Allison Markin Powell

A young writer arrives at a prison to interview a convict. The writer has been commissioned to write a full account of the case, from the bizarre and grisly details of the crime to the nature of the man behind it-- a world-renowned photographer named Kiharazaka who stands accused of murdering two women-- both burned alive-- and will likely face the death penalty. But something isn't quite right. As the young writer probes further, his doubts about...

"This second half of Lady Joker, by Kaoru Takamura, the Grand Dame of Japanese crime fiction, concludes a breathtaking saga of subterfuge, betrayal, and revenge gone wrong. Inspired by the real-life Glico-Morinaga kidnapping, an unsolved case that terrorized Japan for two years, Lady Joker reimagines the circumstances of this watershed episode in modern Japanese history and brings into riveting focus the lives and motivations of the victims, the perpetrators,...

Hiromi Kawakami tells the story of an enigmatic man through the voices of ten remarkable women who have known him. Each woman has succombed, even if only for an hour, to the seductive, imprudent, and furtively feline man who drifted so naturally into their lives. Still clinging to the vivid memory of his warm breath and his indeciperhable silences, ten women tell their stories as they attempt to recreate the image of the unfathomable Nishino.

"With 56 unique embroidery pieces to reflect the seasons, this next book from beloved author Yumiko Higuchi takes creatives on a month-by-month exploration of colorful motifs that can be used on a variety of fabrics and surfaces. Each month starts with an emblem of the month number, such as a vibrant poppy wreath for May, a viny pumpkin for October, and sprigs of mistletoe and Christmas roses for December. Each emblem perfectly captures the spirit...

"On a summer afternoon, Tsukiko and her former high school teacher have prepared and eaten somen noodles together. 'Tell me a story from long ago,' Sensei says. 'I wasn't alive long ago,' Tsukiko says, 'but should I tell you a story from when I was little?' 'Please do,' Sensei replies, and so Tsukiko tells him that, when she was a child, she awakened one day to find something with a pale red face and something with a dark red face in her room, arguing...