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Pieces of Wood
It's 1978. Two sons of the Rising Sun reignite their fathers’ World War Two diabolical disdain for women, secreting it to Chicago’s shores. The first - the mastermind - a professor of nuclear physics, is readying an ingenious new weapon that if released, will have a catastrophic effect on every human being across the North American continent for decades to come. The second, a butchering psychopath, is loose in the streets, diverting local authorities with an ever-escalating, body count of his young female victims. Recalling a childhood riddle, the FBI’s first authorized, gun-toting, female agent Michaelene Westgate, rushes as the clock ticks, to decipher and crush the professor’s barbaric scheme. Author Kenneth James Moore has traveled the globe to research a little known holocaust that has remained a closely guarded secret of Japan and US allies alike, for over 80 years. A battle plan like any other, drawn during WWII by the Imperial Japanese Army’s general staff, it aimed at destroying the women of the countries they planned to occupy. This international crime thriller wraps such historical events with edge of your seat adventure and heroism. Today, for the millions of women who mercilessly fell at the hands of Imperial Japan, their story needs to be told as a way for modern day feminists in western culture to expand their values to ones that are more intersectional. Pieces of Wood does just that. From the east coast of the United States to its mid-west, to Japan, the Mariana Archipelago, Malaysia, China, London, the former Soviet Union, to the underground remnants of 1816’s Fort Dearborn along the Chicago River, this epic, historically accurate, crime thriller is set to electrify readers, worldwide.
- GenresJapan
562 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2020
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163 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 9, 2020
A superb thriller grounded in fact. Highly Recommended!
This book took me back to my childhood and my father reading extracts of the atrocities carried out by the Nazi against the Jews in the WWII concentration camps. These terrible things are well documented, held up as they should be as an example to the world of the terrible injustices suffered by helpless people at the command of a cruel dictator. Yet, in the first few pages of this book I discovered another, unknown, yet horrific act of evil which was carried out in the Mariana Archipelago. There five-thousand women and young boys were brought to be burnt alive in the Shinagawa Manufacturing company’s ovens, built on site by The Imperial Japanese Army.
It was July 4th 1944 when the then 27 year-old Marine Corps Captain Frank Clifford smelt gaseous fumes and went to investigate….What he saw that day was to live with him for the rest of his life, and his actions that day were set to have a marked effect on the lives of those involved, their offspring, and impacted on the lives of many, decades later.
Whilst Hitler’s aim was land acquisition, the Japanese wanted to rid the world of everyone who wasn’t Japanese, and see Emperor Hirohito and his heirs seated on the Throne of the Chrysanthemum, as rulers of the world! The Japanese scientists had been working germ warfare for years, and Dr. General Ishii Shiro was already experimenting, using prisoners as Guinea pigs…
However, this was years ago. This story is set in1978 Chicago, where the FBI’s first female Special Agent, Michaelene (Mike) Westgate has been called to investigate a series of killings.
As the death toll rises, the public are getting scared. Michaelene and fellow agent Steve Donaldson are desperate for answers. When ‘their own’ begin to be targets they suddenly realise that there may be more than one killer, a scorpion and a frog. If this is the case, what is the link between them, and what is their motive?
As the plot thickens in this incredibly clever thriller, the reader finds themselves learning fascinating snippets about Japanese history, as they are drawn into the warped psyche of two men, linked, and driven by powerful beliefs.
The author of this book is a very successful businessman and investment banker who established The Moore Financial Group, which he sold aged 45 years. He went on to fulfil his life-long passion which is to bring closure to the families of America’s MIA. His non-profit organisation Moore’s Marauders continue on their global mission to locate the remains of America’s fallen.
This book is not only a great thriller, it is also, and I think more importantly, a story which should be told. At the end of the book there are graphic photos, information, and statements about the ovens. The author was once asked: “Why am I the one person in the world best suited to tell this story? He said, the answer is easy. Simply because in June of 1998, I was perhaps, the only living being to unwittingly crawl into the human incinerators featured in this novel since they were last in use on July 3rd, 1945.” What more powerful reason could there be?
I thank God that there are people like the author, people who are brave enough to speak for those who no longer can, like the poor victims, the Japanese cruelly called “Pieces of Wood.”
