The Vasterbottensost Affair by Robert Mucci

    CHICAGO, IL, January 27, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- This historical fiction book depicts the story of the greatest rescue attempt made in U.S. naval history, known as The Vasterbottensost Affair, which gets carried out despite U.S. soldiers getting captured by the Russians. Our troops return to the U.S., only to be treated like criminal suspects. A detailed investigation ensues.

The book's official synopsis is stated as follows:
"Satellite data maps reveal a radioactive reading from a sunken Russian submarine. Part of a Russian nuclear missile guidance system is recovered and entrusted to Commander Richardson and his team to safely bring the item back on the Arleigh Burke to the U.S. for analysis. En route, their boat is attacked in a firefight by Russian helicopters. The boat is destroyed with Commander Robinson and some of his men thrown overboard and picked up by a Russian frigate [Admiral Gorshkov] that took the men prisoner."

"I wanted a crazy, unheard-of title, a word no one has ever heard of before," says author Robert Mucci. "Vasterbottensost is actually a cheese popular in Sweden and figures prominently in the book." Sweden is also an important location in the book; the author researched the Sahlgrenska University Hospital (the second largest in all of Europe and based in Sweden) and coma protocol for the book, as well as extensive research on the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov, destroyer USS Arleigh Burke as well as the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

Although the story itself is not based on a true story, it lends itself to real history. "There are believed to be several Russian submarines at the bottom of the ocean" says Mucci. In fact, there was a famous incident where one was found in the Pacific Ocean and the U.S. covered up the investigation by setting up an oil rig around it to disguise the discovery from the Russians." This was known as Project Azorian.

Mucci, who spent three years researching and writing The Vasterbottensost Affair, describes his book as "an intellectual read with a surprise ending".

Excerpt:

"Some three thousand miles away, the United States special force were in the midst of concluding covert operations. Undesignated, few were sure which military branch if any controlled them. No one knew if they were Seals, Rangers, Knights, or some other elite unit. They had been handpicked from other known units, and no one in any unit had ever known or met any one of their teammates. They themselves did not even know what governmental agency was paying them.

Squad leader Spencer Michael Richardson was directing mission operations for the last two months, gaining as much intel as he could and forwarding it to Washington. Not being allowed to discuss, comment, publish, or disseminate anything that he has uncovered, inside he felt that the quality of the intel obtained, and its perceived value had made the mission a huge success.
Soon Commander Richardson would be recalled to Washington to be debriefed. He was looking forward to getting back stateside. He missed his family, the food, the weather."

Watch preview on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sryNgchGeQ

About the Author:
Robert Mucci is an attorney who retired from the Public Defender's Office after 34 years. He has written poetry for many years; this is his first novel. He lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife Joann. He has two sons and two grandcats.

Retail price: $35 hardcover; $19.99 softcover
Available at: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Walmart and at the author's website. www.muccirobert.com

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