The Lethal Shore: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:04, 16 February 2023

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

Overview

On February 23, 1942, 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.

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.

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.

Chronology
The events of the novel take place in February and March 1942. The Lethal Shore is followed by Murder at the Shipyard.

Characters

Points of Interest

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 ==Overview==
-On February 23, 1942, a [https://aoghs.org/petroleum-in-war/wwii-sub-attacks-oilfield/ Japanese submarine shells an oil field] in southern California. The next morning, the body of [[Harry Pond]] is found near the planned site of a U.S. Army radar station at Cape Meares, Oregon. Though a thousand miles from the oil field, many locals believe Harry’s death is connected. They argue he was bayoneted when he interrupted a group of Japanese commandos, part of a coordinated scouting mission in preparation for a full-scale invasion of the U.S. mainland. With “war nerves” wound tight all along the West Coast in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, interest in investigating the young man’s death as a murder quickly fades.
+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.
-But [[Eden Pond]], Harry’s twin sister, isn’t so sure her brother is a casualty of war. He’d had run-ins with a number of locals through his work as a volunteer air raid warden. These older men—many veterans of the Great War—thought they knew better than the callow cripple whose childhood polio had left him with a chip on his shoulder and a desperate need to prove himself. There’s also Harry’s best friend growing up, [[Jonah Shibuya]], the grandson of Japanese immigrants who disappeared in the wake of [http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5154 President Roosevelt's executive order] that would soon lead to the internment of Japanese-Americans. Rumors fly that Jonah served as guide for the commandos who killed 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.
-Soon, the only person who believes Eden is [[Tillie Larkin]], a barnstorming lady pilot who helped raise Eden and Harry after their parents died. With Tillie's help, Eden tries to learn what really happened to Harry, 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 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.
 '''Chronology'''<br />