Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

The chill in this courtroom mystery comes as much from the damp fog of the Pacific Northwest as from the tragic historical events in play.  The year is 1954 - just over a decade since the Japanese on San Pedro Island were all relocated at Manzanar.  A local fisherman on San Pedro Island is found caught in his own net.  The prime suspect is a Japanese fisherman who was hoping to buy back the farmland his family lost during the relocation from the man who has died.  Was it murder?  There is a hidden romance and not so hidden resentments and one man who can make all the difference if he can bring himself to do the right thing.