A gripping tale of hatred, lies, and deadly tradition featuring Seattle detective J.P. Beaumont.

The blood at the scene belies any suggestion of an "honorable death." Yet, to the eyes of the Seattle police, a successful Japanese software magnate died exactly as he wished-and by his own hand, according to the ancient rite of seppuku. Homicide Detective J.P. Beaumont can't dismiss what he sees as an elaborate suicide, however, not when something about it makes his flesh crawl. Because small errors in the ritual suggest something darker: a killer who will go to extraordinary lengths to escape detection-a fiend with a less traditional passion . . . for cold-blooded murder.