An apparent murder-suicide 19 years ago added more ghosts to the haunted streets of Boston's Chinatown. But now it seems one of those spirits may be out for revenge.

Detective Jane Rizzoli has seen some bizarre sights as a homicide cop, but the shadowy corners and secretive residents of Chinatown have her looking over her shoulder. Someone -- or something -- has executed two professional assassins, one of whom was about to kill Rizzoli herself. All she knows is that the killer wields an extremely sharp sword with deadly grace and skill and seems to appear and disappear at will. And despite the timely rescue, Jane still isn't quite sure if the presence is friend or foe, and at times she finds herself wondering if she's chasing a phantom. Not that there's a lack of flesh-and-blood suspects.

Could the mastermind be the middle-aged, outwardly frail Iris Fang, widow of one of the men killed all those years ago? She has always insisted that the full story of what happened at the Red Phoenix restaurant has never been told. Or perhaps it's her fiercely protective young protégée? Both women have their secrets, and neither seems interested in sharing with the investigative team. Could they be working together, taking the law into their own hands to right old wrongs, or has some vengeful spirit arisen in response to the silent cries of the victims for the truth to be revealed? In Chinatown, it seems anything may be possible...

This thriller is a solid murder mystery (two, actually, the present and the past) with supernatural overtones, set against the inscrutable backdrop of Chinatown, almost a character in itself here. The dynamic between Rizzoli and Iris is fascinating -- both of them tough, independent women with a strong belief in justice. Each meeting is like a mini chess match. And the legends and stories of ancient China, woven together with the ongoing investigation, will leave readers wondering, as Rizzoli sometimes does, what is real and what is not. Familiar characters make welcome returns, and Rizzoli is one of the best-written detectives, male or female, around today. This book is a must for all R&I fans (although Maura plays a fairly small role). It grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go until the last.