When veteran samurai-detective Sano Ichiro, the Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations and People, is called on to investigate the burning of a cottage belonging to the Black Lotus Temple, he makes a shocking discovery. The three victims of the blaze did not die in the fire, but were brutally murdered before the fire even began.
With a triple homicide on his hands, Sano's search for a killer leads him to Haru, an orphan girl found at the scene of the crime. But Sano's wife, Reiko, investigating the case against Sano's wishes, is convinced of Haru's innocence.
Reiko's investigations lead her behind the walls of the Black Lotus Temple, where she discovers a sect involved in extortion, prostitution and hedonistic rituals. Could one of the sect's members be the killer? Now Reiko must risk her marriage to Sano in order to prove Haru's innocence . . .
Set in the luscious finery of the samurai court of medieval Japan, 'Black Lotus' is filled with shocking surprises and suspense and readers are once again allowed access into the world of Sano Ichiro.
