Iris Yamashita

PASADENA — Iris Yamashita will discuss her first novel, “City Under One Roof” (Berkley Books), on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. at Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena.

When a local teenager discovers a severed hand and foot washed up on the shore of the small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, Cara Kennedy is on the case. A detective from Anchorage, she has her own motives for investigating the possible murder in this isolated place, which can be accessed only by a tunnel.

After a blizzard causes the tunnel to close indefinitely, Cara is stuck among the odd and suspicious residents of the town — all 205 of whom live in the same high-rise building and are as icy as the weather. Cara teams up with Point Mettier police officer Joe Barkowski, but before long the investigation is upended by fearsome gang members from a nearby native village.

Haunted by her past, Cara soon discovers that everyone in this town has something to hide. Will she be able to unravel their secrets before she unravels?

The book is available for pre-order from Vroman’s.

Yamashita wrote the script for Clint Eastwood’s “Letters From Iwo Jima,” which was named best picture by the National Board of Review and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, received a Golden Globe for best foreign-language film of 2006, and was nominated for four Oscars including best picture and best original screenplay.

Yamashita continues to work in Hollywood, developing for both film and streaming media, and has also dabbled in writing a musical for a Japanese theme park with Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori. She has taught screenwriting at UCLA and the American Film Institute. “City Under One Roof” is her debut mystery novel.

For more information on the reading, call (626) 449-5320 or visit www.vromansbookstore.com.

By visiting this in-person event, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19. Masks are encouraged.

Yamashita will also participate in virtual events hosted by the following bookstores:

Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 4 p.m., Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Ariz., www.poisonedpen.com

Monday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m., Chaucer’s Books in Santa Barbara, www.chaucersbooks.com

Author’s website: www.irisyamashita.com