Winner of the Mystery Writers of Japan Award and the Honkaku Mystery Prize. Osaka, 1943. The Second World War rages, and American bombers rain down death upon Japan. The once prosperous Omari household, now ruined by the terrible conflict, is struck by a succession of ghastly murders. Young trainee doctor and budding sleuth Natsuko is desperate to help her old friend, Mineko Omari, to solve the mystery and bring an end to the gruesome deaths tearing the family apart. To do so, the pair will have to delve into the Omari clan's past, where a dark and deadly secret has been festering for decades...