"Never arouse me from the throes of a nightmare, for nothing is ghastlier than waking to this reality."
-Ray Thorpe, Cabanatuan prison camp, from the novel
This was a free book from Amazon First Reads and I am glad I selected it. Most of my friends and readers of this blog know historical fiction is my favorite genre. This one is well-written with a compelling plot.
In 1941, Gina Thorpe, a former songstress and now military wife, is living in Manila when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor and proceed to take over the Philippine Islands. Her husband is in harm's way and seems to have been captured by the enemy. For their own protection and that of their children Gina and her best friend Vivian flee to the Zambales Mountains. There they meet up with members of the American/Filipino resistance. Since the guerrillas are in great need of money and supplies they recruit Gina to go back to Manila to secretly solicit funds from those friendly to the cause. Gina agrees to this assignment even at the great sacrifice of leaving her young daughter Cheryl behind in Vivian's care and risking her own capture and possible execution if she is caught.
Gina is smuggled into Manila and eventually ends up running Pearl Blue, a nightclub where Japanese officers come to be entertained, spend their money and, hopefully, spill some secrets. Ironic that the enemy is helping to fund the resistance! Without giving anything away, the plot thickens and the book becomes a page-turner. I will rate it a 5.
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