Daikon A novel

In this thrilling what-if scenario from historian Hawley (The Imjin War), the U.S. sends three--not two--atomic bombs to Japan during WWII, and one falls into enemy hands. In August 1945, the B-29 Wicked Intent sets off from Tinian Island with the U.S.'s first atomic payload, destined for Hiroshima. But the plane is shot down and the crew killed before the bomb can be dropped. The bomb is then discovered intact by Japanese petty officer Ryohei Yagi, but nobody knows what kind of weapon it is. Once it's ascertained that the bomb contains uranium, Lt. Col. Shingen Sagara of the War Ministry asks Keizo Kan, a civilian scientist, to investigate the device. Kan is shocked to discover that he is staring at a working atomic warhead. Five days after its capture, Hiroshima is destroyed in a second bombing mission, and Sagara orders Kan to get the captured bomb ready to be used against the Americans before they can launch another strike. Kan proceeds, despite knowing Japan's surrender is inevitable. Meanwhile, Sagara plans to launch one last desperate act to alter the outcome of the war, setting the two men on a collision course that builds to a pulse-pounding climax. The result is the most imaginative take on Hiroshima since Edwin Corley's The Jesus Factor. Agent: Warren Frazier, John Hawkins & Assoc. (July)