Laura Joh Rowland

In 1690 Nagasaki, the body of a Dutch trader washes up on the coast where foreign "barbarians" are lodged and guarded. Japan's preeminent detective-samurai, Sano Ichiro, risks his honor and his life to find the killer.

Sano Ichiro, special investigator to the shogun, discovers that he needs the help of his new wife Reiko more than ever after he finds himself embroiled in a case involving a sinister murderer.