★Baerwald, David. The Fire Agent. Spiegel & Grau. Jun. 2026. ISBN 9781966302001. 624p. $32. HISTORICAL FICTION

DEBUT Baerwald’s debut is based on the enigmatic story of his grandfather Ernst Baerwald, a gifted German Jewish linguist and musician whose work with the German chemical company IG Farben promised to solve starvation but instead lead to a life of espionage. Spanning the two world wars and the advent of the Cold War, the story follows Ernst on his epic adventures in Italy and Japan, including his love life with the beguiling fashion maven Chizuko and with Lina, a proven spy and agent runner with cinema-star good looks. Around and through this feverish threesome, Baerwald reveals a world bent on destruction—despite life-saving advances in science—that befuddles idealistic Ernst. Digging into the fecund ground of this century, the author uncovers a hypnotic vision of Japan roiling in its push-pull relationship with the West, with the genesis of its ultranationalist elements a timely commentary on today’s U.S. 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. VERDICT An entrancing and sublime tale of love, carnage, and the 20th century’s misplaced faith in human progress.