THE LANTERN BOATS an utterly gripping and heart-breaking historical novel set in post-war Japan (Historical Fiction Standalones)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I wasn’t ready for the book to end.” Lily R.
Perfect for fans of The Woman in the White Kimono!
Against the backdrop of post-war Japan comes a powerful and heart-breaking novel of two displaced people from very different backgrounds, drawn into a web of espionage and betrayal with fatal consequences.
Tokyo, 1951.
Elly Ruskin is trapped between worlds. Half-Japanese, half-Scottish, she is deported from Australia to Japan after the war, but Tokyo is a city Elly barely knows. In a whirlwind romance, she falls in love with a Scottish journalist and they marry.
Kamiya Jun is a teenage war orphan from the lost Japanese colony of Karafuto. He is smuggled to the mainland on a fishing boat. Captured by the police, he is handed over to the occupation forces, and finds himself unwillingly recruited to work in an underground intelligence unit run by a maverick American officer.
Now Elly thinks her husband is having an affair, and her suspicions will lead her down a treacherous path that will put everyone in danger. Jun might be the only person who can help her.
Discover an absolutely beguiling story of intrigue and the human spirit set against the backdrop of Japan in transition.
A beautifully written, deeply moving novel that will be read and re-read by fans of Ana Johns, Victoria Hislop, Dinah Jefferies, Fiona Valpy, Robert Goddard, Kate Morton and Louise Douglas.
WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING ABOUT THE LANTERN BOATS
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I felt like I was transported back in time and into another country. The ending was perfect.” Leighton S.
“An exceptionally well-written and intriguing story . . . It also should rank high as a good choice for book clubs.” Paula K.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “An intriguing plot for both characters, that intersect and diverge multiple times, before closing in a beautiful and bittersweet ending.” Lottie H.
“This is definitely a book I will read again.” Mags K.
“I was in the mood to read something that I don’t typically pick up and this was perfect for me.” Dana S.
Also by Tessa Morris-Suzuki
THE SEARCHER a gripping historical crime mystery based on a true story