CLOUDS IN THE WIND

Synopsis:

Racial inequality and political instability in Africa, saw the emergence of Nationalist resistance during the 1960s and 70s, and the winds of change fanned the flames of revolution.

Andrew Mason, an ambitious young banking executive, is seemingly unfazed by politics and the undercurrent of racial animosity in his homeland of South Africa.

Carefree, Scholar Cum Laude, gifted sportsman and the son of an affluent family, his swift rise up the corporate ladder seems inevitable. Until, as if having conspired with destiny, two unrelated events intersect to change the course of his future, and within days his well balanced life is abruptly and brutally transformed

Andy is falsely accused of a breach of confidence and unethical conduct within his working environment and is simultaneously called upon by a distraught girl friend needing to reach her parents in her homeland of war torn Rhodesia.

Mason is wholly unprepared for the tragedy that follows and he is left bewildered and traumatized in a country ripped apart by the effects of political intransigence and civil war.

His corporate ambitions in ruins and his emotions a kaleidoscope of confusion, Andrew enrols in the Rhodesian military where he evolves to become a hardened and ruthless combatant with the elite SAS.

By force of circumstance, through the horrors and tragedies of war, Andy finds himself living two separate lives; One amid the acrid stench of burnt cordite, danger, brutality, sudden death and survival alongside his comrades in “The Squadron” and the other in the overpoweringly passionate arms of Alyson Carstens, the spoilt and protected daughter of wealthy parents.

Returning wounded from an ill-fated mission, Andy learns that Alyson is pregnant and they decide to marry. However, on their wedding night, a devastating incident has a dramatic impact on their union, which ultimately exposes an underlying secret liaison of deceit and betrayal with far reaching and catastrophic consequences.

The tragedy of the times is symbolized in Andy’s prosperity, his courage in the face of adversity and the progressive downward spiral as everything he fought for and believes in gradually crumbles.

As one heartbreak follows another, Andrew’s emotional strength is sapped and his decline into alcoholism and despair leaves him vulnerable and reckless.

“This is powerful and authentic story telling”. (Saturday Star)

“The pace will leave you breathless. A full on 5 star read.” (Bookplex)

“A memorable debut that will linger beyond the page. Clouds In The Wind will prove a spellbinding read and is strongly recommended.” (Writer’s Digest)

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Author Biography

Ian Mackenzie was born in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and grew up in Johannesburg. He was educated at Queen’s College in Queenstown and Parktown Boys High in Johannesburg and studied business administration and accounting on leaving school.

He moved to Rhodesia in the early 1970s and served with the Rhodesian military from 1975 to 1980 during the hostilities of the bush war. He returned to South Africa in 1983 and ran his own business as an administrative consultant. Now in semi-retirement, Mackenzie is forging a career for himself as an author

He has two grown up sons in their 30s and lives with his wife in Johannesburg South Africa.

Clouds In The Wind is his first novel.

Visit Ian Mackenzie on social media, and learn more about Clouds In The Wind by visiting his profiles on Facebook or Twitter