Dead Reckoning: The Story of How Johnny Mitchell and His Fighter Pilots Took on Admiral Yamamoto and Avenged Pearl Harbor

This book follows the biographies of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and John Mitchell, the yank fighter pilot assigned to kill him. It starts from their birth and ends with Yamamoto's death. The book is deeply researched and Lehr clearly has mastered the material. He does a good job juggling all of the people and events and forming them into a clear narrative -- an impressive feat! There are wobbles: At times Lehr can't resist overloading us with biographical details of marginal characters. Also, he doesn't seem especially familiar with the Pacific: He thinks New Britain is part of the Solomon Islands, and suggests that you can drive from Waikiki to Haleiwa in 20 minutes. But overall: Clearly written, well-paced, military history of WWII. show more You'll get no complaints from me. show less

This is the story of two men, one American, one Japanese, during WWII. Major John Mitchell assembled a team that killed Admiral Yamamoto, the architect of Pearl Harbor. It told the story of both me as their paths came together. I was impressed that the author even included some discussion of fighter pilot competition for the kill. Those guys did not come off as bright stars in the sky. Excellent read.