Historical fiction at its absolute best, In The Shadow of Death by Walter B. Littlejohn is a character-driven plot filled with suspense and intrigue. Daring and original, man is pitted against man in a long and haunting war that is merciless and cruel to the stunning end. Jack Collins, a young American taken prisoner during the fall of the Philippines, survives the Bataan Death March, an odyssey that tested the very limits of human strength, only because of his determination to survive and the compassion of one of his captors, Lt. Kenji Tanaka. Years after the war, Jack returns to the scene of his ordeal in an attempt to bring closure to the nightmares that still haunt him, only to become convinced he must seek revenge for the worst atrocity ever committed against the American fighting man. Once again, Jack and Kenji are paired in a dark destiny in which one is a renegade killer with blood on his hands and the other is obligated to stop the killer roaming the streets of Tokyo.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
A former World War II POW goes on a vengeful murder spree only to be hunted by the Japanese soldier who once saved his life, in Littlejohn's debut novel.
The narrative begins in 1941, two years into World War II, when American soldier Jack Collins is taken prisoner in the Philippines after the fall of Bataan. Like most POW camps, the one that confines Jack is a hellish nightmare, most powerfully underscored by the Bataan Death March, during which innumerable detainees are raped, disemboweled or--mercifully--just beaten within an inch of their lives. It seems Jack's number is up when he is nearly on the receiving end of a bayonet stabbing. Amazingly, a compassionate Japanese officer, Lt. Kenji Tanaka, deflects the attack, allowing Jack to live and return to America upon emancipation.
Forty three years later, Jack descends on Tokyo to exact a bloody revenge on the men who terrorized him and, as the body count rises, he finds himself pursued by an unlikely adversary: Kenji, now a Tokyo police officer. The novel is decidedly less literary than cinematic, but that doesn't much matter. Littlejohn hinges his narrative effectively and vividly on one of the lesser-pillaged events of World War II and delivers a nail-biting thriller. The setup is somewhat rickety but, like any book of this genre, the implausibility is eclipsed by the deft employment of pulse-quickening action. This is a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse complicated by the fact that both Jack and Kenji are fully developed, likable characters. With readers rooting for both sides, it becomes impossible to foresee or want an outcome. Littlejohn could let go of some of the loftier literary aspirations that creep in from time to time-- especially the superfluous epigraphs--but even they can't slow this fast-paced, suspenseful effort.
Whether the book falters on its own ambition or not, it proves a rewarding read.
A suspenseful thriller equipped with the volatility of a ticking bomb.
Littlejohn, Walter B. IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH BookSurge (330 pp.) $15.99 paperback October 21, 2008 --Kirkus Discoveries, October 21, 2008
A former World War II POW goes on a vengeful murder spree only to be hunted by the Japanese soldier who once saved his life, in Littlejohn's debut novel.
The narrative begins in 1941, two years into World War II, when American soldier Jack Collins is taken prisoner in the Philippines after the fall of Bataan. Like most POW camps, the one that confines Jack is a hellish nightmare, most powerfully underscored by the Bataan Death March, during which innumerable detainees are raped, disemboweled or--mercifully--just beaten within an inch of their lives. It seems Jack's number is up when he is nearly on the receiving end of a bayonet stabbing. Amazingly, a compassionate Japanese officer, Lt. Kenji Tanaka, deflects the attack, allowing Jack to live and return to America upon emancipation.
Forty three years later, Jack descends on Tokyo to exact a bloody revenge on the men who terrorized him and, as the body count rises, he finds himself pursued by an unlikely adversary: Kenji, now a Tokyo police officer. The novel is decidedly less literary than cinematic, but that doesn't much matter. Littlejohn hinges his narrative effectively and vividly on one of the lesser-pillaged events of World War II and delivers a nail-biting thriller. The setup is somewhat rickety but, like any book of this genre, the implausibility is eclipsed by the deft employment of pulse-quickening action. This is a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse complicated by the fact that both Jack and Kenji are fully developed, likable characters. With readers rooting for both sides, it becomes impossible to foresee or want an outcome. Littlejohn could let go of some of the loftier literary aspirations that creep in from time to time-- especially the superfluous epigraphs--but even they can't slow this fast-paced, suspenseful effort.
Whether the book falters on its own ambition or not, it proves a rewarding read.
A suspenseful thriller equipped with the volatility of a ticking bomb.
Littlejohn, Walter B. --Kirkus Discoveries, October 21, 2008
About the Author
Walter B. Littlejohn received a master’s from the University of Texas at Dallas. A retired Air Force pilot, he flew 165 combat missions in Vietnam and received numerous decorations including The Distinguished Flying Cross, The Air Medal with Eight Oak Leaf Clusters and the Meritorious Service Medal. He spent four years in Japan and the Philippine Islands, visiting the places depicted in his book. Currently, he resides in Allen, Texas.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
In The Shadow Of Death,
This review is from: In the Shadow of Death (Paperback)
This work by new author Littlejohn is in every way satisfying. A challenging plot, characters with honest depth, and a bang-up twist ending. Almost impossible to put down. Highly recommended.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Death and Revenge,
This review is from: In the Shadow of Death (Paperback)
"In the Shadow of Death" is a well-told intriguing story of two men from opposite sides of the brutal conflict in the Pacific Front. The nightmare that the Americans and Filipinos suffered at the hands of the Japanese is told from the viewpoint of both the Americans and the Japanese via Jack Collins and Kenji Tanaka. The novel reminded me of the of Elie Wiesel's "Night" "All Quite on the Western Front" by Erich Remarque. The Americans become numb to the horror they must helplessly endure. Some of the Japanese are brutal, others compassionate, but most are just trying to survive a hellish situation that they neither wanted nor expected. The events surrounding the Bataan Death March are solidly based on historical fact and the places mentioned in the story are real. Littlejohn weaves fiction and fact together to develop sympathy for the main characters, Jack and Kenji, who are well developed and believable. I was happy that both survived the war and returned to civilian life at the close of the first part of the novel.
The second part occurs some forty years after the end of the war and the story resumes with the death of Jack's wife. The emotional trauma of her death triggers a smoldering desire for revenge that Jack had harbored for decades. He travels to the East and revisits the places where the Bataan Death March took place. He does not gain closure and travels to Japan where he seeks his revenge for the atrocities that he and his friends endured. Kenji who had ironically saved Jack's life when Jack had been a prisoner stops Jack's revenge. The book is a quick read and left me hoping that another one is in the works.
3.0 out of 5 stars
From one who has visited the book's locale.,
By
This review is from: In the Shadow of Death (Paperback)
THE SHADOW OF DEATH was a quick read with accurate locale information from an author who had obviously spent time in the two countries central to a good story.
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