The Lethal Shore: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:02, 30 April 2024

The Lethal Shore (working title) is the possible first book in the Eden Pond Series.

Overview

In February 1942, a man gathering shellfish finds the blood-soaked coat of Harry Pond on an isolated Oregon beach. But there’s no sign of Harry, who had neither means nor reason to visit that beach—the location of a secret U.S. Army defense project. With war nerves wound tight in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, some locals think he fell prey to collaborators laying the groundwork for Japanese incursions of the American mainland. Others darkly imply he fell in with them. The U.S. Army captain who takes over the investigation seems more interested in protecting his defense projects than learning what happened to Harry.

Eden Pond, Harry’s twin sister, determines to find him. Childhood polio left him with a chip on his shoulder and a desperate need to prove himself—and little concern for who he provoked along the way. There’s also Harry’s best friend, Jonah Shibuya. The grandson of Japanese immigrants, he’s been in hiding for weeks, perhaps because of intensifying pressure on the government to address the “problem” of west coast Japanese. Rumors fly Jonah had a hand in Harry’s disappearance—and deeds far worse.

With the official investigation going nowhere and hostility mounting toward Eden over her own fraught history with Jonah, she sets out to learn what happened to her missing brother. In the process, she risks the wrath of Army officials, a civilian militia with grand visions of repelling invasion, and an anxious community still coming to grips with life in a nation at war.

Chronology
The events of the novel take place in February and March 1942, with the denouement in May. The Lethal Shore is followed by "The Railroad Job" and Murder at the Shipyard.

Characters

Points of Interest

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 ==Overview==
-On February 23, 1942, [https://aoghs.org/petroleum-in-war/wwii-sub-attacks-oilfield/ a Japanese submarine shells an oil field] in southern California. The next morning, a blood-soaked coat belonging to [[Harry Pond]] is discovered on an isolated beach in Tillamook County, Oregon. Harry can’t be found, and had no reason or means to go that particular beach. With war nerves wound tight in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, many locals have their own theories, from Harry seeking his fortune elsewhere to running into trouble with fifth columnists helping lay the groundwork for Japanese incursions of the American mainland. The U.S. Army captain who takes over the investigation from local authorities seems more interested in protecting local defense projects than finding out what happened to Harry.
+In February 1942, a man gathering shellfish finds the blood-soaked coat of [[Harry Pond]] on an isolated Oregon beach. But there’s no sign of Harry, who had neither means nor reason to visit that beach—the location of a secret U.S. Army defense project. With war nerves wound tight in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, some locals think he fell prey to collaborators laying the groundwork for Japanese incursions of the American mainland. Others darkly imply he fell in with them. The [[Damian Nesmith|U.S. Army captain]] who takes over the investigation seems more interested in protecting his defense projects than learning what happened to Harry.
-But [[Eden Pond]], Harry’s twin sister, isn’t so sure. Childhood polio left him with a chip on his shoulder and a desperate need to prove himself—no matter who he crossed doing it. There’s also Harry’s best friend, [[Jonah Shibuya]], the grandson of Japanese immigrants who himself disappeared a couple of weeks before Harry’s death, perhaps because of intensifying pressure on the government to address the “problem” of west coast Japanese. Rumors fly that Jonah is responsible for Harry’s disappearance—and acts far worse.
+[[Eden Pond]], Harry’s twin sister, determines to find him. Childhood polio left him with a chip on his shoulder and a desperate need to prove himself—and little concern for who he provoked along the way. There’s also Harry’s best friend, [[Jonah Shibuya]]. The grandson of Japanese immigrants, he’s been in hiding for weeks, perhaps because of intensifying pressure on the government to address the “problem” of west coast Japanese. Rumors fly Jonah had a hand in Harry’s disappearance—and deeds far worse.
-With the investigation going nowhere and hostility mounting toward Eden over his own history with Jonah, she sets out to learn what really happened to Harry Pond, risking the wrath of Army officials, a newly-formed civilian militia with grand visions of repelling invasion, and an anxious community still coming to grips with life in a nation newly at war.
+With the official investigation going nowhere and hostility mounting toward Eden over her own fraught history with Jonah, she sets out to learn what happened to her missing brother. In the process, she risks the wrath of Army officials, a civilian militia with grand visions of repelling invasion, and an anxious community still coming to grips with life in a nation at war.
 '''Chronology'''<br />
-The [[Eden Pond Chronology|events]] of the novel take place in February and March 1942. ''The Lethal Shore'' is followed by [[Murder at the Shipyard]].
+The [[Eden Pond Chronology|events]] of the novel take place in February and March 1942, with the denouement in May. ''The Lethal Shore'' is followed by "[[The Railroad Job]]" and [[Murder at the Shipyard]].
 ==Characters==