A revered tea master murdered during Takayama’s Autumn Festival, a cryptic message, and a killer steeped in centuries-old tradition.
International food critic Darcy Finnegan, her bestie Lizzie, and clue-sniffing Schnoodle Mozart arrive in Japan to cover Kyoto’s exclusive ryokan for The Wandering Foodie.
But their plans take a sharp detour when a legendary tea master suddenly dies, and whispers of foul play swirl like steam from a ceremonial tea bowl.
When the master artisan is found dead and a treasured festival float goes up in flames, Darcy realizes this is no ordinary mystery.
Following a trail of coded carvings, counterfeit heirlooms, and a final tea ceremony that never took place, she teams up with Interpol agent Marcus Evans to uncover the truth hidden in ritual.
But in a town where silence is sacred and secrets brew like the darkest matcha, asking the wrong question could turn deadly.
With shadows creeping through paper-thin walls and an unseen killer watching, the trio must expose the truth before Darcy’s own name is written in the ashes.
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