The Samurai's Octopus - by Jonelle Patrick (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

For readers who loved the intrigue of Shogun and the women in Memoirs of a Geisha . . .

It's the year 1784 and the shogun rules with an iron fist . . . except within the walled pleasure quarter of Yoshiwara. Inside the Great Gate, samurai law does not apply, and it's women who pull the strings. Magistrates bow to courtesans, prostitutes snub potentates, and those with the most power beg favor from those with the least. There is no greater spectacle in all the land.

But beneath the surface runs a deadly current of greed, deception . . . and murder.

Takahisa Takeda will never forgive the first shogun for rewarding his ancestor's loyalty with more honor than land. He's the head of a venerable samurai family who can barely make ends meet, until the night he witnesses a terrible crime and seizes the opportunity to turn tragedy into gold.

Birdie is just a child when she's chosen to serve Yoshiwara's number one courtesan and given a new name at the House of Treasures. Like every girl growing up in the pleasure quarter, she longs to become one of the beauties strutting down the promenade under a crimson parasol, entertaining lords of the land in robes that cost more than a laborer makes in a year. But the higher she climbs, the more she realizes those she trusts with her life might also betray her in a heartbeat, and she'll need all her wit and wiles just to survive.

Caught between two powerful men whose futures both hinge on the night that made Takeda rich, Birdie's only way out is to discover why the victim had to die, and hunt down a witness whose life depends on not being found. Only then can she decide whose crime to punish and whose to keep hidden. If she chooses right, she will win her freedom. If she chooses wrong, she'll be forever trapped by the fate she's trying so desperately to escape.

Review Quotes

". . . intriguing and compelling, with complex, vibrant characters and a twisting plot that will keep you guessing--and turning pages--all the way to the end. I couldn't put it down!" --Susan Spann, author of the Hiro Hattori mysteries

". . . Patrick's ability to draw the reader into the setting is masterful. I feel as if I time traveled to 18th Century Japan. An exhilarating plot and characters that step off the page make this a must-read novel."--Terry Shames, Macavity Award-winning author of the Samuel Craddock series

"The Samurai's Octopus is a truly remarkable book, one that surprised and charmed me at every turn of the page...an enchanting, fascinating journey. You're in for a treat."--James Ziskin, Anthony, Barry, and Macavity Award-winning author of the Ellie Stone mysteries

"This gripping story of courtesans, samurai, and corrupt government officials in eighteenth-century Japan offers a resourceful heroine and a well-crafted plot in a brilliantly researched historical setting . . . a complete immersion in a world of beauty, drama, secrets, and betrayals."--Kim Hays, author of the Polizei Bern series with Linder and Donatelli

About the Author

Jonelle Patrick is the author of six novels set in Japan, and has been writing about Japanese culture and travel since first moving there in 2003. The Japanese government awarded her a cultural visa for writing about Japan in 2023, and she regularly contributes to the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had and Only In Japan. She's a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Language Institute, and a member of the Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, and the Historical Novel Society. She divides her time between Tokyo and San Francisco.