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    The Incense Game: A Novel of Feudal Japan
    Unavailable
    The Incense Game: A Novel of Feudal Japan
    Unavailable
    The Incense Game: A Novel of Feudal Japan
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Incense Game: A Novel of Feudal Japan

    Written by Laura Joh Rowland

    Narrated by Bernadette Dunne

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In the wake of a terrifying earthquake, Sano Ichiro races to solve a crime that could bring down the shogun's regime. When a massive earthquake devastates Japan in 1703, even the shogun's carefully regulated court is left teetering on the brink of chaos. This is no time for a murder investigation - except when a nobleman's daughters are found dead from incense poisoning and their father threatens to topple the regime unless Sano Ichiro tracks down the killer. As Sano and his wife strive to solve the case in a world that is crumbling around them, Laura Joh Rowland - author of one of the "five best historical mystery novels" (The Wall Street Journal) - brings us her most powerful and evocative thriller yet.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media Audio
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781624060038
    Unavailable
    The Incense Game: A Novel of Feudal Japan
    Author

    Laura Joh Rowland

    LAURA JOH ROWLAND is the author of the Sano Ichiro mysteries (Shinju, Bundori, and The Way of the Traitor), 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.

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    Reviews for The Incense Game

    4.5/5

    9 ratings7 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Just reread this one since Rowland is one of my favorite authors. Even though I knew what was going to happen, it was still a page turner. That's a great book to me.
    • 5/5
      Laura Joh Rowland takes us again to Japan in the the Edo period (17th century) in her noir historical detective mystery series. Our chief crime investigator is Sano Ichiro, a samurai tasked by the Japanese shogun to find the Bundori Killer who is responsible for a series of murders. The murderer displays the head of his victims in a ritualistic (Bundori) manner. Sano has to find out the motivations for the killings in order to explain the Bundori ritual, and that will in turn lead to discovering the perpetrator.Sano is an upright and honest man who does his best to bring honor to his family and to follow the path of the samurai warrior, known as Bushido, in the face of tremendous odds. He is given a five-day limit to find the killer, and failure to do so will lead to certain dishonor. He is beset on all sides by those who attempt to thwart him, most especially the shogun’s retainer, Yanagisawa, who will do anything he can to bring about Sano’s downfall. Sano is assigned a medium from the local temple, Aoi, to help him. She turns out to be much more than he could ever have imaged. He also acquires his own retainer, Hirata, a young man who quickly proves his worthiness. Sano is able to determine, with help from some close colleagues, that there are only four suspects. One of them is particularly troublesome because identifying and punishing him will ultimately lead to Sano’s death.The stakes are high in this mystery. The suspense is constant, and toward the end of the book, intense. There are some disturbing scenes of violence, in particular one involving a young boy. All this occurs in the context of an historical period in which Rowland manages to describe in accurate and rich detail. She calls upon all the senses, enabling us to experience Japan at this turbulent time. Her writing is very cinematic as well as intriguing and suspenseful. It is an enjoyable read for mystery-suspense lovers. I look forward to the next Sano Ichiro mystery.
    • 5/5
      The setting of this book is historical, and one that I am familiar with: the Tokugawa Shogunate at Edo in Japan, 1689. There are now (2014) 18 titles in this popular series spanning 1689 to 1709. The historical and cultural setting is richly and authentically described. I began with the second in the series as my library does not have the first available. There are references in this title to the events in the first book.As the number of victims of the Bundori Killer mounts various districts of the capital go into panic and there are fires and vigilantes and the Shogun gives Sano four days to find the killer or face exile himself. Sano constantly reminds himself of the promise he made to his dying father to bring the family name into a position of honour, but for a while it looks as if he will only achieve disgrace.The Shogun, Tsunayoshi Tokugawa, relies heavily on his Chamberlain Yanagisawa who seems determined to point out Sano's failures. Readers of modern day police procedurals may well reflect that nothing much has changed.An enjoyable and satisfying read.
