The Kizuna Coast

When a devastating earthquake rocks Japan's northeast cost, a tsunami follows and Rei Shimura is swept into her most rugged adventure yet.

The mystery begins with an SOS from Rei's friend, the antiques dealer Mr. Ishida, trapped among thousands of displaced and dead on the Tohoku coast. Rei rushes to Tokyo, where she discovers Ishida Antiques may have been burglarized.

Rei takes Mr. Ishida's abandoned dog, Hachiko, on a volunteer bus to the ravaged town of Sugihama. But Mr. Ishida's got more work for her, since he lost contact with his antiques apprentice Mayumi and is frantic with worry. He won't leave Sugihama without knowing the fate of the troubled 19-year-old girl from a famous lacquer-making family.

Calling on disaster survivors and volunteers--and her knowledge of Japanese manners and history--Rei investigates the suspicious disappearance. From Sugihama's muddy shops and shelters, to the buzzing bars and bathhouses of Tokyo, it's a suspenseful journey.

But as Rei draws closer to the truth, she realizes that she's being stalked. Who is following her--and can she survive the wave of danger she never saw coming?

THE KIZUNA COAST is the latest novel in a sexy, smart and humorous mystery series that has won the Agatha and Macavity international mystery awards and been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony and Mary Higgins Clark prizes. It's bound to intrigue new readers and satisfy longtime Sujata Massey fans.