The Secret Sun: A Novel of Jap

Bored by the prospect of writing another A-bomb anniversary piece, Tokyo-based American journalist John Piper tries a new twist: a story on Japan's wartime effort to build a nuclear weapon. His research uncovers information, including the mysterious deaths of several physicists involved with the project, that leads him to doubt the official history, which portrays the Japanese A-bomb program as a complete failure. Aided by his beautiful, brave and efficient translator/assistant Kyoko, with timely help from Sato, a Foreign Ministry official, Piper closes in on some long-buried secrets that spark dangerously up-to-date resistance. The author, former Tokyo bureau chief for the Washington Post , nicely depicts his protagonist's awkward negotiation of the subtle protocols of Japanese culture and etiquette, deftly contrasting it with Piper's compensating ease as a cynical agent provocateur at long-winded press conferences. But once the investigative team uncovers a dangerous conspiracy, Hiatt's well-reported, sensitive portrayal of Japanese life gives way to a crude battle with villains so cartoonish they may be intended as a send-up of currently popular Nippon-bashing. This jarring shift of tone spoils an otherwise skillful debut novel. ( Aug. )