wishes, is convinced of Haru's innocence. Reiko's investigation leads her behind the walls of the Black Lotus Temple, where she discovers a sect involved in extortion, prostitution, and hedonistic rituals.

Could one of the sect's members be the killer? Now Reiko must risk her marriage to Sano in order to prove Haru's innocence...

Set in the luscious finery of the samurai court of medieval Japan, this latest installment in the bestselling series by Laura Joh Rowland is filled with shocking surprised and suspense as readers are once again allowed access into the world of Sano Ichiro.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Japan, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Crime

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 21, 2001

About the author

Granddaughter of Chinese and Korean immigrants, Laura Joh Rowland grew up in Michigan and where she graduated with a B.S. in microbiology and a Master of Public Health at the University of Michigan. She currently lives in New Orleans with her husband. She has worked as a chemist, microbiologist, sanitary inspector and quality engineer.

Reviews

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story, but I was not particularly interested in the antagonizing force (a corrupt Buddhist sect - *yawn*), the character of Haru was immensely frustrating, and the constant friction between Sano and Reiko felt tedious. I really missed Chamberlain Yanagisawa, who was absent from the entire novel on an inspection tour of Japan.

[hjreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, this book was intense: political intrigue, violent crime, tough reflections about human nature bred in poor environments, drama between husband and wife, and wicked samurai fight scenes.

Throughout it all, I loved that most of the characters stayed true to themselves even in uncomfortable situations. It's gives me more realism that I can see/hear their thoughts thereby giving me adequate conflict resolution by the end of the book.

I love Reiko and her strong will that won't bend for anyone! I can't wait to see more of her in coming books.

[jaroiva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zatím asi nejslabší díl. Trochu slátanina, řekla bych. Tento díl se mi víc nelíbil než líbil.
Bylo tam pár zajímavých kousků, ale málo. Např. když šli Sano a Reiko u soudu proti sobě.
Ale trochu se mi zdá, že autorce už postupně s přibývajícími knihami docházely nápady.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

There wasn't as much writing about nature in this volume, which Rowland excels at, but it was certainly an action packed story. Compelling and creepy at the same time, I found it hard to pick up but equally hard to put down.

Wow!

[Liisa Altmets · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great example of how our empathy sometimes blinds us from the flaws of the person we emphasise towards.
And how pressure with our own prejudices can make us focus only on those flaws.

[Jason Maguglin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume had a slow burn, the first half was just a story of murder, the second half had it all, violence, intrigue, charm, love, sex, disgust, an epic battle, plot twist. Overall a captivating and enthralling ending.

[Nina Miteva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Комбинирано ревю на трета, четвърта и пета книга от "Японски загадки" в Wanderbook

Опустошителен пожар отнема живота на няколко души. Палежът явно е умишлен, и уликите водят към младо момиче - Хару; но намесват и секта с нарастваща сила и популярност. Сано отново е под натиска на други васали на шогуна, на които не им харесва да виждат господаря си толкова благоразположен към младия сосакан. Но изненадващо не те са най-страшния съперник на самурая в този случай - а собствената му съпруга Рейко, която взима страната на заподозряната.

По спомени от преди, тази история ми бе една от по-нелюбимите от колекцията "Японски загадки". Затова и трудно набрах темпо с нея. Всъщност, "Якешину" сложи няколкомесечна пауза на бавния ми, но редовен прогрес по поредицата; а след като я започнах, чак след първата трета ми потръгна. Не бих нарекла самата история лоша - от една страна имаме злокобната секта "Черният лотус", на която очевидно не ѝ е чиста работата, но остава да видим как Сано ще я изобличи. А паралелно и ние като читатели, особено в първата половина на историята се чудим дали Хару - обвинената послушница е виновна; доказателствата клонят ту срещу нея, ту я оневиняват, ние взимаме страната ту на Сано, ту на Рейко. Може би една от причините тази история да не ми е фаворит, е всъщност именно това - сблъсъкът между тях двамата, който тук е доста по-остър, отколкото в предните и някои следващи книги. А аз обичам да виждам съпрузите да работят заедно и не ми бе приятно да ги виждам в опозиця, оттам и емоционално по-ниската ми оценка на "Якешину".

