''Shinjū'' (1994) is the title of the

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

by American writer

Laura Joh Rowland Laura Joh Rowland is an American detective/mystery author best known for her series of historical mystery novels featuring protagonist set in feudal Japan, mostly in Edo during the late 17th century. She is also the author of two other histo ...

, a

historical mystery The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves t ...

set in 1689 ''

Genroku was a after Jōkyō and before Hōei. The Genroku period spanned the years from the ninth month of 1688 to the third month of 1704. The reigning emperor was .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du japon'', p. 415. The period was ...

-''era Japan. It is the first in Rowland's Sano Ichirō series. The plot follow Sano, a ''

yoriki were members of the ''samurai'' class of feudal Japan. ''Yoriki'' literally means ''helper'' (ru - помощник) or ''assistant'' (ru - ассистент). Description and history ''Yoriki'' assisted ''daimyō'' (feudal lords) or their desig ...

'' (a lower-ranking police officer) as he investigates a double murder disguised as a lovers' suicide, and in the process, uncovers a plot to assassinate ''

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was the fifth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, as well as the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.Nussbaum, Louis-Fr ...

References

Historical mystery novels 1994 novels Fiction set in 1689 Novels set in Japan Novels set in the 17th century 1994 debut novels Japan in non-Japanese culture {{1990s-hist-novel-stub