The Fervor

Funny timing to finish this just as the US is freaking out over Chinese balloons.

I'd previously read The Hunger and Red Widow, but this is my favorite Katsu novel so far. As with Hunger, there's a fantastical conceit connected to a real historical tragedy, but I think this has a more powerful resonance between the fictional and historical threads. I'd also compare it favorably with Red Widow in its handling of the themes of patriotism and the moral challenges of the national security apparatus.