this was a great historical novel, it was a great and unique read on the historical novel. The characters were great and I enjoyed going through this book.

Author Stu Lane published the novel “Hellhound, Take Me Home” in 2019. This is his first publication.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of violence, mature language, and mature situations. Much of the story is set in Australia, but some of it takes place elsewhere in Asia. The story spans from 1942 to the end of the war. There are three primary characters. Ken Hazel of the Australian Army, his wife Ann, and Japanese soldier Hito Egami.

Early in 1942, Hazel travels with the Australian Army to Singapore. They are there to help defend the island. Shortly after he arrives the Japanese take the island and he becomes a POW. He is held there for months before being shipped to Japan to work as a slave laborer.

The Australian Army captured Egami and he was held in a POW camp in Australia. He escapes from the camp and wanders the desolate bush. Ann Hazel and her son come upon Egami and they hide him in their home for a while. She begins to fear their efforts are starting to unravel. At about the same time she comes up with a crazy and dangerous scheme to both get Egami home and her husband back.

Egami had received letters from home while a POW. Ann had received letters from her husband. From those Ann learns that Egami’s brother is a guard at the camp where her husband is being held. A nurse shortage in Guam is the final catalyst for her plan. She volunteers and heads for Guam with Egami in tow disguised as a burn patient. The first leg of the trip is dangerous enough. They must make their way by ship to Guam. Once there she has to find a way for Egami to stow away on a plane headed to Japan. The journey is filled with one peril after another. She is not sure if they will survive the trip let alone be able to maintain the charade.

If this all isn't enough, after so many months living close to Ann, Egami has begun to develop feelings for her. While she still loves her husband, she has become fond of Egami as well. With the outrageous course they are pursuing, she may lose both of them.

I thought that the 6+ hours I spent reading this 306-page thriller were interesting. While the plot was a bit outlandish, that is not that unusual for a thriller. Some details included in the story though are simply wrong. For instance, in Chapter 25 the POWs in Japan make a ‘tiny transistor radio’ to listen to war news. While POWs were sometimes able to make a radio, it couldn’t have been a transistor radio. The first working transistor was not made until 1947. I find the cover art a little odd. The plane looks vaguely like a B-29, which does factor into the plot. I have no idea though what the image waving his arms means. I give this novel a 3.4 (Rounded down to a 3) out of 5.

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No matter what side you are on, war and propaganda indoctrination are the same. The enemy is ruthless and will show no mercy.

Ken Hazel and his platoon are part of the military divisions assigned with the task of defending New Guinea at all costs. The Japanese juggernaut was taking the peninsula and the Australian platoon were tasked with stopping them but is over-run and taken hostage. They are shipped to prisoner of war camps in Japan.

Hitoshi Egami (Hito) is a Japanese soldier who is captured by the Aussies during one of the battles and sent to a prisoner of war camp in Australia. As a Japanese soldier he is required to attempt to escape.

During a prison escape, Hito is discovered by an Australian woman who helps him. She discovers that her husband Ken is in a POW camp called Naoetsu POW camp in Japan. She decides to devise a plan to get Hito back to Japan to help her husband. Hito’s brother Noriaki is the camp commandant. Hito did not die for the Emperor nor did he commit harikari. He is a discredit to his family and his brother has no use for him.

I highly recommend this WW II saga. It is well written and entertaining. The ends to which Ann works with the military and smuggles Hito back to Japan is astounding. 5 stars - CE Williams

As both an Australian and a history buff, I was delighted the author resisted the often used trope of glorifying war and painting the “enemy” completely without sympathy. The author handles our emotional past respectfully but without shying away from what happened. The characters were immensely engaging and their personal story was just as important as the wider plot. The author clearly cares about the subject matter - it shows in every sentence.

This book is really quite something extraordinary. Very rarely do I come across a story that has the view point of the Japanese as well as a commonwealth soldier. It was really nice to see the author paint the Japanese man in such a refreshing light.

This is a story about love, bravery and above all else kindness during those very dark days of World War Two. Fantastic read, I highly recommend it. Well done Stu!