by Susan Spann
Tsuten-kyo: A covered wooden bridge located on the grounds of Tofuku-ji (a Buddhist temple in Kyoto).
W
wakizashi: The shorter of the two words worn by a samurai. (The longer one is the katana.)
Y
yoriki: An assistant magistrate, tasked with supervising dōshin and other practical and administrative law enforcement duties.
For additional cultural information, expanded definitions, and author’s notes, visit http://www.susanspann.com.
About the Author
Susan Spann is a transactional attorney focusing on publishing law and a former law school professor. She has a deep interest in Asian culture and has studied Mandarin and Japanese. Her hobbies include Asian cooking, fencing, knife and shuriken throwing, traditional archery, martial arts, rock climbing, and horseback riding. Susan keeps a marine aquarium where she raises seahorses and rare corals. She lives in northern California with her family.
Visit her Web site at www.susanspann.com.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A THOMAS DUNNE BOOK FOR MINOTAUR BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
CLAWS OF THE CAT. Copyright © 2013 by Susan Spann. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover photograph by Bill Miles
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Spann, Susan.
Claws of the Cat: a Shinobi mystery / Susan Spann.—First Edition.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-250-02702-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-02703-0 (e-book)
1. Ninja—Fiction. 2. Samurai—Fiction. 3. Murder—Investigation—Fiction. 4. Kyoto (Japan)—Fiction. 5. Mystery fiction. I. Title.
PS3619.P3436C58 2013
813'.6—dc23
2013011675
e-ISBN 9781250027030
First Edition: July 2013