NCIS star Mark Harmon has announced the release of his first book this year, two years after leaving the hit police procedural. The actor, who portrayed Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the CBS show, will release “Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor” on November 14.
Co-written with former Special Agent Leon Carroll Jr., the historical non-fiction book chronicles the true story of Japanese-American spy Douglas Wada. Wada, an intelligence officer, posed as a local reporter to gather information on the Japanese for the US Navy following the Pearl Harbor attack. Speaking to PEOPLE, Harmon emphasized the importance of delving into the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s history in his book. “I’ve always thought you can learn from history. Things tend to repeat themselves,” he said.
“This is the first story leading to the birth of what became the real NCIS. These agents are a different breed. I hope there’s a story revealed here that you don’t know. It was important work they were doing, and no one knew about it.”
Harmon also highlighted the crucial role co-writer Carroll Jr. played in the writing process. Their friendship began on the NCIS set when Carroll Jr. joined as a technical advisor. “I was always asking him about the right way to do something or the way he would do something. There wasn’t any interrogation I was ever part of on this show that I didn’t talk to him about,” Harmon said. “So when this idea came to me, I wanted it to be real. I said I wouldn’t touch this without him.”
Harmon starred in NCIS for 19 seasons before departing in 2021. His final scene showed Special Agent Gibbs winding down in Alaska on a fishing boat after finishing a big case.
Much like his NCIS character, Harmon now enjoys more freedom in this stage of his life. “I’ve got time to do whatever I want,” he said. “I can plan a dinner with the boys [his sons], we can take a trip. I’m so fortunate — I don’t ever wake up not thinking that.”
NCIS airs on CBS in the US, and Seasons 1-20 are streaming on Disney+ in the UK.