by Robert Crais
Part of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, book 2
First published 1999
Elvis Cole faces a problem. Bradley Warren has lost a thirteenth-century Japanese manuscript called the Hagakure. The manuscript belongs to someone else, and that someone else wants it back. Cole's knowledge of Japanese culture comes entirely from reading Shogun, but he knows plenty about criminals. His partner Joe Pike fills in the gaps Cole cannot cover. Their investigation leads them into Little Tokyo, where the Yakuza operates from the shadows. The Japanese mafia does not welcome outsiders asking questions about stolen artifacts. Cole and Pike find themselves pulled into a violent world of sexual obsession and murder. The case spirals beyond a simple theft recovery. Bodies start dropping as competing interests clash over the ancient text. Cole must navigate between dangerous criminals while racing to recover the manuscript. The streets of Los Angeles become a battlefield where one wrong move means death. For Cole, this represents just another case, but the stakes keep climbing higher than he anticipated.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Little Tokyo, Los Angeles
Period: 13th Century
260 pages · Paperback · Orion Books
Content warnings: violence