But as they soon discover, solving the case means more than their survival. Treading carefully through a web of spies, political intrigue, forbidden passions, and intricate plots, Sano and Reiko must struggle to stay ahead of the palace storm and outwit a cunning killer. Upon the insistence of his strong willed and beautiful wife Reiko, Sano arrives with her at the emperor’s palace to unmask the murderer who possesses the secret of kiai, ‘the spirit city,’ a powerful scream that can kill instantly. Amid the heightened tensions and political machinations of feudal Japan, Sano faces a daunting complex investigation.įar from the Shogun’s court at Edo, Most Honorable Investigator Sano Ichiro begins the most challenging case of his career. Sano is horrified at her unladylike behavior, and the resulting sparks make their budding love as exciting as they mystery surrounding Lady Harume’s death. To make matters worse, Reiko, his beautiful young bride, reveals herself to be not a traditional, obedient wife, but instead, a headstrong, intelligent, aspiring detective bent on helping Sano with his new case. After Sano traces the cause of Lady Harume’s death to a self inflicted tattoo, he must travel into the cloistered, forbidden world of the shogun’s women to untangle the complicated web of Harume’s lovers, rivals, and troubled past, and identify her killer. However, the death of the shogun’s favorite concubine interrupts the couple’s wedding ceremony and shatters any hopes the samurai detective had about enjoying a little peace with his new wife. He looks forward to the comforts that his arranged marriage promises: a private life with a sweet, submissive wife and a month’s holiday to celebrate their union.

Twenty months spent as the shogun’s sosakan sama most honorable investigator of events, situations, and people has left Sano Ichiro weary.

Aşk Peşinde by Laura Joh Rowland