First published 2021
Umiko Wada wants nothing more than quiet paperwork and coffee runs. Her husband's recent murder brought enough chaos to her life, and her pushy mother keeps pressuring her to remarry. Working as a secretary to a private detective in Japan suits her perfectly. She manages schedules, files reports, and stays safely behind the scenes. Then her boss takes on a new case that gets him killed. Wada finds herself holding the only remaining clue, which leads straight to London. She has never left Japan before, but the investigation pulls her across the world. Playing detective proves far more difficult than television suggested. The secrets she uncovers have stayed buried for good reason. Someone killed to protect them once already. They will kill again to keep them hidden. Wada discovers that some cases demand more than filing skills and organizational talent. They require courage she never knew she possessed.
Genres: fiction, mystery, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Japan, London
Period: contemporary
384 pages · Paperback · Corgi