[Shirlene]

Sano Ichiro is a samurai-detective. he is the Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People. He is investigating the burning of a cottage belonging to the Black Lotus Temple. There were 3 victims, the police chief, a woman and a small child. There was left a naked girl, Haru, who claimed to be an orphan and did not remember what happened. Sano was convinced that she was the guilty party and asked his wife for help investigating the crimes. His wife, Reiko, was convinced that Haru was innocent. This put them at odds with each other and Reiko became afraid that Sano would divorce her and take away their young son.
Sano began his investigation and the temple priests and nuns seemed to go along with the investigation. They let him inside the temple and he didn't notice that he was being directed to certain priests and places within the temple because he was distracted by their co-operation. Men were considered the only important sex so Reiko saw a much different picture when she went to the temple. She wasn't allowed to talk to certain people, the priests and nuns were rude to her. She became convinced that they were hiding something. One of the priests followed her and talked to her when she went to the privy. He told her that he was looking for his sister and thought she might be the woman who was killed. He and his sister had tried to escape the temple and he hadn't seen her since they were caught. He told Reiko of the priests abusing other men and women. They were kidnapping young children and abusing them also. He was then caught talking to her. He was taken away and tortured until he confessed to what he had told Reiko. He was then boiled alive.
The temple leader was Anraku. There was also an evil medical practitioner who was trying out potions on people who had come to the temple in order to develop a poison. There was also a very jealous nun who hated anyone other than herself who got too close to Anraku. Junketsu-in had been arrested for prostitution before Anraku found her and got her to work for him.
Anraku had a magnetism that attracted others to him. He become infatuated with Chie, one of the nurses at the hospital and she became his lover. She left her husband and she had a child by Anraku. Junketsu-in was jealous of her and killed her and the child. She hated the police chief because he was the one who had arrested her previously. He used her background knowledge to get to the women in the temple and use them for sex. Haru was one of those who he wanted for sex. Haru killed him when she was trying to get away from him. Junketsu-in saw her opportunity and hit Haru on the head as she was running out of the cottage. She set the cottage on fire and had Chie and Anraku's child placed in the house to burn, thinking no one would notice that they were dead before the fire. The fire was put out before the bodies burned completely so it was discovered that they were all dead before the fire.
Reiko asked her father to allow Haru to stay in her old room at his house. Sano went to question her and she attacked him and his assistant, Hirata. Sano then had her moved to the jail house. Reiko was saddened to learn that Sano's investigation had led to the discovery that Haru had been given in marriage to an older man. He was killed when his house burned down. Haru had run away from him after fighting with him. He had knocked over a lamp which set the house ablaze while she ran away. She tried to go back home but her parents refused her so she went to the temple. Junketsu-in became jealous of her when she caught the attention of Anraku. She saw the opportunity to get rid of her also by causing her to be accused of setting fire to the cottage. She knew that Haru would be blamed.
Reiko spent quite a bit of her time investigating the temple where Sano was blocked by his leaders. He was hesitant to look into the temple and was stopped. There were people in high places associated with the temple that didn't want it investigated. Reiko went with one of the most vocal protesters to a neighboring community to find that the people living there were frightened. They blamed the temple priests for poisoning their water and kidnapping their children. Some of the wives were also missing. Reiko convinced Sano to try and look into the temple activities and while he was working on trying to find a way, the leader of the protestors and his wife were murdered. Their children were missing. Sano began to believe there was something going on wrong within the temple but was afraid of losing his position. He went back to Haru and put her on trial. He scared her enough to where she admitted enough of what was happening in the temple to get permission to investigate it.
Sano and his people went to the temple and were attacked. The priests were unskilled but relentless. The nuns were also attacking Sano's people and they were caught by surprise. Reiko was there and Haru escaped. She was there to show Sano where some of the underground tunnels were being built by the people living in the temple. Reiko's best friend, Midori, had volunteered to spy in the temple to get the attention of Sano's assistant, Hirata, that she was in love with. She was in trouble and they were all scared she would get hurt. Hirata realized that he was in love with Midori and had to save her. Haru got to where Anraku, the doctor, Junketsu-in, and Anraku's body guard were in hiding. Midori had been given a sleeping potion and was lying on a table. Reiko ran into the room before the could kill Midori and killed the doctor with her sword. Anraku tried to get Haru to kill Reiko but she had been kind to her and she couldn't do it. Haru ended up in a trance and died with Anraku telling her that she had a demon inside her. Reiko killed Anraku to stop what he was doing to try and save Haru but she died anyway. Her husband and Hirata arrived and sliced open Kumashiro's leg. He and Junketsu-in, who was really named Iris, were both arrested and for their crimes were given the punishment, death by beheading.
Anraku and his followers were being trained to take over the town. They were going to begin an new order. The underground passages would be filled with people who would kill everyone who lived there. The doctor was trying to find a way to poison their water. Everyone who lived outside of the temple area would be killed and the temple leaders would have the power that they craved. Sano, with his people and through the discoveries made by his wife, stopped them.
Hirata talked with Midori and told her that he was in love with her.
Sano and Reiko reconciled, much to the relief of Reiko and her father.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 6th book in the series, and Rowland is still going strong. Sure, a lot of her storytelling elements have become quite familiar and predictable by now, but she always further develops the characters in ways that continually change the dynamics of her novels. The plot of this book is probably her simplest in the series to date, but the question of whether the little girl at the heart of the story is guilty or innocent is quite compelling and the answer difficult to guess. Like with most of her books, the resolution is a little too pat, and the bad guy(s) confess far too readily, but the rich historical detail throughout makes it easy to overlook occasional moments of cheesiness. It is impossible to explain the plot of this book to someone ("A married samurai couple in feudal Japan solves the mystery of a Buddhist death cult...sort of like Charlie Chan meets James Clavell meets Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, only sexier, and with a feminine touch.") without making it sound like a second-rate exploitation flick, but that's not the impression you get when you read it. The way that the married detective couple are constantly at odds with each other regarding the case adds a lot of dramatic weight, and the birth of their son has me wondering what role he will play in future adventures.

