Sunrise on the Evil and the Good (Paperback)

Before Pearl Harbor, the island was already at war.

Hawaii, 1940. Paradise has teeth.

When engineer Kana Hale returns home to Oahu, he expects sun, surf, and a slow reconnection with the life he left behind. But a cryptic favor from an old friend plunges him into a deadly game of espionage, betrayal, and wartime secrets. A stolen notebook holds dangerous information—and everyone wants it.

Framed for murder and hunted by the FBI, Kana's only hope lies with Alani, the woman he loved and lost. But trusting her again may be his biggest gamble yet.

As foreign spies circle, old loyalties fray, and the island teeters on the edge of war, Kana must face the darkness lurking beneath Hawaii’s postcard-perfect surface.

Taut, atmospheric, and richly evocative, Sunrise on the Evil and the Good is a noir-soaked historical thriller that explores the costs of patriotism, identity, and love at the dawn of global conflict.

Tim Hassall is a writer and educator with a deep passion for narrative craft and historical storytelling. He holds a master's degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Rutgers University, and a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Delaware. Over the course of his academic and teaching career, he authored three books on writing instruction and one on SAT preparation, all grounded in the belief that clarity, structure, and emotional resonance are the foundation of great writing.
With Sunrise on the Evil and the Good, Hassall brings those principles to fiction, blending immersive historical detail with the pacing of a literary thriller. The novel explores pre-war Hawaii through the eyes of a conflicted protagonist navigating espionage, identity, and betrayal on the eve of Pearl Harbor. Rather than focus on historical figures or military leaders, Hassall centers his narrative on ordinary people swept up in extraordinary times—people whose moral choices echo into history.
Tim lives with his family in New Jersey, where he continues to write fiction and explore the intersection of history, suspense, and character-driven storytelling. Find out more at authortimhassall dot com.