The Concubine's Tattoo is the fourth in a series of historical mystery novels by American writer Laura Joh Rowland set in late 17th-century Genroku-era Japan featuring the samurai investigator Sano Ichirō.

But the reviewer found "The book suffers, as Rowland's previous novels have, from a common hazard of historical mysteries: the pace is weighed down by the very details with which the author so painstakingly bedecks her narrative."

Despite that, the conclusion was "Rowland's understanding of the society she depicts shines through, and she succeeds in presenting Sano as an intriguing combination of wiliness and decency, making this a good bet for fans of historicals as well as of mysteries past.

Despite this, Stasio admitted "Sano Ichiro's new wife does a pretty job of spying in the palace quarters where the shogun's favorite concubine has been poisoned ingeniously, with the ink she mixed for a tattoo."

Stasio concluded, "Although some characters get lost in this panoply of settings, which include a puppet theater, a morgue and a martial arts academy, everyone (especially those who are not to be trusted) is beautifully dressed.