Japan, 1704. In an elegant mansion a young woman named Tsuruhime lies on her deathbed. The death of the Shogun's daughter has immediate consequences on his regime. Faced with his own mortality and beset by troubles, he names as his heir Yoshisato, the seventeen-year-old son he only recently discovered was his. Until five months ago, Yoshisato was raised as the illegitimate son of Yanagisawa, the shogun's favorite advisor. Yanagisawa is also the longtime...

1699 Japan. Their son kidnapped by dangerous rivals jealous over his influence in the shogun's court, Sano and his wife search desperately for the boy.

In 1698 Japan, samurai detective Sano Ichiro finds his role as the shogun's trusted advisor threatened when the shogun's heir, Lord Mori, is found murdered, with Sano's pregnant wife, Reiko, lying beside him, naked and covered in blood.

Far from the Shogun's court at Edo, Most Honorable Investigator Sano Ichiro begins the most challenging case of his career. 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. A high Kyoto official is the victim. Treading carefully through a web of spies, political intrigue,...