This book took me back to my childhood and my father reading extracts of the atrocities carried out by the Nazi against the Jews in the WWII concentration camps. These terrible things are well documented, held up as they should be as an example to the world of the terrible injustices suffered by helpless people at the command of a cruel dictator. Yet, in the first few pages of this book I discovered another, unknown, yet horrific act of evil which was carried out in the Mariana Archipelago. There five-thousand women and young boys were brought to be burnt alive in the Shinagawa Manufacturing company’s ovens, built on site by The Imperial Japanese Army.
It was July 4th 1944 when the then 27 year-old Marine Corps Captain Frank Clifford smelt gaseous fumes and went to investigate….What he saw that day was to live with him for the rest of his life, and his actions that day were set to have a marked effect on the lives of those involved, their offspring, and impacted on the lives of many, decades later.
Whilst Hitler’s aim was land acquisition, the Japanese wanted to rid the world of everyone who wasn’t Japanese, and see Emperor Hirohito and his heirs seated on the Throne of the Chrysanthemum, as rulers of the world! The Japanese scientists had been working germ warfare for years, and Dr. General Ishii Shiro was already experimenting, using prisoners as Guinea pigs…
However, this was years ago. This story is set in1978 Chicago, where the FBI’s first female Special Agent, Michaelene (Mike) Westgate has been called to investigate a series of killings.
As the death toll rises, the public are getting scared. Michaelene and fellow agent Steve Donaldson are desperate for answers. When ‘their own’ begin to be targets they suddenly realise that there may be more than one killer, a scorpion and a frog. If this is the case, what is the link between them, and what is their motive?
As the plot thickens in this incredibly clever thriller, the reader finds themselves learning fascinating snippets about Japanese history, as they are drawn into the warped psyche of two men, linked, and driven by powerful beliefs.
The author of this book is a very successful businessman and investment banker who established The Moore Financial Group, which he sold aged 45 years. He went on to fulfil his life-long passion which is to bring closure to the families of America’s MIA. His non-profit organisation Moore’s Marauders continue on their global mission to locate the remains of America’s fallen.
This book is not only a great thriller, it is also, and I think more importantly, a story which should be told. At the end of the book there are graphic photos, information, and statements about the ovens. The author was once asked: “Why am I the one person in the world best suited to tell this story? He said, the answer is easy. Simply because in June of 1998, I was perhaps, the only living being to unwittingly crawl into the human incinerators featured in this novel since they were last in use on July 3rd, 1945.” What more powerful reason could there be?
I thank God that there are people like the author, people who are brave enough to speak for those who no longer can, like the poor victims, the Japanese cruelly called “Pieces of Wood.”
November 25, 2020
A pungent thriller influenced by near-occult history!
Arizona author Kenneth James Moore earned his degree in political science from Arizona State University and continued his education in international relations from Georgetown University, interned with the National Security Agency, and worked as an international investment banker, eventually creating his own business, The Moore Financial Group. Kenneth has always been dedicated to bringing closure to families of America’s MIAs whose remains are on the battlefields of yesterday’s wars, including founding a 501C-3 non-profit organization of worldwide volunteers –MIA Charities, Inc - Moore’s marauders! The instigator – his mission to discover his WW II veteran deceased uncle’s plane ‘The Life of Riley’, found in 1999 on the Mariana archipelago. While searching, he discovered old brick ovens where the Japanese had cremated 5000 women, treated as Zaimoku (‘pieces of wood’), in these human incinerators. Hence this book!
The profoundly impressive writing technique Moore utilizes in creating this, his debut novel, is the infusion of too little known WW II history as both reportage and as stimulus for the parallels of the contemporary crime thriller he relates. Incorporating photographs both in the prologue and at book’s end adds a dimension of reality to the fictional tale, increasing the pungency of this immersively powerful story. His depth of research supplants his drama.
Opening the novel in 1944 in the Mariana Archipelago, young USMC Captain Frank Clifford from Chicago encounters the women victims – Zaimoku or pieces of wood of the title – of Imperial Japan, and with that brief nod to history, the novel begins in the present day – an incident in a restaurant in North Carolina introducing a fascinating elderly woman whose action acumen against three violent invaders soon reveals her identity as the elderly FBI Special Agent, Miss Michaelene Westgate. The impact Westgate has on the proceeding story is significant as the following chapters, set in 1978 Chicago attest.
