by J. A. Jance
Part of J.P. Beaumont, book 7
First published 1989
Seattle detective J.P. Beaumont arrives at a bloody crime scene where software magnate Tadeo Kurobashi lies dead, clutching a samurai sword. The wealthy Japanese businessman appeared to have committed seppuku, the ritual suicide of ancient warriors. Kurobashi had cultivated many interests during his life: computers, poetry, financial success, and the traditions of the samurai. The ritual death seems to fit his passions perfectly. But Beaumont notices something wrong with the scene. Critical mistakes mar the ceremony, errors that someone knowledgeable about samurai customs would never make. The detective realizes Kurobashi did not orchestrate his own death. Someone else arranged this elaborate staging to hide a calculated murder. Beaumont must navigate the complexities of Japanese culture and Seattle's tech industry to uncover who killed Kurobashi and why they chose such an elaborate method to conceal their crime.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: elaborate-crime, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Seattle
Period: Contemporary
384 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Avon