A series of murders occur, scattered across a resort island at scenic spots linked with horrific legends. Although evil spirits appear to be at work, two police detectives, on the island by chance, discover that the murders are actually related to an old case few know about.

The Specter in Shamaji takes place on Liuqiu Island (formerly known as “Shamaji”), a popular island tourist resort off the coast of Pingtung. Many of the island’s tourist spots are associated with hair-raising legends, among these a story linking the White Lighthouse to an executed Japanese soldier and his pet monkey, another that says the Dutch burned aborigines alive at Black Devil Cave over 300 years ago, and another that Beauty Cave was once called the Cave of Abandoned Babies.… Sha-Tang combines fictional murders and these old legends to create a complex murder mystery.

A couple go for a nighttime stroll to the White Lighthouse and hear what sounds like a heavy object falling inside. Curious, they break in and are shocked to find a man who appears to be dead by unnatural means and water with no obvious source on the floor. They immediately call the police. Soon after, fishermen discover the body of a drowned man near Beauty Cave and identify him as a government official dedicated to promoting Liuqiu tourism. Then, a Buddhist monk is found dead at his monastery.…

Police detectives Tang Yu and Li Wu-Ching happen to be on the island and on the case from the first murder at the White Lighthouse. Community speculation blaming an evil spirit for the deaths leads the pair to suspect that someone is using local legend as a cover story for murder, especially when further investigation reveals possible connections between several of the victims and a decades-old land expropriation case. Just when they think the motive is a flesh-and-blood murderer out for revenge, the case takes an unexpected turn.…

A plot full of twists and turns features a locked-room murder mystery, a longstanding feud, ambiguous male friendship, and thrilling cave explorations against a backdrop of beautiful tourist sites. Readers who enjoyed the Detective Conan film series are likely to find this an interesting read.