Rating: 
Summary: A Ripping Good Read
Review: I've only recently discovered Martin Cruz Smith, but he is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I found December 6 to be a superb effort on his part. The premise is interesting, if not totally unique. Other reviewers have noted similarities between Harry Niles and Bogart's Rick in "Casblanca." But the reader knows what Niles does not. The clock is ticking even faster than he knows. Time is running out, and Tokyo on December 7, 1941 is no place for an American to be -- even a Yank who is more Japanese than Western in his outlook.
Tension mounts nicely as Harry attempts to wrap up his final affairs and get the hell out of Dodge. But complications continuously arise, making his depature ever more difficult.
Is Harry a spy? A con man? A traitor? A hero? Or some combination of each trait? Smith does his usual superb job of sweeping the reader along as events begin to spin out of Harry's control. A highly recommended, good read.
Rating:
Summary: From Japan
Review: I was quite pleased with M.C.Smith's depiction of Tokyo(Japan) as it was more than a half century ago. It was a very good, almost precise description of the times and included an excellent view of the Japanese trend of thought at that time. The author's research about Japan must have been quite extensive and he must have interviewed actual "gaijin" who lived in Japan at that time.
This is a must-read for Japanese even if they didn't like "The Rape of Nanking" by Iris Chan, which was rather an imprecise and exaggerated picture of the Japanese people during the same time period that is so finely drawn in Smith's "December 6."
Rating: 
Summary: Good, if you've never been in Japan
Review: An old Jesuit professor of mine at Sophia University in Tokyo used to say that "if you have been for a week in Japan you can write a book, if you've stayed for a month you can probably write a paper, and after a year a couple of pages". As an ex-resident of Japan and -at the same time- a Martin Cruz Smith fan I was sorry that my -limited but first hand- knowledge of things Japanese spoiled my reading pleasure. Undoubtedly the book, which is published here under the title "Tokyo Station" as December 6 is not a date us Europeans recognise, is good and most enjoyable for readers unfamiliar with Japan. Well written, beautiful characters, interesting albeit slow plot. However Mr. Cruz grasp of Japan is epidermal and the book seems artificial when it comes to portraying Japan and the Japanese. This, in addition to the fact that in any war it is the winner who writes its history when it is over, made the book less enjoyable than what it would've been in a different setting.
Rating:
Summary: Never a Formula action thriller writer
Review: Many writers today find a successful formula and stick to it... over and over. The only thing the same from Martin Cruz Smith's works are their high level of excitement, interesting characters and plot development. December 6: A Novel lives up to Smith's past work. What he does best is gives the reader an insiders' view of a society totally different than what the audience is used to.
Another fun read from Smith.
Rating: 
Summary: Not up to his usual!
Review: If there's a bigger Martin Cruz Smith fan around than your's truly I'd like to meet them. I sacrifice budget or food in the house when he has a new release. Maybe that's why I felt so let down when I finished DECEMBER 6TH.Another review nailed it. Casablanca goes to Japan! Thirty or so pages into this the comparison was way obvious. To me there's nothing worse than taking a classic storyline and trying to disguise it as something new. I wanted this to end. I didn't want POLAR STAR, RED SQUARE, or HAVANA BAY to end. ROSE well ... let's leave ROSE alone. It wilted OK? In so many other works by Smith I felt the chill of ice, smelled the cabbage boiling. I could see the colors of Cuba! Here, not only was it already familiar but it was almost a draft instead of a complete work. Bring back Arkady. He is a never miss character and always brings depth to the story. Sorry Martin. Maybe DECEMBER 6TH won't live in infamy.
Rating:
Summary: Another high- quality winner from a great writer.
Review: I like this book as much as I liked Rose, which was another historical thriller/mystery by this author. All the standard Cruz-Smith strengths are in play here: economical, smooth prose; great, cutting dialogue; and tremendous characterization. This book is also extremely well plotted, and the pacing is simply incredible. Harry Niles is the kind of protagonist that this author has a patent on: a survivor as opposed to a standard, cookie-cutter "hero." There is nothing heroic about Harry Niles. He is a hustler and a con man - the only son of missionary parents who makes his own way in Japan just before World War II. As one character observes, Harry is a "fish that could live in a tree if he had too." Also, this author creates the most interesting and frightening villains in fiction. His Ishigami, a samurai run amok, is spellbinding. Lastly, this book is a fascinating look into another time and another culture. Buy this book. You will not be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Can't expect much for historical accuracy
Review: In Tokyo, the day before Pearl Harbor was December 7. If the author cannot muster an historically correct title, what can you expect in the text?
Rating: 
Summary: PLAY IT AGAIN SAM
Review: Looking for a novel that will entertain, enlighten and educate? You'll find it here in Martin Cruz Smith's intelligent and engrossing story of Tokyo on the eve of Pearl Harbour. Centered by the enigmatic Harry Niles, the story gives the reader insight into what it may have been like to have been raised as an American in Japan prior to the war. Niles character, similar in many ways to Rick Blain in Casablanca, walks a thin and dangerous line in trying to sort out his feelings for a very volatile Japanes woman, the friendships he developed growing up and his loyalty to the US.
The novel is extremely well researched and keeps the reader guessing till the end. Well worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: I wanted to like it, but couldn't get through it
Review: About half way through I decided that it was going in circles, so I skipped to the end to see if it was worth trudging on through it. The ending left the whole thing up in the air, without any real resolution.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good!
Review: Well done thriller that offers a deep understanding of Japanese culture during the years leading up to Pearl Harbor. Great atmosphere, sharply etched characters, and superb dialog. The plot is fascinating and there are no punches pulled regarding Japanese savagery in China. Highly recommended.
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