Five Decembers cover art

Five Decembers

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Five Decembers

By: James Kestrel
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Winner of the 2022 Edgar Award for Best Novel

Nominee for Best Thriller in the 2022 Barry Awards

Hammett Prize 2021 Finalist

December 1941. America teeters on the brink of war, and in Honolulu, Hawaii, police detective Joe McGrady is assigned to investigate a homicide that will change his life forever. The trail of murder he uncovers will lead him across the Pacific, far from home and the woman he loves; and though the U.S. doesn't know it yet, a Japanese fleet is already steaming toward Pearl Harbor.

This extraordinary novel is so much more than just a gripping crime story—it's a story of survival against all odds, of love and loss and the human cost of war. Spanning the entirety of World War II, Five Decembers is a beautiful, masterful, powerful novel that will live in your memory forever.

Original cover art copyright (c) 2021 by Claudia Carafe, painted for Hard Case Crime

©2022 James Kestrel (P)2022 Podium Audio 20th Century Fiction Hawaii Historical Historical Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery War

Listeners also enjoyed...

 A Talent for Killing cover art
A Bird in Winter cover art
A Body for McHugh cover art
Kickback cover art
The Murderer's Son cover art
The Black Echo: Special Edition cover art
When Christmas Comes cover art
The Life We Bury cover art
The Last Monument cover art
She Has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be cover art
Shelter in Place cover art
Songbird cover art

Critic reviews

“War, imprisonment, torture, romance…The novel has an almost operatic symmetry, and Kestrel turns a beautiful phrase.” (The New York Times)
"Read this book for its palpitating story, its perfect emotional and physical detailing and, most of all, for its unforgettable conjuring of a steamy quicksilver world that will be new to almost every reader." (Pico Iyer)
All stars
Most relevant  
This was a surprising book. It dips out of detective and war. Love and loyalty. I thoroughly enjoyed it for its uniqueness, I hated to put it down at 3am this morning. The narration was excellent.

A must read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fantastic detective procedural mixed in the midst of the arrival of WW2. It captures the atmosphere of the time, giving it the noirish feel of novels written in the period, which is a testament to the amount of research that has gone into it. No spoilers, but Kestrel weaves his tale into actual history very eloquently. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator brilliantly captures each character. Probably one of my favourite books of the year. I would definitely read more Kestrel, but so far this is his only publication. We need more Mr Kestrel!

Gumshoe in WW2

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great characters and a wonderful tour of a world at war and the people trying to survive, all surrounding a well crafted detective story. Loved it.

Perfect detective story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’ve listened to hundreds of crime books and this is one of the very best: big ideas, intriguing backdrop, unusual relationships, a gripping story and a protagonist I hope will live to tell many more stories. Though I fear not. And that is probably part of what makes it so good.

One of best crime books

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A really good listen. McGrady is a good character in this book. He is one eyed in his pursuit of those who break the law. It’s the first time I have listened to a book that is set in these places, and the author does an excellent job of describing them.

Very enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The main character is one you root for, the narration was excellent. Good story too.

Really enjoyable crime story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
excellent. if you only listen to one book this year make it Five Decembers. brilliant

excellent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Gripping pacey WW2 period piece which pulls you in and won't let go! Narrator pitch perfect.

Excellent thriller

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An enjoyable although far fetched story set during WW2, if you suspend your disbelief and except its coincidences you'll be entertained. I wouldn't mind another tale with the main protagonist as he's quite a unique sleuth.

Entertaining

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.