World Pacific

by Peter Mann

A darkly comic novel of intrigue, adventure, and the perils of self-invention from the author of The Torqued Man, set in San Francisco and the Asian Pacific during the outbreak of the Second World War.

In 1939, just as the clouds of war are gathering, Richard Halifax--boys' adventure writer of manly bravado and the breeziest of prose styles--vanishes in the Pacific. Halifax was attempting to sail a Chinese junk from Hong Kong to San Francisco as part of the World's Fair festivities on Treasure Island. But while his disappearance upends the lives of those left in his wake back home, both his machinations and his letters to his young readers live on.

Hildegard Rauch, an émigré painter and the daughter of Germany's greatest living writer in exile, finds her twin brother in a coma after an attempted suicide. He left a mysterious note that sends her on a search for the truth about her brother's relationship with Richard Halifax and the dangerous secret he entrusted to the writer before his voyage.

Simon Faulk, a British intelligence officer, has been assigned to ferret out Nazi spies in California. He learns of the arrival of a mysterious American agent from across the Pacific, part of a joint German-Japanese operation.

Told in the alternating voices of these three characters, set against the growing threat of another world war and a World's Fair dedicated to peace, World Pacific is a madcap quixotic tale that explores the many forms of shipwreck, exile, betrayal, and the stories we tell ourselves in the fight to stay afloat.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, American, Audiobook, 21st Century, Novels

400 pages, Hardcover

First published August 19, 2025

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm afraid this rating should be higher, but it's fully subjectively based on how much I enjoyed the book (or....didn't, really). But first: Explorer and author Richard Halifax has been lost at sea and his friend/lover? Theodore is in a coma after overdosing on pills, leaving a suicide note about Halifax. His sister is on a mission to clear up his affairs, including finding Halifax and rescuing their father's scandalous journal from notoriety. Meanwhile, Halifax has actually been rescued by the Japanese, who want him to do some espionage. So do the Germans? Midway through the book, we also meet a British state employee who is trying to track him down and draw the US into the war. The book is told from three perspectives: Hildegard is writing (speaking?) to her brother, the British guy is narrating to us, and "Dickie" is writing to his boys' adventure club.
The audiobook gets an extra star here because it's pretty well produced and performed - I think most of my irritation was at the characters and book - the readers do a good job of narrating them accurately. I didn't particularly care for Halifax or Hildegard, but I didn't care for them in print, either, so it's not really the readers' faults.
The tone of the book just didn't work for me. Dickie is extremely juvenile (by design) and unrealistically idiotic, which I think is played for laughs but I didn't find especially funny. Hildegard's comments being directed to her brother seemed unnecessarily indirect, as well as just not holding my interest. The Brit was the best part: his motives make sense, seem realistic, and are the only ones that really move the story in a meaningful direction. But he only appears 1/3 of the way in.
I really wanted to like this - the blurb and cover got me, but the style wasn't for me. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

[Grandma Susan]

DNF. Homosexual relationship, not graphic, just not for me.

[Kip Kyburz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Mann is quickly becoming firmly ensconced amongst my favorite authors. A whirling dervish of intrigue, espionage, unreliable narration, humor, and outright delusion.

Focusing on the much less discussed Pacific theatre and the nascent world of spycraft on America’s left coast. We experience the story from several viewpoints, rotating with newsletters written from one, Dickie Halifax, to his army of child subscribers. Halifax is the main character of our tale and is where most of humor and delusion come into play. There is a constant push and pull as to whether or not Halifax is an idiot, a hapless idiot, or the world’s luckiest idiot. His occasional brilliance is often due more to a moment of pure narcissism working out for the best than any established foresight. All-in-all, the man seems to have a tremendous record of swindling and double-crossing that somehow keeps ending in good fortune. And it’s wonderful to read!

I will be here waiting for anymore stories that Mann might have slightly off-kilter espionage.

[Bill Silva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow…really not funny—not at all, and not nearly so clever as the author thinks. Too bad, as I did enjoy his previous novel, The Torqued Man, quite a bit.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a lot of promise, and is quite unique in many ways. But ultimately it was far too convoluted for me -- the addition of a third perspective and plot line well past the 50% mark of the book was definitely a mistake. Dicky's voice, and the jarring juxtaposition of his jocular stiff upper lip tone while relating disgusting, harrowing events is such a perfect parody of the Boys' Own genre, it's worth three stars for that alone.

