The samurai and the prisoner

The winter of 1578, four years prior to the Honnnoji Incident.

Araki Murashige has betrayed his ally Oda Nobunaga and holed himself up in Arioka Castle—but a string of strange incidents within the castle walls has him at his wits’ end.

The desperate warlord’s only hope in solving these mysteries is imprisoned in the castle’s dungeon: a man named Kuroda Kanbei, one of Oda’s most gifted strategists.

When all the conflict and intrigue reach their end, what will Murashige and Kuroda have up their sleeves?

Award-winning author Honobu Yonezawa’s latest novel is a page-turning blend of historical and detective fiction.