Family of spies : a World War II story of Nazi espionage, betrayal, and the secret history behind Pearl Harbor / Christine Kuehn.
A propulsive, never-before-told story of one family's shocking involvement as Nazi and Japanese spies during WWII and the pivotal role they played in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It began with a call from a screenwriter, asking about a story. Your family. World War II. Nazi spies. Christine Kuehn was shocked and confused. When she asked her seventy-year-old father, Eberhard, what this could possibly be about, he stalled, deflected, demurred, and then he wept. He knew this day would come. The Kuehns, a once-prominent Berlin family, saw the rise of the Nazis as a way out of the hard times that had befallen them. When the daughter of the family, Eberhard's sister, Ruth, met Nazi leader Joseph Goebbels at a party, the two hit it off, and they had an affair. But Ruth had a secret-she was half Jewish-and Goebbels found out. Rather than having Ruth killed, Goebbels instead sent the entire Kuehn family to Hawaii, to work as spies half a world away. There, Ruth and her parents established an intricate spy operation from their home, just a few miles down the road from Pearl Harbor, shielding Eberhard from the truth. They passed secrets to the Japanese, leading to the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. After Eberhard's father was arrested and tried for his involvement in planning the assault, Eberhard learned the harsh truth about his family and faced a decision that would change the path of the Kuehn family forever. Jumping back and forth between Christine discovering her family's secret and the untold past of the spies in Germany, Japan, and Hawaii, Family of Spies is fast-paced history at its finest, and will rewrite the narrative of December 7, 1941.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781250344465
- ISBN: 1250344468
- Physical Description: x, 259 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map, genealogical table, facsimiles ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York, NY : Celadon Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers, 2025.
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 241-250) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Prologue -- "Don't say anything" -- The secret -- "In the darkness, the two led the attack on Pearl Harbor" -- Crafting a Nazi spy -- Falling under the spell -- The crash -- Payback -- A chance encounter -- "They just vanished!" -- Bushido: "The way of the warrior" -- The world's thirty greatest women spies -- Special agent in charge -- Hell was heading to paradise -- Bag of tricks -- The warning was clear -- The final days 127 -- December 7, 1941: X-Day -- Captured -- Behind the barbed wire -- "I assumed we would be executed" -- The trial -- The verdict -- The submarine saboteurs -- "Arrangements will be made for an early execution" -- "Rescue Eberhard for me!" -- Nowhere to go -- The reckoning -- Reconciling -- Epilogue.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Kuehn, Otto, 1895-1955.
Kuehn, Otto, 1895-1955 > Family.
Kuhn family.
Intelligence officers > Germany > Biography.
Germans > Hawaii > Biography.
Spies > Germany > Biography.
Spies > Japan > Biography.
Espionage, Japanese > Hawaii > Pearl Harbor > History > 20th century.
Espionage, German > Hawaii > Pearl Harbor > History > 20th century.
Nazis > Germany > Biography.
Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941.
World War, 1939-1945 > Secret service > Japan.
World War, 1939-1945 > Secret service > Germany. - Genre:
- Biographies.
Available copies
- 47 of 70 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 4 of 5 copies available at Nantahala Regional Library.
Holds
- 9 current holds with 70 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrews Public Library | 940.5487 KUE (Text) | 80605000648286 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Graham County Library | 940.5487 KUE (Text) | 80605000638915 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Moss Memorial Library | 940.5487 KUE (Text) | 80605000645704 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Murphy Public Library | 940.5487 KUE (Text) | 80605000635390 | Adult Nonfiction | Checked out | 08/25/2026 |
| Nantahala Regional Library Bookmobile | 940.5487 KUE (Text) | 80605000642347 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
