Eighteen-year-old Ellen Parker had just finished her freshman year. She thought the summer of 1972 was going to be her best. She was going to live with her boyfriend in his fraternity house. But on the day of the big move, she finds herself cruelly deserted by him. On a sudden whim, he has taken off with his friends to drive cross-country, leaving only a note ending their affair. Rejected and heartbroken, and now homeless, as well as out of work, Ellen searches desperately for a place to stay. Just as time is about to run out, by a strange stroke of luck, Ellen finds a post as the live-in girl Friday to a sixty-five-year-old veteran of the Pacific War. Tom Harris appears to be a nice enough man, and knows much of the world, especially exotic Japan. But as the summer progresses, Ellen notices things that strike her as odd and even suspicious, like the strange noises she sometimes hears late at night coming from the locked attic turret. Noises that Tom denies exist and refuses to investigate. Yet at the same time, Ellen finds herself growing more and more attracted to this rather youthful senior who refuses to say just what happened to him in the war, and in Japan as part of the American occupation force. But before the summer is out, Ellen will learn the answers to her questions, and that even decent people can have deep dark secrets. The Moon Will Not Rise is the story of a young woman's education and coming of age in the 1970s. It is the story of Ellen Parker's fight not to crumble at the cruel betrayal and desertion by her careless boyfriend, but gather her inner strength and come out victorious. The Moon Will Not Rise is part 70s time capsule, part WWII history, part mystery and romance. It is John King's third novel. He is also the author of Maid of Honor, The Big Mouth, Blackjack, and The Trophy Wife.
About the Author: John King is the author of the novel, Maid of Honor, a tale of love, betrayal, and suspense, Blackjack 21 Stories, The Trophy Wife: Tales of Love Gone Wrong, and the novel, The Big Mouth, a crime suspense thriller set in New York City and New Jersey. His latest novel, The Moon Will Not Rise, is the story of a college freshman girl coming of age in the summer of 1972. The common thread within King's work is the strong emotional bonds between his characters and their intense expectations and misconceptions of each other. Expectations and misconceptions that can lead to unexpected and sometimes tragic consequences. John King was born and raised in New Jersey. He lived and worked in New York City for twenty years before he and his wife built their home in Pennsylvania. He now divides his time between the three states. He has held many jobs throughout the years, but primarily worked as a newspaper reporter and editor; a teacher of GED, English, and Reading; and as Information Technology professional for several top financial institutions. Besides writing, his main interests are painting, the tenor saxophone, reading, and studying French. Visit his website: wix.com/john-king/author