“Paced like a thriller, written like a dream.”—The Boston Globe
An unforgettable, sweeping novel of espionage, love, and war that reframes our understanding of the first half of the twentieth century.
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“From the opening pages of The Fire Agent, we know that we are in the hands of a confident, capable storyteller. . . . It isn’t easy making a historical novel feel fresh on such well-traveled ground. . . . This is a wonderfully readable book, and for all the intrigue of Ernst’s spying and his many harrowing moments, its emotional anchor is the love triangle that develops between Ernst, Chizuko and Ursuline, another spy who is sent to serve as Ernst’s wife.”—The New York Times
“The chapters are compact, the writing is brisk and direct, and momentous events—from the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 to the Allied firebombing of Tokyo during World War II—regularly punctuate the storytelling. The Fire Agent moves to a bittersweet, somewhat disillusioned finale without losing any of its narrative drive.”—Wall Street Journal
"Deeply immersive .... For history buffs who also like spy adventures, or lovers of spy fiction who also want to learn a thing or two about the most important moments of the 20th century, The Fire Agent has it all. This is one of those books that feels like a “book club” novel, but reads like an adventure movie." —Men's Journal
“The Fire Agent, Baerwald's debut novel, is a huge, swashbuckling affair, an epic, massively entertaining, and often gut-punchingly horrifying tale of international espionage spanning four continents, two world wars and countless collisions between heartfelt idealism and the harsh realities of human behavior . . . firmly grounded in actual historical events and figures both well-known and obscure—some of which are truly stranger than fiction.”—The Forward
“A standout . . . a Father's Day natural.”—Newsday
“This sweeping historical spy novel is inspired by the author’s grandfather’s life, spanning the course of both World Wars. German-Jewish agent Ernst Baerwald’s adventures in Italy and Japan involve chemical warfare, misplaced idealism, and two dazzling women. Paced like a thriller, written like a dream.”—The Boston Globe
"The pacing is at once frantic and gripping, the writing exquisite. . . . David Baerwald’s debut novel is a triumph—a well-paced, emotional, and educational tale of humankind’s struggle to retain compassion and dignity in an often-brutal world. This modern-day epic is a gorgeous tapestry—an espionage thriller, an historical masterpiece and a dynamic love story which will leave readers breathless.”—Chronogram
“A sweeping tale of both world wars, the dashed idealism of the interwar period, and the dread brought about by the atom bomb attacks on Japan. . . . An illuminating saga.”—Publishers Weekly
“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 . . . this is quite an achievement. . . . A boldly ambitious, richly populated saga.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A timely commentary . . . 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.”—Library Journal (starred review, Debut of the Month)
“The Fire Agent is one of those big, beautiful war novels about everything at the most important moment in history, and a story of individuals that actually lived through it.”—Lit Hub
“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
“The Fire Agent is an utterly engrossing novel of espionage, love, and tragedy. From the emergence of industrial science in Germany to the shadowy spy networks of prewar Tokyo and the corridors of American intelligence, David Baerwald brings the secret machinery at the heart of 20th-century geopolitics roaring to life. I absolutely loved it.”—Kevin Powers, author of The Yellow Birds
“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
“A sweeping, cinematic swashbuckler of a novel—with an unforgettable love story at its heart—that brings the rise of global fascism during the first half of the twentieth century into sharp focus for us in the twenty-first. I wish I had an ancestor as astonishing and as honorable as Ernst Baerwald.”—Janice P. Nimura, author of Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back
“An astonishing story from start to finish.”—Spectrum Culture
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New York Times Editors' Choice * A LitHub most anticipated book of 2026
“Paced like a thriller, written like a dream.”—The Boston Globe
“The Fire Agent has it all. This is one of those books that feels like a “book club” novel, but reads like an adventure movie.”—Men's Journal
“A spy novel, a war story, a love story—brilliant historical fiction that is hardly fictional at all.”—Graham Yost, executive producer of The Americans and Slow Horses
An unforgettable, sweeping novel of espionage, love, and war that reframes 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 a company that would become the notorious chemical conglomerate 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 its royalty 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 impossible choice: destroy the country he loves most 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 carries us 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. At its center is the unforgettable character of Ernst—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.
David Baerwald is an award-winning singer-songwriter, composer, and recording artist, best known for his critically acclaimed hit album with David Ricketts, Boomtown. He has collaborated with Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones, Sheryl Crow, Hans Zimmer, and Baz Luhrmann, among others. Baerwald spent a formative part of his childhood in Tokyo, grew up in Los Angeles, and currently lives in New York’s Hudson Valley. This is his first novel.