[Philip Reari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more because it promised to be a clever and paced blend of historical fiction and satire but it fell short due to the tortured prose and convoluted plot. You can tell the writer is having fun but the fun didn’t really translate to this reader. I appreciate the inventive use of historical episodes, though.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicated story, interesting take on some thinly disguised real characters. But I really liked the description of 1939-1940 San Francisco, especially the World's Fair on Treasure Island (Officially the Pageant of the World Pacific). It never occurred to me that while this World's Fair is going on, half the world is already engaged in the conflict that will become WWII. Glad I read it.

[Dara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an original, sometimes strange, and often funny espionage novel. Given all that, it might be easy to miss that it’s also a very cleverly plotted and elaborately structured espionage novel. The Thomas Mann references and vividly realized historic settings are a bonus, Dicky’s many (so many!) euphemistic names for his genitalia are less so. Shudder.

[Srdjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

U ovom avanturističko-istorijskom romanu smještenom uglavnom u Ameriku pred Drugi svjetski rat tragikomične sudbine ukrstiće jedan popularan putopisac - prvo izgubljen na Pacifiku, da bi potom vaskrsao u Americi kao tajni agent sila osovine, jedna lijevo-liberalna slikarka koja je emigrirala iz Hitlerove Njemačke, s porodičnim pedigreom koji nepogrešivo podsjeća na porodicu Man (mislim na Tomasa Mana, ne ovog koji je napisao roman) i jedan britanski obavještajac, nekakva mješavina likova Grema Grina i Ernesta Hemingveja.

Zaplet knjige je stereotipna špijunska zavrzlama, glavni i sporedni likovi su karikature, ali knjiga ima šarma i veoma je zabavna. Kroz pastiš i blagu parodiju pisac je dobro rekreirao stil jednog vremena i oživio čitavu duhovnu atmosferu San Franciska 1939./40. godine, uz povremenu kritiku nekih kulturnih ikona.

Struktura romana je epistolarna, čitamo naizmjenična obraćanja troje glavnih likova, pri čemu su tekstovi putpisca Ričarda Halifaksa zapravo pisma dječacima koji pretplatom finansiraju njegovu plovidbu od Hong Konga do San Franciska na kineskoj džunki, a on im zauzvrat šalje izvještaje sa etapa putovanja. Stil literature za mlađe tinejdžere onog vremena danas je sam po sebi komičan, ali kad se koristi za sadržaje primjerene samo zreloj publici rezultat je urnebesan na neki bizaran način.

Sve u svemu, vrlo čitka mješavina burleske i kritike visokog intelektualizma. U svojim najboljim danima Vudi Alen bi vjerovatno mogao snimiti odličan film po ovom romanu.

[Jackie Trimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was only my 2nd audio FICTION book that I've consumed. The best way to describe this book is to say it was pure top-notch entertainment.

I understand that Mann's first novel was a rousing success and I'm very inclined to find it and read it someday. His books are historical fiction, but not in the typical woman in horrible times fiction that are so prevalent (and that I read often, so I'm not knocking them).

This story was loosely based off a real person, but the stories were wild and head-shakingly over-the-top and so enjoyable to listen to. I cannot stress enough that the narrators were wonderful and I am so happy that I have found Josh Innerst and will absolutely listen to anything he reads.

I downloaded this from Netgalley for a long road trip I was taking with my husband. We were new to audio books and didn't realize how long it took to listen to books. So, I instead ended up listening to this while I was in the office at work. Hey - I still do my job, but I find it better to listen to a great audiobook instead of the various calls and conversations I would be listening to in the open-office setting. Win-win, I still got all my work done, but I also would look forward to going into the office so I could be entertained by the story!

Yours, Dickie

[BooksRgood · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very fun read - 1940 ish San Francisco, World war looming, spies, an adventurer with a newsletter directed to his young admirers, bumbling, revenge, a bit of art and philosophy, etc. Good times!

A few passages:

I try to make myself into what Baudelaire called a kaleidoscope gifted with consciousness.

"What did Schopenhauer say about optimism? A doctrine not only false but pernicious?"
"I'd be pessimistic too if people thought I was more boring than Hegel.”

Art should not shout; it should resonate.

For what is humanity, boys, if not an absurd hope in the face of all evidence to the contrary?

One had no choice in being crushed by the jaws of history, but you could choose not to become one of its teeth.

Art is the compromise between respectability and the madhouse.

Sometimes the truth needs a little noodling, boys, and the precise details of who died when or how – what we might call the blunt world of historical facts – are sacrificed for the larger, more poetic truth of art.

You know what they call the adventure without the story, boys? Life. And who the hell wants plain old life? Talk about a baggy narrative with a stinker of an ending.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only reason I finished this book was because I chose it for book club. If it weren't for that, I would have put it in a DNF pile.

