Barry Lancet Books

Japanese antiques dealer and PI Jim Brodie faces a deadly adversary in a gripping tale of murder and intrigue. Recently appointed as the liaison for the mayor’s Pacific Rim Friendship Program, Brodie recruits renowned Japanese artist Ken Nobuki. After a successful meeting, their celebration is shattered when a sniper targets them as they leave City Hall. Brodie suspects that the recent suspicious death of Nobuki’s oldest son in Napa Valley may be connected, indicating a threat to Nobuki’s family. With a multitude of suspects potentially spanning the Pacific Rim, Brodie embarks on a perilous journey for answers. His investigation leads him from San Francisco to Washington, DC, where he confronts the DHS, CIA, and FBI, and then on to Tokyo and Kyoto. There, he seeks information about a legendary killer, rumored to be both myth and reality, yet deadly if the whispers hold any truth. In this thrilling installment of the series, the stakes are higher than ever, promising an exhilarating experience for readers.

In the second thriller of this new series from “a fresh voice in crime fiction” (Kirkus Reviews), antiques dealer-turned-P.I. Jim Brodie matches wits with an elusive group of killers chasing a long-lost treasure that has a dangerous history. When an elderly World War II veteran shows up unannounced at Brodie Security begging for protection, the staff thinks he’s just a paranoid old man. He offers up a story connected to the war and to Chinese Triads operating in present-day Tokyo, insisting that he and his few surviving army buddies are in danger. Fresh off his involvement in solving San Francisco’s Japantown murders, antiques dealer Jim Brodie had returned to Tokyo for some R&R, and to hunt down a rare ink painting by the legendary Japanese Zen master Sengai for one of his clients—not to take on another case with his late father’s P.I. firm. But out of respect for the old soldier, Brodie agrees to provide a security detail, thinking it’ll be an easy job and end when the man comes to his senses. Instead, an unexpected, brutal murder rocks Brodie and his crew, sending them deep into the realm of the Triads, Chinese spies, kendo warriors, and an elusive group of killers whose treachery spans centuries—and who will stop at nothing to complete their mission.

In this gripping thriller, an American antique dealer-turned-reluctant private eye must leverage his knowledge of Japanese culture to solve a major murder case in San Francisco, while he and his daughter become targets of a mysterious killer. Jim Brodie, who has connections to a Tokyo-based private investigation firm, receives a call about a family brutally murdered in Japantown. As someone raised in Japan, he has previously assisted the SFPD, but the crime scene reveals only one clue: an unreadable scrap of paper with devastating implications for both the victims and Brodie. Utilizing his fluency in Japanese and network of Asian contacts, he follows leads from a shadowy powerbroker, a renegade detective, and a tycoon linked to the murders. This investigation takes him from California to Japan, where he encounters terrified citizens and informants. As he unravels a complex web of intrigue that spans centuries, he discovers a deadly secret that endangers not just his life but also the lives of his family and friends. With rich insights into Japanese culture, this story introduces a compelling new character in Jim Brodie.