The Sparwood Public Library is temporarily closed. The ability to place holds is currently unavailable. Due dates on materials borrowed have been extended and there are no fines. The digital library remains available. Please do not return your items to the library. Thank you for keeping the library items at home until further notice.
-- Thomas Carlyle Aboard the ship, intrigue stirs almost immediately. Holmes recognizes the famous clubman the Earl of Darley, whom he suspects of being an occasional blackmailer: not an unlikely career choice for a man richer in social connections than in pounds sterling. And then there's the lithe, surprisingly fluent young Japanese woman who befriends Russell and quotes haiku. She agrees to tutor the couple in Japanese language and customs, but Russell can't shake the feeling that Haruki Sato is not who she claims to be. Once in Japan, Russell's suspicions are confirmed in a most surprising way. From the glorious city of Tokyo to the cavernous library at Oxford, Russell and Holmes race to solve a mystery involving international extortion, espionage, and the shocking secrets that, if revealed, could spark revolution--and topple an empire. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --The Boston Globe