[Tocotin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh oh! This book was painful! I love the Sano series for its charming cheesiness, eager-to-please fake Japanese scenery and, last but not least, the occasional m/m action, but this!... Just awful.

First, there was no Chamberlain Yanagisawa (wtf? it's not like he needed some days off), so the slash factor was out. Second, the cheese was just too rotten: an evil Buddhist-like cult (without a single Buddhist characteristic) out to gain power in all of Japan, complete with orgies, tortures, brainwashing AND a clandestine brothel AND boiling people alive with no apparent reason (Clavell much?), oh and a charismatic and EBIL main leader with his EBIL cardboard minions. Also, the plot was so slow and insipid and uninteresting that the cheese only made the stink worse (yeah I'm rambling I know). Third, the fake Japanese scenery was so fake it was annoying. No shogun with so evident lack of brains and such a stupid mother would last more than five minutes. Court ladies mingling freely with court officials, the question of "social climbing" and people hugging each other at every possible moment... oh how I have suffered.

Let's hope my next helping of my lol-Oriental literature will be better. Ah, what can I say? I'm addicted to this stuff.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite disappointed by this book. I thought it would be an interesting piece of historical fiction- a mystery embedded in ancient Japan. Yet the history was, to my understanding, shaky, the writing mediocre at best, and the plot was abysmal. Granted, part of the problem could be that I started this series midway, and I may end up giving it another shot with another book, but there really is no forgiving a mystery about a giant sadomasochistic Buddhist sex cult's plot to take over Japan. Characters were thin, annoying stereotypes, and the whole plot seemed to be built around one or two highly dramatic and overdone scenes. The book's villains were particularly annoying, and seemed stolen whole from bad action movies. The worst was the painfully bad descriptions of sex violence, which were fairly sickening and contributed nothing to the book. It was, at least, fast paced- again, something like a bad action movie.

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry to say, I've read the last of these mysteries though I enjoyed the first two of the series a lot. For this reader this book, like The Concubine's Tatoo, continued to be too violent, sadistic, and sexually perverse. Not my cup of tea.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was better than "The Concubine's Tattoo," not as good as "The Samurai's Wife." Again, Rowland has opted to include gratuitous sex scenes that do not enhance the mystery or story-telling, so once again I am unsure if I will finish the series.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sixth adventure for Sano Ichiro takes us into a religious compound, a prominent one frequented by the ruling Tokugawas. Here, not all is at it seems and no one can be trusted. This is the lesson that both Sano and Reiko must learn if they are to solve the mystery.

With today's political climate being what it is and conspiracy theories running rampant, Black Lotus feels more topical than the other novels in this series. There are times when it verges on the ridiculous hello orgies and illegal medical experiments, but overall, the motivations of the characters in this book are not too far off from what we might experience today.

Sano and Reiko meet Haru, a fifteen year old girl who was found at the scene of the crime but who lacks all knowledge of what happened. The couple finds themselves on opposing sides, only to drift further apart over the course of the novel, to the point where it becomes less about finding out the truth than it is about being 'right'. Reiko must prove her instincts and constantly assert that she is capable despite having taken a hiatus from sleuthing due to having their first child. Meanwhile, Sano is determined to keep his job and his head, and so is more willing to settle for a version of the truth, thus compromising his honor and principles.

The relationship between Reiko and Sano was the most interesting part of the novel. Rowland did a great job illustrating how the case preyed on their insecurities and pitted their strengths against one another. The mystery itself wasn't very compelling. About halfway through the novel, it's pretty clear what's going on, and the mystery loses its appeal. It's still interesting, but I was waiting for it to be over.

The supporting cast was rather bland in this story. The entire time, Midori moons over Hirata while he has an inflated sense of ego, which is told more than shown. Gone is the brave but troubled little girl from Shinju and in her place is a typical teenager. If readers jumped in at this point, they would have no idea that Midori had such a harrowing introduction. At one point, she tries to spy on the Black Lotus with near disastrous results, which honestly surprised me since Midori was such an asset to the investigation in the first book. I was also surprised that she felt no qualms about pretending to enter a religious order considering she was forced to be a nun to get her out of the way.

