The Concubine's Tattoo (Sano Ichiro Series #4) Book

So. Rowland's books about Sano Ichiro the Edo-era detective are my guilty pleasure, because they are so cheesy it's charming. Reading them is like watching a cheap theatrical production: everything just reeks of cardboard and paint, but the actors are so serious and sweaty that it becomes fun to watch them.

There was not even one character behaving reasonably: neither Sano the shogun's investigator, nor his subordinates, his rival Chamberlain Yanagisawa, Sano's new wife Reiko (!), shogun's mother, her lover, no one. They were all stumbling in the dark. The whole plot was possible because everyone was so stupid: the supposed villain relying on his lover instead of his highly trained spies, the women longing after something to do, as if their daily life wasn't hectic enough, the shogun and his mother allowing hordes of men into the Great Interior of Edo Castle. Well. It was all needed in order for the story to happen.

What I liked about the book was the ability of the author to convey the atmosphere of a place with a few sentences. That's a considerable skill. Also, I liked m/m action (Yanagisawa and his actor lover). Other than that, nothing good can be said about the book, I guess. I don't know if anyone thinks that the historical details in it are accurate, and if someone does, then I can't help. One thing is probably worth mentioning: the poverty of Danzaemon the eta leader. No. Danzaemon is a hereditary name all leaders of the group inherited, and they were VERY rich.

Oh and Oka Basho is not a proper name. It's just a word for an unlicensed prostitute quarter, and Edo had dozens of these.