Sano Ichiro’s wedding to Ueda Reiko is interrupted by the death of Lady Harume, a favoured concubine of the shogun. The apparent cause is poison introduced through an intimate tattoo, forcing Sano into the secluded women’s quarters of Edo Castle, where rank, jealousy and secrecy govern every conversation.
While Sano investigates Harume’s lovers, rivals and troubled past, Reiko refuses to remain merely an obedient bride. Their first case as a married couple tests trust as well as investigative skill. The killer’s identity is bound to court factions whose protection depends on controlling what the shogun learns.
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