It goes places I could never have guessed it would; it makes you fear for the main character's fate, and grieve with him, and hope with him, in ways that are rare indeed.

I wonder whether they were important to the plot, or that maybe they should've cut even more out of the final draft. 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. In fact, that's maybe the biggest problem of this novel- the author chose to focus on all the wrong details while barely mentioning that things that truly mattered). I am grateful to Hard Case Crime and author James Kestrel for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.History precedes it, encroaches on it, and history ends it, but while it lasts, it turns Joe McGrady from hard-boiled detective to a man stripped of everything except his word and honour. Also, it's been officially revealed that James Kestrel is a pen name for Jonathan Moore, an author I've been reading for several years now. Because the trail of murder he uncovers will lead him across the Pacific, far from home and the woman he loves; and though the U. Another commenter wrote positively about this year’s Edgar winner, so I’d be keen to read that one too. Thanks to the recent Wall Street Journal review by Tom Nolan, I learned this author is writing under a pseudonym, when I find out who he (maybe she) is - I'm going to devour the other works.

This edition of Five Decembers is part of the Hard Case Crime (2004-) series of reprints, new commissions and posthumous publications of the pulp and noir crime genre founded by authors Charles Ardai and Max Phillips. I read it as incessantly as I could over the work week and then did a good devouring over the weekend. 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….While relying on actual world events as a catalyst can make the story feel more real, those not familiar with the period may not fully appreciate the magnitude of the circumstances.