The Good War of Consul Reeves

by Peter Rose

Months before the start of the Pacific War in 1941, John Reeves – his career and marriage failing – is posted as British consul to the tiny Portuguese colony of Macao in southern China. The Japanese soon declare war on the West with their attacks on Pearl Harbor and Hong Kong. But because Portugal is neutral, Macao is left alone and becomes a tiny island of neutrality, an Asian Casablanca surrounded by Japanese-occupied China. Reeves, a lonely and awkward man, finds himself the only senior representative of the Allies within a radius of thousands of miles. He runs spy rings, collects intelligence, smuggles people to freedom, takes care of refugees and is threatened with assassination – and The Good War of Consul Reeves tells his story.

320 pages, Paperback

Published October 14, 2024

Reviews

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Good War of Consul Reeves is superb historical fiction. Set primarily in Macau during World War II, the book uses the striking and little-known backdrop of that neutral Portuguese colony to explore themes of patriotism, individual initiative, bravery, fear, greed, and human reactions, both noble and base, to daunting challenges.

The historical sweep captures the rich and textured details about Macau and the broader history of the region. Impressively, Peter Rose, the author, doesn’t let the book turn into a history lesson or become a showcase for his research. Rather, the plot and characters do the speaking, especially John Reeves, the British Consul in Macau at the heart of the story. Reeves grows on the reader as a character and a person. Reeves is by turns frustrating, bureaucratic, inventive, courageous, strangely remote, yet sympathetic and admirable.

The writing engaging and memorable. The author has a disciplined and distinctive voice.

Highly Recommended.

[Rbw · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Good War of Consul Reeves” is an absorbing read reflecting deep research and Peter Rose’s descriptive and narrative gifts. It’s an entertaining tale of a forgotten corner of a global war, an anomalous refuge from a region — and a world — on fire. John Reeves is a man marooned as a minor British colonial functionary in a career backwater who ends up making a positive impact for hundreds of lost souls passing through neutral Macao. The book tells the story of his “Good War” and brings to life a cast of characters from gangsters to clergymen to colonial and military figures, and a city of beauty and vice, both Asian and Portuguese, surrounded by strife and the tectonic plates of China’s civil war and the land, air, and sea war between Japanese and the Allies. Rose’s achievement is telling a human story, based in fact, that pulls the reader along. While not of the scale of Herman Wouk, “The Good War” would nonetheless be enjoyed by “Winds of War” fans.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story. Smart fabulous writing. Thank you to author, Peter Rose.