by Mark Harmon
First published 2023
Douglas Wada works alone in naval intelligence, the only Japanese American agent tasked with protecting Pearl Harbor. He poses as a newspaper reporter, translates intercepted calls from the Japanese Consulate, and interrogates captured enemy sailors. Meanwhile, Takeo Yoshikawa operates from inside the consulate itself, posing as a junior diplomat while feeding critical intelligence about the American fleet directly to Admiral Yamamoto. The two men circle each other in the weeks leading up to December 7, 1941, each unaware of how close they are to their target. Wada faces suspicion from his own colleagues because of his ancestry, while his father and other innocent residents endure growing anti-Japanese sentiment. Yoshikawa methodically gathers the details that will guide the coming attack. Their cat and mouse game unfolds against the backdrop of a community caught between two nations preparing for war, where distinguishing loyalty from betrayal becomes a matter of survival.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, military-fiction
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: Honolulu, Pearl Harbor
Period: 1941
272 pages · Hardcover · Harper Select
Content warnings: racism