The Iris Fan

This is the 18th volume, last volume in the Sano Ichiro series. Sano is a detective in medieval Japan. The series begins when Sano is young, single, just starting out on his up and down career. The author, Laura Joh Rowland is an expert on medieval Japan. One of the main attractions for me in this series is her descriptions of the life, of the society and the culture of Japan during the late 17th and early 18th century. The story lines are complex and there is political intrigue with switching alliances where enemies become friends and then become enemies again. If you read the series begin with the earliest volume you can find and read them in the order they were written as each builds on the other.

Here is one review from Goodreads:

"Laura Joh Rowland's final piece to the Sano Ichiro series is emotionally overwhelming. I have invested so much in the characters after reading all 18 books of the series and found it hard to say goodbye. The pages are filled with subtle nods towards the other books of the series, which pulled at my heartstrings as I remembered the previous adventures and wondered at how much the circumstances and times have changed."

"In short, this book made me feel like I was saying goodbye to a dear friend. You may want to stay and reminisce or have other good times together, but you both know that it is time to say goodbye."

Here is the list of the books in this series in the order they were written. Enjoy!

1. Shinjū (ISBN 978-0-06-100950-1, 1994, Random House)
2. Bundori (ISBN 0-7472-1717-3, 1996, HarperTorch)
3. The Way of the Traitor (ISBN 0-06-101090-1,1997, Headline Feature)
4. The Concubine's Tattoo (ISBN 0-312-19252-5, December 1998, St. Martin's Press)
5. The Samurai's Wife (ISBN 0-312-20325-X, May 2000, St. Martin's Press)
6. Black Lotus (ISBN 0-312-26872-6, April 2001, St. Martin's Press)
7. The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria (ISBN 0-312-28262-1, April 2002, St. Martin's Press)
8. The Dragon King's Palace (ISBN 0-312-28266-4, April 2003, St. Martin's Press)
9. The Perfumed Sleeve (ISBN 0-312-31889-8, April 2004, St. Martin's Minotaur)
10. The Assassin's Touch (ISBN 0-312-31900-2, August 2005, St. Martin's Press)
11. The Red Chrysanthemum (ISBN 0-312-35532-7, November 2006, St. Martin's Press)
12. The Snow Empress (ISBN 0-312-36542-X, October 30, 2007, St. Martin's Minotaur)
13. The Fire Kimono (ISBN 0-312-37948-X, November 11, 2008, St. Martin's Minotaur)
14. The Cloud Pavilion (ISBN 0-312-37949-8, October 27, 2009, Minotaur Books)
15. The Ronin's Mistress (ISBN 0-312-65852-4, September 13, 2011, Minotaur Books)
16. The Incense Game (ISBN 9780312658533, September 18, 2012, Minotaur Books)
17. The Shogun's Daughter (ISBN 9781250028617, September 17, 2013, St. Martin's Press)
18. The Iris Fan: A Novel of Feudal Japan (ISBN 9781250047069, December 9, 2014, St. Martin's Press)