Set in our fair city of San Francisco during WWII, this novel follows several hapless, self-absorbed, and feckless people through a convoluted plot. The main character is a complete nut job and person for hire for whatever side suited his fancy and pocketbook — I could barely read his first person snark and excessive sarcasm, not to mention his obsession with his genitalia. The other characters were not much better, save for the lone female protagonist who at least had some semblance of humanity and smarts.

For the life of me, I can't figure out the purpose of this book. "World Pacific" was described by Publisher's Weekly as "John le Carré meets Evelyn Waugh", yet it had none of the intrigue and intricacies of le Carré, nor, none of the wit and subtlety of Waugh.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another book written with alternating chapters told in multiple voices. While undoubtedly a virtuoso writing achievement, it's more than a bit twee in this case, especially as one of the narrators is more annoying than eanderingly daffy.

Dicky Halifax is a jaunty explorer who writes a newsletter to his subscribers detailing his adventures. Since his readership is presumably supposed to be young boys, his frequent, candid, detailed descriptions of his homosexual conquests seem jarringly out of place for 1939.

Hildegard Rauch is an esteemed painter whose twin brother is Dicky's off-again beau. Mostly but not exclusively lesbian. Their father is a world-famous author. See? It's all sort of 30s-noir filtered through a devil-may-care modern sensibility.

I'm sure some will delight in its whimsical intermingling. I found it irritating, occasionally charming, really easy to put down and ignore for days on end.

[Quin Mewborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels.”

“I’m asking how you can be sure you’re making the right choice when you’re about to do something terrible.” “You can’t. That’s the whole point of tragedy. We act out of ignorance, no matter how smart we think we are. Our actions always have unintended consequences.”

One had no choice in being crushed by the jaws of history, but you could choose not to become one of its teeth.


I liked the vision here but the Dicky chapters dragged and the absurdity got too repetitive. Catch-22 got around this by having a large cast of characters, which would’ve helped here

[Katherine Fernald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much reading this book - and realize there is so much more I want and need to learn!

Reading tip: get past the disgusting parts - they do lessen in intensity imho - and relinquish any urge to force this rollicking read into anything it just isn’t, in terms of style or content or straight historical accuracy. (And it is extremely historically accurate.)

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

World Pacific is a great boy book. It has plot twists, spies, courtesans, grisly torture, World War II, and even more plot twists. I really loved the historical color of San Francisco on the eve of World War II and the intricate spy plot felt like T. Coraghessan Boyle meets the Third Man. Very enjoyable.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super weird, but also pretty darn funny at times. My 3 stars are generous - an extra added for the can't look away page-turning excitement and occasional laugh-out-loud craziness. I'm not recommending this book to anyone, but if you decide to take it on, my advice is that you don't fight it-just embrace the ridiculousness and let it wash over you.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

World Pacific is a delightfully weird mix of history and fiction with a variety of characters you're never sure which side to come down on (like or hate?) I did enjoy it, it kept me engrossed, but it was not a page-turner and it did take me a while to get through.
Worth reading just for the male-organ euphemisms!

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off 5/5, the most fun I'd had since Memoir from Antproof Case or The Egyptologist.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An author-adventurer bites off a bit more than he can chew when he becomes embroiled with spycraft at the onset of World War II. A German artist and a British spy are pulled into his antics as he makes his way from Asia back to San Francisco.

[David Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wild, fun ride! A ripping adventure yarn with a wicked sense of humor and an impressive knack for melding history and imagination. The pretense of telling much of the story as gloriously inappropriate letter to schoolchildren is brilliant! Bonus for deft use of the San Francisco setting.

[Rahna Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tale of a writer adventurer featuring our fair city of San Francisco as a main character--for that reason alone, it's an entertaining read to me. I also thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of SF locations from a bygone era, some of them were/are in existence even in my lifetime (Julius's Castle, Tadich Grill, to name two).
But the reason this big, bold, well-researched book is getting 4 Stars from me is that it made me laugh out loud.


My personal notes~
A couple characters and phrases I don't want to forget:
Heir Dicky-San
The Kraut Sensei
Doodle-sack
The Chinese junk named the Soup Dumpling
A show-dong

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Cathy Nunn]

The book couldn’t snag my interest so I bailed.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever story, but I found it a bit unsatisfying.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a different view of WWII. British, American, German, and Japanese characters. Adventure, kidnapping, blackmail, murder.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

So. Much. Fun!

[Jonathan Lehrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, even mordant comedy, though it tries too hard to be outrageous.

[Sam Bauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

First third is pretty funny, the rest is more historical than hysterical spy fiction but I enjoyed it.