James Kestrel

One more five-star novel, through which I tore in almost one sitting. Five Decembers begins the night before Thanksgiving, 1941, when Honolulu detective is summoned to the scene of a double murder. James Kestrel—the pseudonym of thriller writer Jonathan Moore—writes lean like his hard-boiled noir predecessors, so you expect something sharp and short, like a switchblade. But the novel feels positively expansive, with multiple transcontinental crossings and (as hinted by the title) the entire epic sweep of the Second World War as its backdrop. It’s also an unexpectedly moving story of love and loyalty against all odds. No spoilers here, but except for the particularly gruesome deaths at the beginning of the novel—fairly explicit even for a crime / horror fan like me—I can see Five Decembers appealing to a wider audience.
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This book began very well! Actually, all of part one was right on the money for me! Honolulu Detective Joe McGrady investigates a horrible double homicide that has ties to things going on at the beginning of World War II. This part moves quickly, and had me hooked.

From that point, until Joe gets back to Hawaii, I wasn't as happy with the story, or the pace of it. Joe goes island hopping on his chase of John Smith and ends up in Japan for the duration of the war. Definitely much too long for me.

Back in Hawaii, and up until the dramatic showdown, I was hooked again. After the showdown, I was letdown again. So it was a book of ups and downs for me, the ups being pretty dang exciting to read, and the downs being much too long. If I were ever to re-read it, I'd only read the beginning and end.… (mehr)