The Cloud Pavilion

A samurai hero must mend old family fissures while searching for the culprit who has kidnapped and disgraced his cousin in this mystery set in feudal Japan, from the author of The Fire Kimono.

“Masterful. . . . Established fans will be pleased by how Rowland has developed Sano's son, Masahiro, along with other secondary characters they have become attached to, while newcomers should find the people, plot and early 18th-century Japanese setting hard to resist.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Japan, 1701. A woman is brutally attacked amid a swirling storm of clouds. 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.