They want — if you like — to have that tiny taste of death.

Holly Blain and Inspector Tanaka are back on the case. Despite their tumultuous relationship when taking down the Otaku killer, the unlikely pair find themselves teaming up once more to stop a new murderer who is plaguing Tokyo. Recently, there has been an increase in poisonings from the delicacy fugu. But with strict preparation guidelines for the toxic fish, Blain and Tanaka fear these are more than just accidents. And when a pattern of targeting foreigners emerges, the recent crimes can only be linked to an extremist xenophobic group gathering attention in Japan. Up against a criminal organisation bent on making a deadly point, Tanaka and Blain must risk everything to solve a case that might just go all the way to the top.

Grabs you by the lapels from the first sentence. Brutal, beautiful, and dripping with darkness, JJ Ellis has served up a riveting mystery.” NICOLÁS OBREGÓN, author of Blue Light Yokohama, on The Flower Arranger