Luzon

by Richard Whitten Barnes

It’s 1941, and Riza Manceda, a beautiful American intelligence officer, needs someone to impersonate a Japanese officer for a dangerous mission to her homeland of the Philippines. Her search uncovers the ideal man in Daniel Suhiro, a first generation Nisei with perfect credentials for the job…but maybe not so perfect.
The mission is to prevent the Japanese from discovering the Allies have broken their “unbreakable” Purple code. This secret could shorten – or lengthen – the war by years, and is known by an officer captured in Luzon. Riza and Daniel train to either rescue the officer or, if necessary, assassinate him.
The compelling story of their harrowing venture meticulously comes to life as the pair becomes drawn closer to each other and then thrown headlong into incredible peril.

Genres: Historical Fiction

319 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Richard Whitten Barnes was born in Minnesota but grew up on the north side of Chicago. A music scholarship took him to Michigan State University, where he majored in chemistry. He is now retired from a long career in international chemical sales and marketing, which has taken him worldwide. Barnes is a U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division veteran and an avid sailor. He lives in Charlotte MC., but spends summers with his wife Marg and cat Maggie at their cottage on St. Joseph Island, Ontario.

Reviews

[Joyce Gilmour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Richard Barnes takes readers right into the 1941 era and teaches about the Japanese-American plight during those days, while sharing a compelling story of a mission in the Philippines. Books that teach history through great characters and action are some of my favorites. Barnes does just that…an American officer, captured in Luzon, knows that the Allies have broken a Japanese code, which could have a major impact on the war, if discovered. The mission is to rescue the officer, if possible, or the extreme solution would be to assassinate him.

Daniel Suhiro, a Nisei (a person of Japanese descent, born and educated in the United States or Canada) has to deal with the fact that his family is taken to an internment camp. Daniel has accomplished earning a master’s degree in economics in Japan and is heading back to his home in the U.S.A. He had received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Now he would like to go to law school. Once enrolled in law school, he is approached and asked to help the army, which needs soldiers who can read, write, and understand spoken Japanese. He also is approached to be a “spy” of sorts. What does Daniel end up deciding to do?

Riza Manceda, an American intelligence officer receives a letter stating that she has been recommended for a position for a new U.S. government agency. She was selected to be part of the R&A (Research & Analysis). How does this get her involved with Daniel Suhiro? What is going to happen to her family in Manila? Author Barnes does a great job of bringing these two characters into a life of adventure and romance.

Then the bombs hit Hawaii and Manila. Japan attacked the United States. Now what was to happen to the Japanese people living within the U.S.? Who should be trusted? Who would be pulling the strings to make things happen? Who are acting as spies on both sides? All of this brings the tension into the story.

Luzon is a book full of history, adventure, mystery, and romance. It will appeal to a wide audience of readers. I found myself wanting to get back to the book…hoping for more reading time so I could see what was going to happen next. Congratulations, Richard Barnes, on a job well done on your novel, Luzon.

[Cheryl Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This World War II novel has much going for it--intrigue, family drama, politics, history, suspense, and of course romance. It begins in the US, but much involves the Phillipines. I enjoyed this book so much, then I loaned it to my husband. He couldn't hardly stop reading. So this book appeals to readers of many genres.

[Mary Brockway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent account of this historical part of World Wat II. Will read more of Barne's books

[Robyn Echols]

I have read other books authored by Richard Whitten Barnes and, once again, he doesn’t disappoint.

Luzon starts with the changes brought to one Japanese-American college student in California, Daniel Suhiro, working towards his law degree at Berkeley at the time Pearl Harbor is bombed. He has returned from two years of study in Japan where he stayed with his aunt and uncle. His life and that of his family is turned upside-down as wartime measures mean his family’s finances are frozen and they must prepare to live in a relocation camp. Daniel realized he will not be able to complete his degree. He is pressured into enlisting in the military, which he resists, just as in spite of his wish to protect his aunt and uncle in Japan being threatened, he prefers to resist the foreign operative who puts pressure on him to spy for Japan. Faced with many vying for his loyalty, he makes his choice. Although many of us are aware Japanese living on the west coast were ordered to internment camps, I liked how the author expanded on additional challenges the Japanese-Americans faced. The author developed this character well, and his story included many details about some of peculiarities of the Japanese language and procedures that revealed he did his research.

I also enjoyed the character of the OSS operative, Riza Manceda. The two are prepared and sent on a mission together in the Philippines, her native land. Unlike many novels where a plan is laid out, and the reader follows the characters as they follow the plan and overcome opposition, Mr. Barnes’s plot involved the plan falling apart more than once. The characters then are forced to put together new plans in their efforts to fulfill their assignment. It kept me guessing. Once again, I enjoyed reading about the resistance groups in the Philippines. I appreciated the research that went into these details.

The author did a great job making the secondary characters memorable and interesting. The romance elements were sensual. The language was a little rough in spots. The story held my interest from beginning to end. I could not put the book down. I highly recommend Luzon to anyone who enjoys a good war story, especially one full of intrigue and set in the South Pacific.