Murder in Black Letter

Robert Kintyre, an assistant professor, never expected to become a suspect's confidant and unlikely detective. When Bruce Lombardi, one of his students, is murdered, Kintyre finds himself navigating the treacherous waters of academic jealousy, hidden relationships, and long-buried secrets that connect the people around him. His guide through this labyrinth is Trygve Yamamura, a half-Japanese detective whose mastery of the saber mirrors his skill at cutting through deception. The two men fence together as they work the case, their sparring sessions a physical counterpart to the intellectual battle to uncover truth. Set in the mid-20th century academic world, this novel weaves together the rarefied atmosphere of university life with the brutal reality of murder, asking what happens when scholars turn predatory.