The Keeper of the Camphor Tree

Imagine an ancient tree by a famous shrine, so powerful that visitors come from far and wide to commune with it by moonlight ... When a run of bad luck lands Reito in prison, about to be sentenced, a distant aunt he has never met offers him a surprising way out: he must become the next keeper of the camphor tree. In his strange new job, Reito welcomes the people coming by nightfall to commune with the tree, all of whom are lost and all in need of something. There is the stern, middle-aged man who hums to the tree for hours; and his glamorous daughter, who has been secretly following him. Then there is the rich, disaffected young man who seems to come grudgingly, with no faith that the tree will even help. What is the secret of the camphor tree? Can its power be more than just a myth? Reito begs his aunt Chifune to explain, but she assures him that when he is ready for them, the answers will come to him.

Keigo Higashino is the single bestselling, best-known novelist in Japan and around Asia, with numerous television and film adaptations of his work appearing in several languages. He's the author of The Devotion of Suspect X, which was the finalist for the Edgar Award for best novel, and Malice, among many others. He lives in Tokyo, Japan.