Rendezvous at Kamakura Inn: A Thriller (Thomas Dunne Books)
by Marshall Browne
Category: Fiction

Detective Inspector Hideo Aoki learns that his case against ex-Governor Tamaki—one that he has been building for months— has been dismantled. Rattled by this directive, his life begins to spiral out of control, fueled by his obsession over the case, heavy drinking, and several repercussions too close to home. In an effort to help the emotionally unstable Aoki, the police department sends him to a remote Japanese mountain retreat. What was supposed to be a relaxing stay for the recently suspended investigator instead becomes a hotbed of suspense. Soon, familiar faces, furtive glances, secret dinner conversations and lurking secrets make Aoki realize that the guests at the Kamakura Inn are not unrelated. It becomes clear that something beyond coincidence has put them together; politician, banker, suspended detective, and an elusive Go master who manipulates Aoki like his game board pieces. A sudden snowstorm traps the guests together just as Aoki begins to piece together each guest's connection to an unsolved disappearance years prior. With no communication to the outside world, or method of escape, the relaxing retreat becomes a maze of stone walls, a geisha's seduction, and bloody murders in the night. Before long, Aoki realizes that his investigation into ex-Governor Tamaki and the unsolved disappearance are part of a larger scheme. Now Aoki must survive the snowstorm and make the swift return to Tokyo to uncover a multitude of secrets, and return alone to the case against Tamaki. Even in Tokyo, the characters from the Kamakura Inn are players and Aoki once again must escape the web of deceit before it closes in around him. Rendezvous at Kamakura Inn is another thrilling tale crafted by the critically acclaimed author of Eye of the Abyss and the Inspector Anders series.