Title: Clouds Over Mountains
Author: Matt Joseph
Genre: Historical Fiction
Book Blurb:
A murder mystery novel about the lasting tragedy of Pearl Harbor many decades later.
Yasuo Saito is a former Japanese naval pilot living in quiet retirement concealing a dishonorable wartime past. Margaret Roberts, a senior U.S. government official at the end of her pioneering career, confronts her mother’s failing health while she juggles nagging ambition and her quest for happiness.
Saito and Roberts each take refuge in Hawaii, where they help the FBI solve a mysterious shooting in Pearl Harbor. As that murder investigation unfolds, hidden stories are revealed that link Saito and Roberts to December 7, 1941, a day of infamy that pushed the world into war and would prove pivotal to both of them.
Against the backdrop of a shocking crime in late 1998, “Clouds Over Mountains” moves between modern-day Hawaii, Japan, and Washington, D.C., weaving recollections of pre-war Japan with contemporary political intrigue. The novel examines themes of love and family, shame and redemption, truth and hope, and how historical events continue to shape people's lives six decades later.
Excerpt:
1
He waits, keeps his mouth shut, watches and wonders.
Seven days a week this complex teems with tourists. Hundreds might stand in long lines to view the documentary or board the boats, to browse the gift shop or snap photographs.
Tonight they’re gone, but not the beehive of activity: the complex is overrun by countless police and military, firemen and paramedics, wave after wave of authority. Yellow caution tape cordons off entire buildings. Radios blare inaudible monotones while red, amber and blue flashing lights reflect off cement walls.
Officials arrive in all manner of dress. Some are casual, others in suits, many in uniform. Most are poker-faced and look straight ahead. A few seem irreverent and may not understand — they parade by, laughing and joking. Singles or pairs, sometimes in larger groups, each comes through the courtyard, past the dark corridor where he’s sitting, down steps to the grassy waterfront promenade.
There they point through heavy fog across the bay, huddle, gesture, talk into cell phones, eventually leave.
All night long, this is what the chief petty officer sees and hears. He waits alone, isolated to the side, cold and hungry, chain-smoking Marlboros, and battling conflicting emotions.
Fatigue and boredom. Unwelcome attention. The horror of what he saw. He knows what he saw, but he’s unable to calculate the geometry, the logic, the meaning of it, the how and why.
Meanwhile, he thinks. Who are these people? How much should I say? What really happened? Who was he? Of all places, why there? What type of questions will they ask?
Now, finally, they come get him for the interview.
He’s ushered inside a drab conference room that’s overheated and reeks of stale air. A lone armchair has been placed at the far side of a laminated rectangular table.
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What makes your featured book a must-read?
“Masterful storytelling. The author is able to seamlessly flow between two time periods without any disruption to the flow of the story. This is a style of writing that is simply first rate.” -- N.N. Light’s Book Heaven
“A story of epic proportion… A striking story and a compelling read.” -- Foreword Clarion Reviews
"A rich and complicated story spanning decades and cultures… Sensitive, multidimensional portrayal of Japanese and American viewpoints of the Pacific conflict in WWII." – US Review of Books
"A well-researched, character-driven and lengthy yet powerful read… A must-read historical and mystery/thriller novel." – Pacific Book Review
“A marvellous read.” “A great read that is hard to put down.” “I loved the book.” - Amazon 5-Star customer reviews.
“A brilliant WWII story…” AuthorHouse 5-Star customer review.
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Author Biography:
This is Matt Joseph’s first novel. Matt is a retired lawyer from the San Francisco Bay Area, now living in Missoula, Montana.