OBAKE NEKO

This was a fun, exciting, and nicely paced story. Set in Hawaii with all its beauty, Mike Brennan becomes deeply involved in a mystery from his father's past in WWII.

Bud Brennan was rescued in 1944 by a Japanese submarine after his plane came down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of New Guinea. On a secretive mission near the end of the war, the Obake Neko (Ghost Cat) submarine was retrofitted to transport some very interesting cargo. Bud has kept the secret of this cargo until the present day. Now he's facing a potential court martial.

The storyline alternates between Japan and the Pacific Ocean in 1944 and present day Hawaii. The characters are nicely developed, but not overly so - enough to be enjoyable. Is any or all of the story fact or fantasy? I don't know, but it's fun to pretend. And it makes for a very enjoyable story.

I would like to thank NetGalley, David Michael Gillespie for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a historical fiction about a submarine called Obake Neko. Bud breaks into the pearl Harbor's submarine museum and Mike (Bud's son) tries to help his dad and has to discover the truth to the Obake Neko. This book is told in the past and present. The past perspective is told by the japanese solders, mainly Sensei. The present is told by Mike. This book was very interesting and had a lot of action. There was a lot of twist and It had me at the edge of my seat. This book was based on the pearl harbor but was told through the eyes of the Japanese sailors, which was very unique. I enjoyed the characters. My favorite character was Sensei. This book also had more than one mystery,which was cool. I was worried that It was going to feel rushed. But all the mysteries relate to each other. Thank you net galley for a free copy for an honest review.

For the most part this is well written novel. The dual storyline is interesting and pertinent to the story. Where the novel falls down is the climax and finish. It feels very contrived as if the author couldn't figure out how to end the novel and just wanted to get it done.

4 stars

This is a great mystery story that covers a period of time at the end of the Pacific war and the present. The story is both well written and plotted. I enjoyed the characters, especially Sensei. It is a story about an imaginary submarine called Obake Neko or the Ghost Cat. She had been hauling supplies to the soldiers on the Pacific Islands until she was requisitioned on a secret mission.

Meanwhile an American war plane goes down and its four survivors are floating in a raft in the water when the pilot named Bud spots the submarine. What follows is both an adventure and a mystery. It comes back to life in the present when Bud, the only survivor of the floating raft, breaks into the local Navy base near Pearl Harbor to steal documents and then sets them on fire.

The Japanese officer structure and the technical details of the Obake Neko were very interesting. (How much is real, I don’t know. Aircraft on a submarine? How does that work?) I certainly look forward to reading more of Mr. Gillespie’s novels.

I want to thank NetGalley and David Michael Gillespie for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.