Japanese life is steeped in traditions, but four interconnected characters tell of how a different life can be lived in ‘The Shut Ins’ by Katherine Brabon. Charlie Donlea uses the Twin Towers collapse as the source of a cold case that must be solved in ‘Twenty Years Later’ but there is still intrigue in the present day. The FBI spy on the investigative journalist whose past could be embarrassing if revealed, but she may yet uncover the truth behind the gruesome murder at the centre of that cold case.