To Touch The Clouds

Frontier #5

by Peter Watt

They had all forgotten the curse... Except one... Until it touched them. I will tell you of those times when the whitefella touched the clouds and lightning came down on the earth for many years.

In 1914, the storm clouds of war are gathering. Matthew Duffy and his cousin Alexander Macintosh are sent by Colonel Patrick Duffy to conduct reconnaissance on German-controlled New Guinea. At the same time, Alexander's sister, Fenella, is making a name for herself in the burgeoning Australian film industry.

But someone close to them has an agenda of his own – someone who would betray not only his family but his country to satisfy his greed and lust for power. As the world teeters on the brink of conflict, one family is plunged into a nightmare of murder, drugs, treachery and treason.

To Touch the Clouds is a powerful continuation of Peter Watt's much-loved saga of the Duffy and Macintosh clan, begun in The Cry of the Curlew.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Australia

449 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Peter Watt's life experiences have included time as a soldier, articled clerk to a solicitor, prawn trawler deckhand, builder's labourer, pipe layer, real estate salesman, private investigator, police sergeant and adviser to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary. He has lived and worked with Aborigines, Islanders, Vietnamese and Papua New Guineans.


He speaks, reads and writes Vietnamese and Pidgin - and has a reasonable grasp of the English language. He currently lives in Maclean, on the Clarence River in Northern NSW.

Good friends, fine food, fishing and the vast open spaces of outback Queensland are his main interests in life. He also enjoys SCUBA diving, military history, crosswords (but not the cryptic kind) and teaching.

He is a member of the Australian Institute of Management, the Australian Institute of Training and Development and the Australian Society of Authors.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree (University of Tasmania), Post Graduate Diploma of Training & Development (University of New England) and an Associate Diploma of Justice Administration (Sturt University).

Reviews

[Christine]

This is the 5th book in this series and I just didn’t feel that it held the appeal of the previous 4 books. It is certainly a sweeping saga but I found the characters felt a bit watered down, as if the author had run out of interesting things situations for them to be involved in. The earlier novels were quite engaging.

[Alisa]

Novels set in remote Australia, overseas during battle in war, and in the UK. Intertwined family drama that follows a couple of families for many generations from around 1800 to mid-1900s. Historical information regarding the war & so on is correct & interesting, and there is lots of fictional drama & family relationships added in. Very good reading. Some is a bit gruesome about assault & incest during old times (definitely for adults only, and it was a bit gruesome for me). A really good series. RD

[Neville]

This is an enjoyable read and typical of the Duffy/Macintoshes during the time period.

The story focus is around Patrick and his children at the start of WWI. George, Alex and his cousin, Matthew Duffy and Fenella (Nellie).

Nellie is accused of a crime that she did not commit, Alex and Matthew are sent on a dangerous mission prior to the start of the war and George is soon seen for what he is, a tratior.

[Joy Norman]

Another of Peter Watts great books in the saga of the Macintosh family and the Duffy family. George Macintosh is a corrupt business man and provides support to the Germans by providing chemicals that are then used on Australians and. Other# to kill them. He is merciless and cruel and wants nothin* better than his father ,sister and brother to die so he control more of his empire. I can hardly put the books down and #stayed up all night to read this one

[Nigel Copeman]

A traitor in the nest.

Another great story by this author hence 5 stars. They have a traitor in the family and is trying to be the last to survive to take over the empire that has been built. You will have to read the book to find out who it is.

[Andrew]

The Duffy and MacIntosh clans are back, decades on from the massacre and the curse. Peter Watt has written a superb historical fiction novel detailing the days just before and just after the outbreak of the Great War in the Pacific.

[Jae]

The story is now tedious and the writing style is convoluted.

[Helen]

Audiobook.
Book 5 in the series.

[Phil Kearse]

Little hard to read in some areas. The story line was interesting

[Vicki]

Easy light read. This book is part of a family saga and it had the feel of a "filler book" to take the family into the next major life events (WWI).

[Deb Bodinnar]

Yet another great installment in the Duffy/McIntosh saga.

[Barbara]

Excellent as usual. Keep it up