Very briefly, the action is as follows: ‘As two sons of “The Rising Sun” bring their fathers’ vile disregard for human life to 1978 Chicago, there, Michaelene Westgate, the first side arm-bearing female FBI agent in fifty years, must put a stop to both antagonists as Illinois’ nuclear power plant is just days away from coming on-line. Frank Clifford, the former World War Two Marine combat veteran turned Chicago industrialist, recounts how he witnessed Japan’s military under orders, attempt to brutally obliterate the female population of their nation’s enemies as they swept across half the globe. War ended before reaching the United States but not so the motivation behind it.’
Moore’s interspersing memories from the atrocious WW II discovery with the impact that seeds into the present make this a novel so compelling that it becomes a Diogenes’ lantern for contemporary violence against women. A stunning achievement, PIECES OF WOOD is at once a superb novel and a call to action – one of the year’s most imposing new works. Very highly recommended.
Arizona author Kenneth James Moore earned his degree in political science from Arizona State University and continued his education in international relations from Georgetown University, interned with the National Security Agency, and worked as an international investment banker, eventually creating his own business, The Moore Financial Group. Kenneth has always been dedicated to bringing closure to families of America’s MIAs whose remains are on the battlefields of yesterday’s wars, including founding a 501C-3 non-profit organization of worldwide volunteers –MIA Charities, Inc - Moore’s marauders! The instigator – his mission to discover his WW II veteran deceased uncle’s plane ‘The Life of Riley’, found in 1999 on the Mariana archipelago. While searching, he discovered old brick ovens where the Japanese had cremated 5000 women, treated as Zaimoku (‘pieces of wood’), in these human incinerators. Hence this book!
The profoundly impressive writing technique Moore utilizes in creating this, his debut novel, is the infusion of too little known WW II history as both reportage and as stimulus for the parallels of the contemporary crime thriller he relates. Incorporating photographs both in the prologue and at book’s end adds a dimension of reality to the fictional tale, increasing the pungency of this immersively powerful story. His depth of research supplants his drama.
Opening the novel in 1944 in the Mariana Archipelago, young USMC Captain Frank Clifford from Chicago encounters the women victims – Zaimoku or pieces of wood of the title – of Imperial Japan, and with that brief nod to history, the novel begins in the present day – an incident in a restaurant in North Carolina introducing a fascinating elderly woman whose action acumen against three violent invaders soon reveals her identity as the elderly FBI Special Agent, Miss Michaelene Westgate. The impact Westgate has on the proceeding story is significant as the following chapters, set in 1978 Chicago attest.
Very briefly, the action is as follows: ‘As two sons of “The Rising Sun” bring their fathers’ vile disregard for human life to 1978 Chicago, there, Michaelene Westgate, the first side arm-bearing female FBI agent in fifty years, must put a stop to both antagonists as Illinois’ nuclear power plant is just days away from coming on-line. Frank Clifford, the former World War Two Marine combat veteran turned Chicago industrialist, recounts how he witnessed Japan’s military under orders, attempt to brutally obliterate the female population of their nation’s enemies as they swept across half the globe. War ended before reaching the United States but not so the motivation behind it.’
Moore’s interspersing memories from the atrocious WW II discovery with the impact that seeds into the present make this a novel so compelling that it becomes a Diogenes’ lantern for contemporary violence against women. A stunning achievement, PIECES OF WOOD is at once a superb novel and a call to action – one of the year’s most imposing new works. Very highly recommended.
December 10, 2020
History is tragically littered with human atrocities; examples of man’s inhumanity to man. But some “holocausts” have been much more documented than others and in his first novel, Kenneth James Moore pulls back the curtain to reveal the little-known or reported horrors of the incineration of millions of women by the Imperial Japanese Army in countries they attempted to occupy before and during World War II. The evidence of this attempted genocide is at the core of “Pieces of Wood,” a lightning-fast, action-filled mystery-thriller by Moore, bridging together the past and present in often horrifying and frightening detail.
