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Pieces of the Puzzle

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Pub Date 28 Oct 2026 | Archive Date 5 Nov 2026


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Description

Christmas Day, 1941.

As survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor arrive by boat in San Francisco, they bring with them the devastating reality of war.

In a city gripped by fear, suspicion and a thirst for revenge, six lives become intertwined: a traumatised survivor, a grieving widow, a Japanese spy, a professor drawn into espionage, a Japanese-American family, and the general whose orders will send them – and thousands more – to internment camps.

Caught in a web of romance, blackmail, and betrayal, they are swept into an FBI investigation, an assassination plot and a desperate escape across borders.

Set against the forced removal of Japanese Americans during the Second World War, this gripping historical novel explores the human cost of war and the choices people are forced to make.

Christmas Day, 1941.

As survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor arrive by boat in San Francisco, they bring with them the devastating reality of war.

In a city gripped by fear, suspicion and a thirst...


A Note From the Publisher

After an academic career spanning California to London, and having produced fifteen books on Indian culture, Stuart Blackburn began writing novels. He won the MM Bennetts prize for historical fiction with Into the Hidden Valley (2016), which drew on his research in a tribal area of India. He lives with his wife on the south coast of England.

After an academic career spanning California to London, and having produced fifteen books on Indian culture, Stuart Blackburn began writing novels. He won the MM Bennetts prize for historical fiction...


Advance Praise

Amazon reviews for The Luck of the Draw (2025):

"Excellent look at an important era for many of us. Many writers have approached this trying time, but this author’s story really exposes the hearts and souls of many—not only those included in that awful draft lottery in December of 1969, but so many others as well. Everyone who lived through that time has a story to tell, and this one is well worth reading. (With a number less than 50, the stress I personally lived with makes the story even more real.)"

"A captivating story of the hard decisions made by a young man during the Vietnam era. Mr. Blackburn is an excellent storyteller."

"A very entertaining novel, which well captures an historic moment in America’s Vietnam era. Definitely worth a read."



Amazon reviews for The Luck of the Draw (2025):

"Excellent look at an important era for many of us. Many writers have approached this trying time, but this author’s story really exposes the hearts and...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781835746547
PRICE £3.99 (GBP)

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*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.