Rating: 
Summary: Office politics and the way of the Samuri
Review: Ever been set up by a middle manager that wants to make you look bad to make himself look better? Well imagine that the consequence is beheading instead of a write up. That's what the hero face in this exploration of predjudice, paranoia and murder. Fun story, good detective work and good action spice up this book of value exploration.
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Summary: Sheer melodrama, lacks power of others in series
Review: I was very impressed by Rowland's work after reading The Concubine's Tattoo. I felt she had a real knack for drawing complex characters with believable motivations. I was completely drawn into the world she portrays, and I found Sano an interesting character with some very believable problems. My one criticism of the novel was its melodramatic ending. Then I read Shinju and had much the same reaction. But The Way of the Traitor is melodrama through and through, unredeemed by any of the depth of feeling that marks the others. The author's attempts to flesh out her characters by the use of flashbacks to their earlier lives fails badly, and the plot is like something out of Enid Blyton, with mysterious lights and smuggler's coves. By the time I got to the last couple of chapters I no longer cared about any of it, least of all who the guilty parties were.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Just didn't do anything for me. The "mystery" was transparent, the characters cardboard.
Rating:
Summary: The Way of the Writer
Review: Laura Joh Rowland has me hooked on 17th century detective, Sano Ichiro. While telling an intricate tale of murder, treason and political intrigue, she has deviously educated me in the ways of feudal Japan. The rich tapastry she lays out will keep your mind awashed in a temporal painting of your mind. This book is a page turner. I literally could not put it down. I had to know what would happen in the next paragraph, the next page, the next chapter . . . and now that I've finished, the next book. I'm truly sorry I did not become aquanted with Sano Ichiro earlier but I plan on picking up the previous two books in the series Shinju and Bundori. GREAT READING!
Rating:
Summary: The Way of the Writer
Review: Laura Joh Rowland has me hooked on 17th century detective, Sano Ichiro. While telling an intricate tale of murder, treason and political intrigue, she has deviously educated me in the ways of feudal Japan. The rich tapastry she lays out will keep your mind awashed in a temporal painting of your mind. This book is a page turner. I literally could not put it down. I had to know what would happen in the next paragraph, the next page, the next chapter . . . and now that I've finished, the next book. I'm truly sorry I did not become aquanted with Sano Ichiro earlier but I plan on picking up the previous two books in the series Shinju and Bundori. GREAT READING!
Rating: 
Summary: Hail to the Sosakan-sama!
Review: Of the three Samurai mysteries I've read so far, this is the most satisfying. It is amazing how one can put familiar, tried-and-true mystery plot elements into a fresh historical setting and make it that much more interesting. By toning down on the tawdry, deviant erotica and developing her supporting characters more (i.e. Hirata), Ms. Rowland has made her story more "mainstream" when compared to her two earlier novels. If you're looking for a quick read over the weekend, this book is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Hail to the Sosakan-sama!
Review: Of the three Samurai mysteries I've read so far, this is the most satisfying. It is amazing how one can put familiar, tried-and-true mystery plot elements into a fresh historical setting and make it that much more interesting. By toning down on the tawdry, deviant erotica and developing her supporting characters more (i.e. Hirata), Ms. Rowland has made her story more "mainstream" when compared to her two earlier novels. If you're looking for a quick read over the weekend, this book is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: suspenful foreplay
Review: Sano is a detective who is torn between a world, which is attempting to maintain its identity and at the same time deal with modernity. Sano's character embodies the conflicts between these two worlds, however, his true master is the quest for the truth. Similar to the Shinju, Rowland's earlier book, Sano has to overcome overwhelming odds in order to solve a murder however this time finds himself uncovering governmental corruption. Rowland has mastered the art of historical accuracy and suspenseful foreplay.
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Summary: Filthy Gaijin!
Review: The third in the Japanese historical series, this one takes Sano Ichiro from Edo to Nagasaki on an inspection. It's 1690 and Nagasaki is the one place where barbarian traders (the Dutch East India Co.) are permitted to come and trade. Sano is quickly embroiled in investigating the death of the head of the Dutch trade mission, which spins off into smuggling and possibly an illegal Christian underground. As usually, there is a lot of interesting history and social custom imparted in the course of the whodunit, which is good, 'cause Sano's inner conflict and the actual mystery aren't all that compelling in and of themselves.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read
Review: The Way of the Traitor was okay. It had it's twists and turns and the suspense, but it lacked the punch that I liked in Rowland's previous book Bundori. The main character, Sano, had to leave Edo so none of the characters whom I loved to loathe wasn't in this book. Also, I wanted the author to have done more with the sidekick, Hirata. Overall, I love the "history lesson" that Ms. Rowland gives and her writing style makes me feel like I am watching a movie because she is so descriptive.
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