Laura Joh Rowland is the award-winning author of the samurai detective Sano Ichiro mystery series set in 17th century Japan, as well as a historical suspense series starring Charlotte Bronte. Her work has been published in 21 countries; nominated for the Anthony Award, the Hammett Prize, and the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award; won RT Magazine's Reader's Choice Award; and been included in the Wall Street Journal's list of the five best historical mystery novels. Laura holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan. She is a former aerospace scientist, a painter, and a cartoonist. She lives in New York City with her husband Marty. This is her third Victorian mystery.
Praise for The Hangman's Secret:
"With delectably gruesome details, rapid-fire dialogue, an
unpredictable plot, and well-developed characters, this top-notch
third installment is sure to please fans of Carol McCleary's Nellie
Bly and Rhys Bowen's Molly Murphy. Or, to put it another way, think
Phryne Fisher meets Constance Kopp in Anne Perry’s London."
—Booklist
"Rowland's engaging team of sleuths and a colorful rogues' gallery
of suspects make her third Victorian mystery a genuine
page-turner."
—Kirkus Reviews
"[Rowland] hits her stride in her third mystery featuring
photographer Sarah Bain."
—Publishers Weekly
“Rowland definitely picks up the pace and crispness...A delightful
and suspenseful page-turner that is both engaging and keeps readers
guessing.”
—Historical Novels Review
"The author does a fine job of recreating Victorian London
physically and culturally. She captures the various London
inhabitants very well."
—Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine
Praise for A Mortal Likeness:
“A winning team of outsider heroes and a colorful first-person
narrative.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Interesting...Rowland has a certain gift for bringing places in
the novel to life. It’s easy to immerse myself in her stories, and
I feel as if I’m there.”
—Tulsa Book Review
Praise for The Ripper’s Shadow:
"The whopper of all serial killers, Jack the Ripper, like fire, is
to be handled with care, and luckily Rowland knows just how to do
it, putting a new twist on old tropes with her witty sleuth, while
never sacrificing historical integrity."
—Library Journal starred review
“There are so many fine things about this novel that it’s difficult
to enumerate them all. The characters are beautifully drawn; the
dialogue sparkles; the setting is vividly rendered...This is sure
to delight followers of Ripper-themed fiction and all who cherish
Victorian-era mysteries.”
—Booklist starred review
“Close calls, a surprise ending, and the suggestion of further
adventures...Rowland has assembled an appealingly ragtag collection
of amateur sleuths and keeps the suspense high.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“This is one author who should be given an A+ for a new take on a
very old subject. From the brilliant, unique characters to the
frightening fog filling London’s alleys, this is one tale you will
not want to put down.”
—Suspense Magazine
"Attention to atmospheric detail, original characterizations, and
escalating conflict...This is a fresh, modern take on the streets
that produced a murderer 'From Hell.'"
—Strand Magazine
"[Rowland's] wildly diverse cast...brings a special focus on the
forgotten and ignored of Victorian society, and provides a fresh,
and refreshing, point of view to the otherwise morbid
proceedings."
—Mystery Scene Magazine
"Easily one of the best things I’ve read all year... This is a
vivid, enjoyable novel with a likable cast of characters and plenty
of intrigue and suspense... I’m keen to see what Sarah Bain gets up
to next."
—Ripperologist Magazine
“Great detail is given into the personalities and look of each
actual historical victim, therefore easily blending actual history
into a believable historical mystery...This book is a good
beginning into what looks like a great new series with a female
protagonist.”
—PCA Mystery & Detective Fiction Reading List, Winter 2017, 4.5
stars
“Laura Joh Rowland reinvents the story of Jack the Ripper in a
wholly unexpected way. Gritty, imaginative, and full of nail-biting
suspense, The Ripper’s Shadow is a triumph.”
—Tasha Alexander, NYT bestselling author of A Terrible Beauty
"Please let this be the start of a series. I went into The Ripper's
Shadow wondering if I could care about another Jack the Ripper
novel, and emerged at the end of it thrilled, off-balance, and
astonished at how Laura Joh Rowland was able to bring Victorian
England into such vivid life, and a story we all know into new
relief. This is a fantastic read."
—Charles Finch, bestselling author of The Inheritance
“Laura Joh Rowland has penned an imaginative, chilling
reinterpretation of Jack the Ripper’s bloody reign of terror. A
dark, seductive peek into the dangerous underbelly of Victorian
London.”
—C. S. Harris, bestselling author of the Sebastian St. Cyr
mysteries
“Tense, pacy and compelling; Laura Joh Rowland commands empathy for
the Ripper’s victims and sincere affections for her
characters.”
—Stephen Gallagher, critically-acclaimed author of The Kingdom of
Bones and The Bedlam Detective
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