Moore has spanned the globe to research these aforementioned Japanese atrocities, first discovered when the author was searching for clues about his MIA uncle during a trip to the Pacific Islands. The author discovered the ruins of brick incinerators left behind by the Japanese after World War II: ovens in which the souls of thousands of female prisoners of war perished. The factual details of these atrocities frame Moore’s fictional novel, which is epic in scope, as he weaves together a fictional story that spans generations.
Decades after these genocides, in locations around the United States, two FBI special agents are on the trail of two diabolical and twisted descendants of the man responsible for the misogynistic atrocities against women. As the book begins, we become acquainted with a fearless, gun-toting female agent named Michaelene Westgate and fellow special investigator Steve Donaldson as they attempt to foil further terror by two madmen connected by blood and bloodlust to the Japanese atrocities. The action toggles back and forth in time and place, and the details of their further plans and actions are vivid and sensational.
Moore’s writing is always crisp and “Pieces of Wood” is a relentless thriller with surprises and plot twists on nearly every page. Fans of historical fiction and crime thrillers will be on the edge of their seats reading this debut novel. At times grisly and terrifying, it is never dull or cliched. Rather, this novel is packed with layer upon layer of mystery and discovery. It’s a book that you simply will not want to put down. It’s an outstanding debut novel from a promising author and “Pieces of Wood” will stay with you long after you’ve finished it. The author has done a great service in discovering and documenting, by book’s end, the travesties that transpired. We can only expect more great fiction from this author.
Moore has spanned the globe to research these aforementioned Japanese atrocities, first discovered when the author was searching for clues about his MIA uncle during a trip to the Pacific Islands. The author discovered the ruins of brick incinerators left behind by the Japanese after World War II: ovens in which the souls of thousands of female prisoners of war perished. The factual details of these atrocities frame Moore’s fictional novel, which is epic in scope, as he weaves together a fictional story that spans generations.
Decades after these genocides, in locations around the United States, two FBI special agents are on the trail of two diabolical and twisted descendants of the man responsible for the misogynistic atrocities against women. As the book begins, we become acquainted with a fearless, gun-toting female agent named Michaelene Westgate and fellow special investigator Steve Donaldson as they attempt to foil further terror by two madmen connected by blood and bloodlust to the Japanese atrocities. The action toggles back and forth in time and place, and the details of their further plans and actions are vivid and sensational.
Moore’s writing is always crisp and “Pieces of Wood” is a relentless thriller with surprises and plot twists on nearly every page. Fans of historical fiction and crime thrillers will be on the edge of their seats reading this debut novel. At times grisly and terrifying, it is never dull or cliched. Rather, this novel is packed with layer upon layer of mystery and discovery. It’s a book that you simply will not want to put down. It’s an outstanding debut novel from a promising author and “Pieces of Wood” will stay with you long after you’ve finished it. The author has done a great service in discovering and documenting, by book’s end, the travesties that transpired. We can only expect more great fiction from this author.
May 4, 2021
What Kenneth James Moore brought to light, by personally discovering a dark secret of Japanese conduct during World War II, is the centerpiece of his thrilling and compelling novel, Pieces of Wood. Having read tons of history on WWII and the history of Japan, I was aware of many atrocities and war crimes committed by the Imperial Forces of Japan from 1934-45. But I knew nothing about what the author chronicles within a mystery thriller which keeps one wondering what is lurking on the next page? These crimes involve biological weapons, genocide focused on females and Japanese race superiority credos developed over centuries, as the author carefully lays out for the reader throughout the book.
Set in 1979 and centered in Chicago, Moore’s fictional story not only chronicles real history but does so while crawling into the heads of all the primary characters. One main character, Frank, is a WWII Marine vet turned successful businessman who was in brutal jungle combat for years and witness to savage butchery by the Japanese soldiers. A counterweight to Frank is Steve, a Vietnam vet turned FBI agent who served in combat but is psychologically shaped by his service in vastly different ways to Frank. Moore’s insightful explanations of this difference is a uniquely fascinating aspect of the novel.
