Robert (USA: CA) (2024/01/14): A fast-paced, well-written novel set in and around Los Alamos, New Mexico in the final preparations before Trinity, the first successful test of the atomic bomb. Real-life figures Oppenheimer, Groves, Gold and Fuchs are mixed in with many fictional characters, the lead being Army Sergeant Joe Peña. The author makes Joe do a lot of heavy lifting: he's Native American and grew up in the area so can serve as a liaison between the Army and the local Native communities, and taught a teenage Oppenheimer how to ride horses. Joe's also a former professional boxer, a jazz pianist, son of a renowned Native potter, and attracts officer's wives to his bed like moths to a flame. This makes him a perfect candidate to be an informer for the head of security at the installation who wants Oppenheimer to revealed as a Soviet spy at all costs. There's some beautiful writing here in descriptions of the landscape and weather, some great fight scenes and depictions of the Native communities and their suspicion that having the Army and Los Alamos as a neighbor may not be the best thing for their long-term viability. Joe's being caught between two worlds provides enough conflict to make the book exciting without the added villainy of the security chief. While Joe is a great character, he gets placed at every pivotal scene to the point that it strains credibility. The book's ending is thrilling but somehow unsatisfying.
