December 6

A Novel

By: Martin Cruz Smith

Narrated by: L.J. Ganser

From the New York Times bestselling author of Gorky Park and Havana Bay comes another gripping novel of loyalty, betrayal, and intrigue on the eve of the greatest military conflict in the history of mankind...December 6.

Amid the imperialist fervor of late 1941 Tokyo, Harry Niles is a man with a mission -- self-preservation. But Niles was raised by missionary parents and educated in the shadows of Tokyo's underworld -- making his loyalties as dubious as his business dealings.

Now, on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Niles must decide where his true allegiances lie, as he tries to juggle his Japanese mistress and an affair with the wife of a British diplomat; avoid a modern-day samurai who is honor-bound to kill him; and survive the Japanese high command, whose plans for conquest may just dictate his survival.

Set in a maelstrom of personal temptations and mortal enemies, with a remarkable anti-hero caught in a land he can never call his own, DECEMBER 6 is a triumph of imagination, history, and riveting storytelling.

Lighter than expected

The dusk moods of his Russian novels is absent, replaced by the expressive meanderings of an American torn between an unexpressed duty to himself, his girl, his friends and his country and his recklessness, born of neglect. A nice backdrop to the Japanese war.

One of the Best for me.....

Great listen, the imagery was great took me to 1940s Far East and Japan in particular. Classic Cruz Smith, perhaps my fave of his as i lived many years in Japan myself and captured the essence of life there be it during WW2. Needless to say highly Recommend!

Interesting view of Japan

Unusual perspective of a missionary kid growing up in Japan who turned con as Japan heads to war. Relationships with women not so great.

Really. a fatastic book

Great story and well read. Convincing plot. Beautiful description of Japan before the war. Good writing.

Abridged, as I recall

The audiobook ends prematurely compared to the hardcover version. There is one last, significant, episode missing — one that occurs after the denouement in the theater.

Not Cruz Smith’s best

I had difficulty concentrating on the story line because the reader has such terrible pronunciation of the Japanese names and language in general.

Cruz Smith and Audible do a great disservice to the reader by not being more attentive to readers not familiar with the language used in books!