The real main character is Michaelene, a trailblazing female FBI agent with a parental history that is centered on WW II in the Pacific and her wartime Naval Officer/OSS secret agent father, nicknamed ‘Barnacle Mike.’ A sharp mind with keen analytical abilities, complimented by striking beauty, sets Michaelene up as a worthy centerpiece for a complex web of danger, intrigue and potential disaster.
Colorful secondary characters, historic parts of Chicago and reams of historical facts and lessons abound in Pieces of Wood, a term for women lifted from Japanese war documents. For someone who knows history it was eye opening, which speaks volumes about Mr. Moore’s dedication to research and passing along critical knowledge to generations who must not forget. Many Japanese war crimes were covered up because using Japan as a base to confront Soviet-Sino Communist aggression was more important. Read, learn and be entertained.
Brad Butler, Author of A World Flight Over Russia
Set in 1979 and centered in Chicago, Moore’s fictional story not only chronicles real history but does so while crawling into the heads of all the primary characters. One main character, Frank, is a WWII Marine vet turned successful businessman who was in brutal jungle combat for years and witness to savage butchery by the Japanese soldiers. A counterweight to Frank is Steve, a Vietnam vet turned FBI agent who served in combat but is psychologically shaped by his service in vastly different ways to Frank. Moore’s insightful explanations of this difference is a uniquely fascinating aspect of the novel.
The real main character is Michaelene, a trailblazing female FBI agent with a parental history that is centered on WW II in the Pacific and her wartime Naval Officer/OSS secret agent father, nicknamed ‘Barnacle Mike.’ A sharp mind with keen analytical abilities, complimented by striking beauty, sets Michaelene up as a worthy centerpiece for a complex web of danger, intrigue and potential disaster.
Colorful secondary characters, historic parts of Chicago and reams of historical facts and lessons abound in Pieces of Wood, a term for women lifted from Japanese war documents. For someone who knows history it was eye opening, which speaks volumes about Mr. Moore’s dedication to research and passing along critical knowledge to generations who must not forget. Many Japanese war crimes were covered up because using Japan as a base to confront Soviet-Sino Communist aggression was more important. Read, learn and be entertained.
Brad Butler, Author of A World Flight Over Russia
December 3, 2020
Layered, complex, and filled with action!
Kenneth James Moore, author, historian, and the humanitarian founder of Moore’s Marauders, a non-profit organization dedicated to solving the mysteries of America’s MIA soldiers, utilizes these experiences and his background in political science and international relations to tell a tale of past tragedy and present terror. On a trip to the Pacific Islands to search for clues regarding his MIA uncle, Moore discovered the ruins of human incinerators left behind by the Japanese in WW2, leading him to further research and the use of these ovens and treatment of women by the Imperial Japanese. Out of this experience and research came Pieces of Wood, an intricate story based in the historical background of the Japanese occupation of China, Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. Moore deftly weaves these factual threads into a chilling backdrop for his fictional international crime thriller.
Decades after WWII, a massive explosion devastates a Chicago neighborhood, the handiwork of a detailed and ritualistic serial killer is discovered, and false leads abound leaving FBI Special Agents Michaelene Westgate and Steve Donaldson to sift through the fragments of the collision between past and present. The misogynistic mission of a father is passed on to the son who never knew him, a hardened killer terrifies a community, and time draws short for Michaelene and Steve to look beyond what they’re being shown to discover what larger threat lurks in the background. Can they balance the shards of their own relationship and history with the pressures of their investigations? Or will the historic and horrific legacy of an Imperial Japanese scientist be repeated in Chicago?
WWII history buffs and readers of crime thrillers alike will both be captivated by Pieces of Wood and its imagining of historic terrors brought forth into a modern setting. Moore ends with an addendum which contains photographs, brief summaries, and facts which document a little of the history from which Pieces of Wood is drawn. Wrapping this lesser-known portion of WWII history into a layered and complex thriller, packed with action and unforgettable characters, Moore both entertains and educates the reader.
Kenneth James Moore, author, historian, and the humanitarian founder of Moore’s Marauders, a non-profit organization dedicated to solving the mysteries of America’s MIA soldiers, utilizes these experiences and his background in political science and international relations to tell a tale of past tragedy and present terror. On a trip to the Pacific Islands to search for clues regarding his MIA uncle, Moore discovered the ruins of human incinerators left behind by the Japanese in WW2, leading him to further research and the use of these ovens and treatment of women by the Imperial Japanese. Out of this experience and research came Pieces of Wood, an intricate story based in the historical background of the Japanese occupation of China, Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. Moore deftly weaves these factual threads into a chilling backdrop for his fictional international crime thriller.
