This was really a 3.5 book for me but I bumped it up to 4 stars because I think there is some good writing and great character development here.

We are introduced to a mystery right from the beginning of the novel. There is a police investigator looking into the plane crash of a private plane carrying a Japanese father and son who had escaped from an internment camp. The book is written in alternating perspectives by the main characters.

Harry Yamada and Louis Thorn grew up side by side on land on the California coast, both families farming, one more successful than the other. Louis grew up always being told that the Yamada’s somehow had stolen land that belonged to the Thorn’s and they had the richer more fertile parcel. He is never really given a true explanation of what happened.

Without going into the plot they eventually end up, boosted by Harry’s daredevil spirit, becoming wing walkers on an airplane for the sake of entertainment. They would travel to smaller towns where there wasn’t much in the way of excitement and gather as many people as they could, perform their show and then take people up for rides. Louis and Harry become comfortable with each other again, having to depend on each other for the show and the money that it enables them to send back “home”. We are able to see the effects of the depression on not only these families but those living in the small towns along the coast.

There is a love triangle with Ava being the center of attention and both Harry and Louis love her. Ava and her mother Chloe were working with a shady “cure all tonic” salesman, Earl, and they become the set up people advertising the show, selling lemonade and tickets for rides

There is a good story here and the characters are well developed. It does go back and forth in time but the story flows well. There is also the concurrent story of the investigator and how he gathers information and the conclusions he comes to. This book was a little slow going for me, there were definitely parts where it lagged but it was well worth the read and the ending is a good one.

While it is definitely historical fiction, it doesn’t really go into much depth about the Japanese internment camps, but that was fine, I don’t think it set out to be a story about that. There are quite a few other books that I’ve read if one wants to read about the internment camps more in depth. This was the story of these young people dealing with a decades old family rivalry and how it affected them and how they lived their lives.

The ending is a good one and I would recommend it for an easy day’s read. I will definitely look for more books by this talented author.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Will post to public media upon publication

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: PENGUIN GROUP Putnam
Pub. Date: July 3, 2018

On the first page of this historical fiction is an old black and white picture of a handsome young man with laughter in his eyes and a cocky grin on his face. He is standing in front of a biplane – a small plane for two, with an open cockpit. Over the picture, it reads, “In memory of my grandfather, Norbert.” The image and words left me with a feeling that I would enjoy this novel, which I did.

The characters include two friendly but highly competitive male teens living on their farms in California during the 1930s to the 1940s. Both are the sons’ of farmers who have been feuding for years. One of the boys is shy with an all American handsome freckled face. The other boy is also handsome. His face displays his Japanese American features. This teen’s nature is much more outgoing than his friend, but because we are in the years prior and during WWII he hides his true personality emulating humility to stay out of harm’s way. We also meet a young teenage girl, her mother, and her con artist stepfather who makes a living by selling snake oil. But, one time he is lucky and wins two biplanes. Eventually, they all meet and so begins the story of their traveling flying circus known as barnstorming. The conman gathers the crowds with their act, which consists of two biplanes, two stunt pilots, and two wing walkers. They make their money by selling tickets to the crowds for biplane rides. This is all illegal, but lots of fun. In case you haven’t figured it out the boys are the wing walkers and they both fall for the girl.

The young love triangle is written sweetly. The description of farming during the depression and life during WWII is spot-on. But, what I really enjoyed is learning how the early Japanese found their way into the United States. This book didn’t concentrate on the Japanese railroad workers but rather on the Japanese farm workers. I was completely ignorant that in the 1880’s Japanese immigrants first came to the Pacific Northwest to farm. They traveled throughout the States buying land. Many became very successful farmers. Sadly, these farmers lost everything when the war started beginning the internment of Japanese Americans. Not a proud moment in our history. I found this beautiful sad poem that I encourage you to read. “Japanese-American Farmhouse, California, 1942” by Sharon Olds: https://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/sharon-olds/japanese-american-farmhouse-california-1942/.

There is also a mystery in this story, which I didn’t think enhanced the novel at all. Rather, the extra plot detracts from it, causing the tale to be overlong. In 1943, an FBI agent comes looking for the Japanese teen and his family. (Eerily similar to today’s unfair treatment of immigrants coming to the US.) While there, he witnesses a biplane crash. The passengers are burned to death and not recognizable. The pilot and the passenger are assumed to be the Japanese father and son. Now, the agent’s job is to investigate the crash. I felt as though this entire added plot is to ensure a bestseller. The author would have been better off deciding to write one or the other, a mystery or a historical fiction. However, as I started with, I did enjoy the novel.

Eagle and Crane is historical fiction set in California shortly before and shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. We meet the Yamoda family and the Thorne family, who are neighbors in the fertile valleys near Sierra Madre. Through back and forth of time and story, we know of their feud, as well as the friendship of their younger members, forged as children amid the orchards at their property lines. As young adults, these young men become stunt men in a traveling air show somewhat by chance. Their worlds are drastically changed with the US entry into the war, in predictable and unpredictable ways. A thoroughly enjoyable read with a different view on an era much covered in historical fiction.

Recommend for fans of Jamie Ford, Robin Maxwell, and general fans of historical fiction.

Thank you net galley for an advanced reader copy of this novel. I enjoyed this historical fiction and the mystery within. Set in the US during wwii, the novel dealt with the Japanese internment camps. The novel moved with good pacing and dialogue. I will read other works by this author.

A couple of farm boys challenge each other to be "wingwalkers" in the traveling Flying Circus which is performing in California during the depression. "Wingwalkers" is just what its name implies: they walk on the wings of biplanes in flight! Louis Thorn and Harry Yamada become Eagle and Crane. Soon the Flying Circus is more popular than ever and people are lining up for tickets to see the sights from up in the air.

After Pearl Harbor, WWII begins to impact their lives in a very personal way, when Harry's Japanese family is shipped off to an internment camp where they live in abysmal conditions.

This is an exceptionally well-written study of character under the most intense circumstances.

I read this EARC courtesy of NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam pub date 07/03/18

This haunting tale is set in the backdrop of the events surrounding Pearl Harbor. This novel blends history and suspense as builds up into a beautifully immersing tale. The writing was wonderful and I could tell this book was well researched. There were many twists and turns that kept you reading all the way through to the end with a classic plot twist ending. This story was full of interesting characters who were richly developed making this a one click read. 5 stars from me.

The historical mystery 'Eagle & Craine' is woven with complex characters as theu deal with the pressures of family, unexpected friendships, poverty and more, set during the Depression era, before Pearl Harbor and WWII. My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It just didn't resonate with me. Since I did not finish the book, I do not intend to publish a review.

This is the type of novel that I LOVE. Impeccably researched, a topic close to the author's heart, and incredibly well-written. I admire Rindell's ability to transport the reader into a California of days gone by, and immediately spark an interest in the mystery at hand. She strung along the unsolved plane conundrum (I'm being vague to avoid spoilers) throughout the book, which amazingly did not get old, just made we want to find out what had happened!! I'm amazed by this period of history, Rindell's research of the Japanese internment camps, and proficiency in creating a fictionalized account of Harry and his family's experience.
I received this novel through NetGalley, from Penguin Group Putnam, in exchange for an honest review.

I guess it all comes down to the style of writing and I see that this author has a lot of dedicated readers. But I am not one of them. The prose is very simple for me, for example “No need to knock; their boots make a good deal of noise on the wooden planks.” This is not an engaging prose for me. Also the book starts with bombardment of dialogue. That is not an engaging start for me. Start with a story woven with vivid imagery instead of load of dialogue.