Old Soul

Strangers Jake and Mariko meet by chance when they both miss their plane at the Osaka airport. Over dinner, they realize they are connected in a very upsetting way: each has had a loved one die gruesomely, shortly after the same woman entered their lives. This revelation sends Jake on a quest to unravel the mystery of this woman, chasing her backwards from the present, meeting the loved ones of her victims, and following clues across the miles and years. He presents these heart-wrenching stories in chapters titled “Testimony,” which alternate with “Badlands” chapters, told from the perspective of the enigmatic woman, that follow her as she seduces her current victim. As the storylines converge, the true nature of what Jake and Mariko are up against is revealed—a centuries-old reign of terror and death. Readers might keep their tissues at the ready as they buckle in for the novel’s somber last 50 pages.