The Fire Agent
On behalf of: Spiegel & Grau
“A novel of inspiring humanity and heartbreaking fallibility, The Fire Agent shines a spotlight on the echoes still reverberating to this day. It’s a spy novel, a war story, a love story. It is a brilliant piece of historical fiction that is hardly fictional at all.”—Graham Yost, executive producer of The Americans and Slow Horses
“Historical fiction on an epic scale. A page-turner about spies in prewar Tokyo but with the weight of moral inquiry at its heart and a fascinating look at a Japan we only thought we knew. A remarkable achievement.”—Joseph Kanon, author of Shanghai and The Good German
A sweeping, unforgettable debut novel of espionage, war, love, and tragedy that redefines our understanding of the first half of the twentieth century.
Born into an aristocratic German-Jewish family, Ernst Baerwald is a gifted linguist, talented musician, and fearless idealist. When he’s recruited in 1900 to become a spy—his cover working for the chemical company that would become IG Farben—his life becomes an extraordinary adventure spanning two continents, two world wars, and impossible choices that will haunt him forever.
From Frankfurt to Milan to Tokyo, Ernst moves through a world of intrigue and passion. He battles Japan’s Yakuza while entertaining itsroyalty and hosts Europe’s most brilliant performers. He falls deeply in love . . . with two women. He witnesses the rise of fascism in both Japan
and Germany. And when the forces of fascism in Japan meet the horrors of Hitler’s Germany, this German-Jew faces an unthinkable decision: betray the country he serves or become complicit in unimaginable evil.
Based on the life of author David Baerwald’s grandfather, The Fire Agent is historical fiction that reads like a thriller. It is an epic story that carriesus from nineteenth-century German idealism to the onset of chemical warfare; from Japan’s organized crime syndicates to FDR’s spy networks; from the Nanking Massacre to the dawn of the Cold War. A gripping and epic story of a man who has the courage to fight for what’s right, even when the cost is everything, The Fire Agent resonates deeply with our own time, providing a lens through which we come to see, and question, ourselves.
Reviews
“Inspired by his Jewish German grandfather’s amazing story, Baerwald’s first novel devours the 20th century in all its horrors, international conspiracies, and dark secrets…. with its moral power, cinematic qualities, and deeply felt storytelling […] [The Fire Agent is] a boldly ambitious, richly populated saga.”—Kirkus
“With emotional acuity and scintillating prose, Baerwald excavates the ruins of humanity’s best intentions in this capacious and multigenerational saga that asks to be savored more than once. An entrancing and sublime tale of love, carnage, and the 20th century’s misplaced faith in human progress.”—Literary Journal
“An illuminating saga.”—Publishers Weekly
“A standout… A Father’s Day natural.”—Newsday
“The Fire Agent is one of those big, beautiful war novels about everything at the most important moment in history, and a story of the individuals that actually lived through it.”—LitHub
“A stunning debut. […] A knockout—not a potboiler, but a wild, scary ride where almost everything actually happened.”—Keen on America
“The Fire Agent is an utterly engrossing novel of espionage, love, and tragedy.”—Kevin Powers, author of The Yellow Birds