When they were girls, Sae, Maki, Akiko and Yuko were tricked into leaving their friend Emily with a mysterious stranger. Then the unthinkable occurred: Emily was found murdered hours later.

The four friends were never able to describe the stranger to the police; the killer's trail went cold. Asako, the bereaved mother, curses the surviving girls, vowing that they will be the ones to pay for her daughter's murder...

Like Confessions, Kanae Minato's award-winning, internationally bestselling debut, PENANCE is a dark tale of revenge and psychological drama that will leave readers breathless.