The Samurai’s Octopus
Release date: April 21, 2026
For readers who loved the intrigue of Shōgun and the resourceful women in The Square of Sevens…
It’s the year 1784 and the shōgun 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 shōgun for rewarding his ancestor’s loyalty with more honor than land. He’s the head of a samurai family who can barely make ends meet, until the night he witnesses a terrible crime and seizes his chance 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. But the higher she climbs, the more she realizes that those she trusts with her life might also betray her in a heartbeat.
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…
Advance praise for The Samurai’s Octopus
“The Samurai’s Octopus…is a truly remarkable book, one that surprised and charmed me at every turn of the page. It’s one of the most memorable books I’ve read in a long time. You’re in for a treat.”
—James Ziskin, Anthony, Barry, and Macavity Award-winning author of the Ellie Stone 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
“…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
“…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
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The Last Tea Bowl Thief
For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, indelibly altering the lives of those who possess it.
In modern-day Tokyo, Robin Swann’s life has sputtered to a stop. She’s stuck in a dead-end job testing antiquities for an auction house, but her true love is poetry, not pottery. Her stalled dissertation sits on her laptop, unopened in months, and she has no one to confide in but her goldfish.
On the other side of town, Nori Okuda sells rice bowls and tea cups to Tokyo restaurants, as her family has done for generations. But with her grandmother in the hospital, the family business is foundering. Nori knows if her luck doesn’t change soon, she’ll lose what little she has left.
With nothing in common, Nori and Robin suddenly find their futures inextricably linked to an ancient, elusive tea bowl. Glimpses of the past set the stage as they hunt for the lost masterpiece, uncovering long-buried secrets in their wake. As they get closer to the truth—and the tea bowl—the women must choose between seizing their dreams or righting the terrible wrong that has poisoned its legacy for centuries.
The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon
“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist
The Only in Tokyo mysteries
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 