Decades after WWII, a massive explosion devastates a Chicago neighborhood, the handiwork of a detailed and ritualistic serial killer is discovered, and false leads abound leaving FBI Special Agents Michaelene Westgate and Steve Donaldson to sift through the fragments of the collision between past and present. The misogynistic mission of a father is passed on to the son who never knew him, a hardened killer terrifies a community, and time draws short for Michaelene and Steve to look beyond what they’re being shown to discover what larger threat lurks in the background. Can they balance the shards of their own relationship and history with the pressures of their investigations? Or will the historic and horrific legacy of an Imperial Japanese scientist be repeated in Chicago?
WWII history buffs and readers of crime thrillers alike will both be captivated by Pieces of Wood and its imagining of historic terrors brought forth into a modern setting. Moore ends with an addendum which contains photographs, brief summaries, and facts which document a little of the history from which Pieces of Wood is drawn. Wrapping this lesser-known portion of WWII history into a layered and complex thriller, packed with action and unforgettable characters, Moore both entertains and educates the reader.
January 3, 2021
Kenneth James Moore blew me away with his well-crafted book Pieces of Wood. Sinister acts of war are often hidden from the general public. The reasoning behind such acts remain difficult to acknowledge and often left blacked out on government documents never to be discussed again. The author cleverly crafts a story weaving time between World War Two and a Chicago explosion in 1978 where such incidents have been redacted from public knowledge.
The book opens with sinister acts against women committed on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Archipelago. Here we find a story of women left to die like pieces of rotting pieces of wood and how it connects to a tragic incident. Captain Frank Clifford is forced to relive such atrocities he witnessed while serving in World War Two after a colossal explosion at his Chicago gas station damaging the surrounding area.
FBI Acting Special Agent Michaelene “Mike” Westgate is called to investigate the tragic explosion. She takes her assignment seriously and takes charge without missing a beat. Knowing that she needs the best of the best to help solve this crime she calls in an old friend and high school sweetheart, Agent Steve Donaldson. Their minds in sync they immediately begin to put the pieces of evidence together along with Frank Clifford whose knowledge becomes essential. There is a madman or perhaps madmen running around Chicago with an evil plan that has a deadly impact on not only Chicago, but the entire nation. With time running out, Michaelene, her agents and, local government team up to do solve the case with one goal in mind – to get to them before they cause massive destruction of the population.
Moore did a wonderful job of making this story a history lesson and an intriguing investigation. Pieces of Wood is a great page-turner for history buffs and those who enjoy an exciting thriller.
The book opens with sinister acts against women committed on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Archipelago. Here we find a story of women left to die like pieces of rotting pieces of wood and how it connects to a tragic incident. Captain Frank Clifford is forced to relive such atrocities he witnessed while serving in World War Two after a colossal explosion at his Chicago gas station damaging the surrounding area.
FBI Acting Special Agent Michaelene “Mike” Westgate is called to investigate the tragic explosion. She takes her assignment seriously and takes charge without missing a beat. Knowing that she needs the best of the best to help solve this crime she calls in an old friend and high school sweetheart, Agent Steve Donaldson. Their minds in sync they immediately begin to put the pieces of evidence together along with Frank Clifford whose knowledge becomes essential. There is a madman or perhaps madmen running around Chicago with an evil plan that has a deadly impact on not only Chicago, but the entire nation. With time running out, Michaelene, her agents and, local government team up to do solve the case with one goal in mind – to get to them before they cause massive destruction of the population.
Moore did a wonderful job of making this story a history lesson and an intriguing investigation. Pieces of Wood is a great page-turner for history buffs and those who enjoy an exciting thriller.
