THE MULTI-AWARD-WINNING JAPANESE HISTORICAL THRILLERWinner of the 12th Futano Yamada Award The first book in Japan to win first place in the four major Japanese mystery categories. Winter, 1578. Lord Araki Murashige, once considered a hero of the age, has betrayed his oldest ally and barricaded himself in Arioka Castle. But a string of strange incidents within the castle walls have rendered him helpless. The desperate warlord''s only hope in solving these mysteries is imprisoned in the castle''s dungeon: a man named Kuroda Kanbei, one of his enemy''s most gifted strategists. But if these two men are to work together, what will they gain, and what of their humanity might they lose? Award-winning author Honobu Yonezawa''s English-language debut is an unforgettable and page-turning blend of historical and detective fiction.