Overall, this is still a worthy entry in the Sano Ichiro series. Insightful, evocative, and gripping, Rowland spins a convincing tale of 17th century Japan that can't be ignored.

[Gintautas Ivanickas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kaip ir anksčiau - vis dar istorinis detektyvas XVII amžiaus Japonijos fone. Būtų keista, jei būtų kitaip, ane? Nors siogūno diktatūros viršūnėlė - grynai Stalino artimiausia aplinka - skorpionai stiklainyje. Tik pats valdytojas - toli gražu ne ūsuotasis švilis.
O ir sekta, aplink kurią sukasi veiksmas - atmesk dekoracijas ir gausi neretą nūdienos religinę fanatikų grupuotę.
Ber romaną žudo bukumas. Iš pradžių buki abu - ir Sano ir jo žmona, kuri vis įlenda į jo tyrimą. Paskui bukas tik kažkuris vienas. Paskui kitas.
Ir klišės, klišės, klišės...
Ko verta vien finalinė scena, kai sekdami holivudinių blokbasterių pavyzdžiu, blogiukai šneka, šneka, šneka... ir galiausiai praleidžia progą triumfuoti.
Vos vos trys iš penkių. Bet pabandysiu dar grįžti prie Sano - vis tik pirma knyga serijoje, kuri nuvylė.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another exciting chapter in the career of Sano Ichiro. He is now the sosakan-sama, chief investigator for the imperial shogun, married with an 18-mo. old son. When a fire breaks out in the Black Lotus temple compound, he finds the only witness unable to recall what happened. In the burned cottage, they find 3 bodies. The coroner discovers that they were killed before the fire was set. It appears that his witness must have set the fire after murdering the three but he needs his wife, Reiko, to get her to recall details of the murder. Reiko believes Haru to be innocent. When she sets out to prove her innocence, she is at odds with her husband, Sano.
How believable is Haru? Reiko hears of many evils committed by the Black Lotus sect but Sano counters all of them and neither can find proof that there is any evil-doing.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery, and the conflict between Sano and Reiko as they find themselves on differing sides in the investigation, kept getting sidetracked by detailed visits in the antagonists' heads and glimpses of the weird rituals of the Black Lotus cult. Again, I like these books for the historical detail, and it continues to bother me that every book has some degree of coerced or unhealthy sexual contact in them. Not bothered enough to stop reading, not yet, but it's definitely noticeable.

Trigger warnings--the leader of Black Lotus casually uses female cult members for sex, one antagonist gets aroused by killing, one character gets raped more than once, and another is coerced (drugs) into sex and horrified when she comes to and realizes what's happened.

[Christie · Rating 1 out of 5]

A star for the Haru plot twists and half a star for the setting, which doesn't feel all that realistic but was at least an attempt to be interesting. Unfortunately the solution to the mystery is revealed halfway through and the criminal antics of the Black Lotus sect are just too myriad and outlandish to be believed. Warning:. Contains descriptions of rape and incest that may be triggering. I won't be reading this series again.

[Mililani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fast paced novel featuring Sano, Ichiro and his blossoming detective wife. In trying to find out the murderers of three people, things involving governmental and religious politics become complicated. The husband and wife duo fight over whose definition of justice is the correct one. A battle of wills.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black Lotus is obviously a book in a series, and not knowing the background of the characters, is difficult to follow at times. There is a lot of activity and political intrigue that is complicated and very different from what we know now. And a lot of anguish and heartache that seems overly dramatic. However, I did enjoy much of the book.

[Nicholas Keene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read and series, at least in the beginning, was quite good.

Set in Japan, pre Meiji era, you follow a samurai detective and his wife, court politics, and a rich world. I recommend the first set of books to anyone that likes mysteries and samurais.

[Dan Blackley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another sano ichiro detective book. The writing is very dense. Not in a bad way. Rowland describes the story in great detail. I enjoy the way she sets the time period and the mystery during the 17th century Japan.

This is the sixth book in the series.

[Katrina Neufeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyment ⭐⭐
Writing ⭐⭐⭐
Characters ⭐⭐
Plot ⭐⭐
I understand this book was written in a different time but the casual use of sexual violence, rape, and even incestual rape of a child was alarming.
The mystery was solved by all the villains gathered in one room explaining their evil deeds.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good. I enjoy a good story about a death cult making their move. The family drama was super stressful, and very seldom do I feel as conflicted about a character as I did Haru. Truly a very well written tragic character.

[Christopher Ruz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painfully boring prose and a plot that only works when several characters pass the idiot ball.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Gill Walshe · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite so far.

[Katheyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

TBA

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent detective story. I have to admit I like this series more with every book.

[Michael Wojciehoski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Occult, betrayals and sedition.