March 22, 2021
"Pieces of Wood", by Kenneth James Moore, is a riveting historical fiction novel that sheds light on the little-known atrocities that were perpetrated in the Mariana Archipelago. It was there that 5000 women and boys were to be burned in the ovens of the Shinagawa Manufacturing company. Built on the site by The Imperial Japanese Army, this event was reminiscent of the horrors of WWII's Nazi concentration camps. It was Frank Clifford, a young Marine Corps Captain was led to the site by the smell of gas fumes, and his discovery had a lasting effect on him, which would have an impact on the live of those involved for years to come. During this time in WWII, the Japanese intended to eliminate those who were not Japanese. "Pieces of Wood" is the dehumanizing name given to the victims by the Japanese.
Flash forward to 1978, where this novel takes place, in Chicago, to female Special Agent Michaelene Westgate, also known as Mike, who has been contacted to investigate what appears to be a serial killer. Public fear grows along with the body count. Westgate and her fellow agent Steve Donaldson need to solve this now, but things get even worse when they realize they may be dealing with two killers.
As this tightly-woven scenario plays out, bits and pieces of Japanese history are revealed, and they are introduced to the clever but disturbed minds and motives of these two men. Moore brings to light the atrocities of the past by way of this gripping novel. Photos and other pieces of information inform the readers, and lend authenticity. As you read, you may wonder why the author is addressing this story, and the answer is that he has a personal connection. This powerful novel is unforgettable, hard to read at times, but has a story that we need to hear. History and drama work well together here, and Moore delivers an impactful work that will stay with you for a long time.
Flash forward to 1978, where this novel takes place, in Chicago, to female Special Agent Michaelene Westgate, also known as Mike, who has been contacted to investigate what appears to be a serial killer. Public fear grows along with the body count. Westgate and her fellow agent Steve Donaldson need to solve this now, but things get even worse when they realize they may be dealing with two killers.
As this tightly-woven scenario plays out, bits and pieces of Japanese history are revealed, and they are introduced to the clever but disturbed minds and motives of these two men. Moore brings to light the atrocities of the past by way of this gripping novel. Photos and other pieces of information inform the readers, and lend authenticity. As you read, you may wonder why the author is addressing this story, and the answer is that he has a personal connection. This powerful novel is unforgettable, hard to read at times, but has a story that we need to hear. History and drama work well together here, and Moore delivers an impactful work that will stay with you for a long time.
December 18, 2020
There is so much of WWII history that is lost in the West. American curriculums often focus on the Western front because that’s where the most definitive win of the war took place. On the Western front, the allies knew what they were fighting for, and victory was clear and sweet. The Pacific theater is another reality entirely. The fighting was brutal against an enemy the allies didn’t understand. Japanese culture prized honor above all else, which led to its soldiers being willing to fight to the death rather than surrendering.
In his compelling book, Pieces of Wood, Kenneth James Moore explores fragments of history not often examined in the West. He tells the story of FBI agent Michaelene Westwood as she and her partner investigate a series of brutal murders and mutilations of women in the 1970s. As the death toll mounts and the evidence builds, Michaelene must come face to face with the horrors of her family history, and she must confront a killer who shares a similar connection to the past.
Moore deftly weaves the more modern thriller with threads of history, exploring the consequences of events like the Rape of Nanjing and the horrific treatment of Korean and Chinese women at the hands of the Japanese during WWII.
Pieces of Wood is at once daring, thrilling, and thought provoking, and shows how history can bleed through into the present. Above all else, Pieces of Wood stands as a warning to current generations that if light isn’t shed on the horrors of the past, history could be in danger of repeating itself.
In his compelling book, Pieces of Wood, Kenneth James Moore explores fragments of history not often examined in the West. He tells the story of FBI agent Michaelene Westwood as she and her partner investigate a series of brutal murders and mutilations of women in the 1970s. As the death toll mounts and the evidence builds, Michaelene must come face to face with the horrors of her family history, and she must confront a killer who shares a similar connection to the past.
Moore deftly weaves the more modern thriller with threads of history, exploring the consequences of events like the Rape of Nanjing and the horrific treatment of Korean and Chinese women at the hands of the Japanese during WWII.
Pieces of Wood is at once daring, thrilling, and thought provoking, and shows how history can bleed through into the present. Above all else, Pieces of Wood stands as a warning to current generations that if light isn’t shed on the horrors of the past, history could be in danger of repeating itself.
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