Five Decembers

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Having completed the book – which comes with an ending that’s pretty unforgettable in and of itself – I was amazed to discover that it was only written in 2021; I’d assumed that it must have been penned perhaps seventy years earlier. Most American readers will share a basic knowledge of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Pacific Campaign from history lessons or pop culture. This extraordinary novel is so much more than just a gripping crime story—it’s a story of survival against all odds, of love and loss and the human cost of war. Time goes by, blah, blah, blah and then McGrady, aided by Kansei Takahashi (a Japanese official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) escapes prison; only to live like Julian Assange….

It has that kind of noir style, though it's much more gruesome than any midcentury book would dare to be and much more willing to talk straight at things than around them, especially when it comes to things like prostitution or drugs, the kinds of things that are usually only obliquely referenced or hinted at. McGrady discovers a woman's body on the scene and gets the impression the criminal he shot was not working alone. Hell, some of the most notable pioneers of the noir page and stage went through the crucible themselves.

The Honolulu, Hong Kong and Tokyo of the era are expertly drawn and the full horror of war and what it does to people is hammered home. There are significant challenges inherent in plunging your reader into the past and orienting them accurately to the environment. My family moved to Hawaii in 1957 and there were still a lot of traces of pre-WWII Honolulu to be found. The author's note at the end suggests that there were at least 60,000 words cut out from the final draft.

I am the publisher of this book, so I'm hardly unbiased -- but before I choose to publish a book I'm a simple reader, and I only choose books that knock my socks off when I read them, and this one knocked my socks so far off, I think they're in orbit right now.Dafür ist die Geschichte nicht spannend genug, die Sprache zu simpel und die Klischees zu zahlreich. McGrady's and Sachi sudden romance feels anything but real (probably added just as a shock value), and even the night of the attack on Tokyo is minimized and is barely touched upon (for example, David Downing did a wonderful job in his "Station"s series by using his characters to describe perfectly and chillingly teh destruction of Berlin by the allied forces as they were closing in. The novel’s title, Five Decembers, is a clever reference that the story will move from crime thriller to war epic after the Japanese launch their offensive across Asia.

I have tried hard not to spoil for anyone who wishes to read the novel (and you should, it’s wonderful), but my poor efforts did not encompass its sweep, its thematic depth, its brilliant characterization, its matter-of-fact prose that says so much with so little, or its perfectly paced, perfectly structured movements to a magnificent dénouement, which to any romance reader, may be one of the most heart-wrenching “grovels” you’ll ever read. GR's Listopia is not complete (as of March 2022) and the most current lists of publication can be found at Wikipedia or the Publisher's own Official Site. In this novel of World War II, an American police detective trapped while trailing a killer overseas struggles to survive with only the help of a total stranger and his daughter, who risk their lives to protect him. I went into the reading blind, unaware of when it was written or takes place, and was rewarded with one surprise after another. But here, the attacks on Tokyo in 1945 are barely mentioned- some explosions in the distance, Sachi runs away because she saw McGrady kill someone.To quote Nolan's review in the WSJ: "Lyrical, violent, intelligent, breathtaking: this is an unforgettable book. Joe McGrady is a Honolulu cop who trails a suspect to Hong Kong, and is trapped when the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.

McGrady is a great character with more than a touch of Jack Reacher about him, the taciturn outsider ,a lethal fighting machine and a man that every female character is attracted to. He’s one of the many strong, damaged men in pulp-style wartime thrillers, seeking vengeance in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds. Set just before until just after WWII, this is a book that wants to read like a book of the time and mostly succeeds.

James Kestrel’s FIVE DECEMBERS is an emotionally-charged crime novel shaped by the tragic years of a world at war, a story that is relentlessly hopeful in the face of unrequited devotion and doomed love.