NEED TO KNOW
- PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover for Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll Jr.’s third book together, Ghosts of Sicily
- The book chronicles the true story about how the Office of Naval Intelligence worked with the mob “to protect America’s waterfronts” during World War II
- “All records were burned after WWII. Why?” Harmon says in an exclusive statement. “Read Ghosts of Sicily and find out.”
Mark Harmon is teaming up with a real NCIS agent for a fascinating new book.
Harmon, 74, and retired NCIS special agent Leon Carroll Jr. are releasing their upcoming book, Ghosts of Sicily: The True Story of the Naval Intelligence Agents Who Courted the Mob to Fight Nazis in America and the Battlefields of Italy, on April 14 — and PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the cover.
Harper Select, an imprint of HarperCollins, will publish the forthcoming book, which will transport readers back to 1942 New York to learn how the “Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) turned to an unlikely ally — the mob — to protect America’s waterfronts,” per the synopsis.
“The book chronicles the ONI’s controversial alliance with Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano, the daring missions of agents like Tony Marsloe and the pivotal role this operation played in both the war effort and the evolution of international crime,” the synopsis continues.
To do so, it will interweave the stories of historical figures like Meyer Lansky and General George Patton, with “high-stakes espionage and the harrowing realities of war.”
“The history of World War II has always been fascinating to me, and there have been many books written,” Harmon tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. “The Office of Naval Intelligence/ONI played a huge part in the invasion and new details uncovered a riveting, complex story. All records were burned after WWII. Why? Read Ghosts of Sicily and find out.”
For Carroll’s part, he learned more about the Office of Naval Intelligence after he joined their ranks, and this book will help readers do the same — and add to the canon of their previous books.
“When I joined NIS in 1980, I knew little of its remarkable history. This book adds another chapter to the ONI/NIS/NCIS legacy, previously unearthed by the Ghosts of Honolulu and Ghosts of Panama,” he tells PEOPLE. “Once again, I feel honored to showcase the ingenuity of Naval Intelligence officers, in this case, teaming with notorious mob figures during WWII in the Ghosts of Sicily.”
Theo Camach; KEVIN LYNCH
This marks the co-authors’ third novel together, following their work on Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor and Ghosts of Panama: A Strongman Out of Control, A Murdered Marine, and the Special Agents Caught in the Middle of an Invasion.
Before their co-authorship, the pair met working on the hit CBS drama series NCIS when Harmon starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Carroll worked on the flagship series for 21 seasons as technical advisor lending his knowledge as a retired NCIS special agent. He now works on NCIS: Origins.
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Ghosts of Sicily hits shelves on April 14 and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.
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