    • 3/5
      When bumma was in the Hospice Center, where cancer finally claimed her June 28, I was at her bedside reading. The Hospice Center had a wonderful abundance of books, so when I'd finish mine, I'd exchange it for one on the book exchange shelf. This was one such book. I register and release it in bumma's memory and in her honor. She was the one who instilled my love of reading and of books. She was a fantastic mom and I miss her. I like this series a lot and have read several in it. One of my University degrees is in Asian Studies, and the details here delighted me.
    • 4/5
      Bundori, by Laura Joh Rowland, is a slow moving detective story set in 17th Century feudal Japan. Sano Ichiro, the main character, succeeds not through brilliant leaps of logic but through doggedly pursuing all leads. At times, he seems to succeed almost in spite of himself.What I found more interesting that the detective story was Rowland’s depiction of the time period. Wealth did bring a certain degree of influence, but it did not control the real power, the Samurai class. Yet, the Samurai were not all glory either. This time period was more like our Wild West: out of work warriors frequently took to being swords for hire. They did have a strict code of honor, and that code becomes corrupt for some. That is the basis for the plot.Not rich enough in historical personages to really be historical fiction, the book may best be described as a period piece with a mystery twist. Overall it was enjoyable makes for some light reading; three and a half stars.
    • 4/5
      This is the second book in this mystery series by Laura Joh Rowland. Set in 17th century feudal Japan, we follow along with Sano Ichiro as he, at the shogun’s request, investigates a series of beheadings . After the killer decapitates his victims, he mounts the heads and leaves them on display as a “Bundori” or war trophy. The young samurai has pledged to follow the way of “Bushido”, a samurai code of honour, and he is determined to solve these murders. He is very much the outsider at the Shogun’s court and unfortunately the petty jealousies and court intrigues that swirl around him makes honour difficult to hold onto.This is an excellent historical mystery series. Laura Joh Rowland gives us both a good, suspenseful read and an added bonus of lots of historical details about Japan in the 17th century. I enjoyed Bundori and look forward to the next book in this series.
    • 4/5
      Bundori, the second book in the Sano Ichirō series, finds our hero ensconced in Edo Castle as the Shogun’s ‘Most Honourable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People’. Despite this increase in fortune, the death of his father and the fact that there is little to do in this role of sōsakan-sama makes Sano lonely and unhappy. The murder of a loyal vassal to the Shogun and the nature of the crime - the head is mounted as a trophy, a Bundori, a tradition of war but not in times of peace - offers work for Sano, a way to fulfil his dying father’s wish and to cement his standing in society. The first death is quickly linked to a previous case and after another Bundori murder, the fear and reaction of the populace pushes Sano to try to apprehend the killer fast.The investigation of this murder again allows the author to carry the reader to a far distant past, and with the same aplomb as her first story, the life of 17th century Japan is brightly portrayed across the pages. With the help and hindrance of the castle’s inhabitants Sano must unravel past occurrences to determine the whys and wherefores behind the murders while avoiding his own demise. Threatened early in his investigation, mourning the loss of his father and losing his social status through the intrigues of powerful enemies, Sano diligently and doggedly applies himself to the task taking the reader on a journey through the history, social mores and etiquette of the times. Detective work is very different in medieval Japan, though corrupt officials, fawning sycophants, intelligent archivists, diligent researchers, shadowy ‘ninja’ abilities of deduction and political machinations would all find a place today. I was unsure who the true murderer was until close to the end of this book and, hence, was entertained throughout. I got very frustrated with Sano as he clung to Bushido: the Way of the Warrior despite the adverse effects on his quest for the truth; but this is what the author was trying to convey - and she succeeded splendidly as I longed for this century’s logic to prevail. I savoured learning more of the history behind the story and the lives of the people in that age. I wouldn't want to live in that time but I delighted in reading about it.