National bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert takes readers back in time to small-town Darling, Alabama, in the 1930s—where the Darling Savings and Trust has just closed and the women of the Darling Dahlias’ garden club are betting their bottom dollar there’s going to be trouble… It’s the spring of 1933 and times are tough all over. The only businessman not struggling is moonshiner Mickey LeDoux, though he still has to steer clear of federal agents. But banks are closing all over the country, and the small town of Darling is no exception. Folks are suddenly caught short on cash and everyone is in a panic. Desperate to avoid disaster, several town leaders—including Alvin Duffy, the bank’s new vice president—hatch a plan to print Darling Dollars on newspaperman Charlie Dickens’ printing press. The “funny money” can serve as temporary currency so the town can function. But when the first printing of the scrip disappears, the Darling Dahlias set out to discover who made an unauthorized withdrawal. Meanwhile County Treasurer Verna Tidwell questions whether she can trust Alvin Duffy—and the feelings he stirs up inside her. And Liz Lacy learns her longtime beau may be forced into a shotgun wedding. Seems other troubles don’t just go away when there’s a crisis. There’ll be no pennies from heaven, but if anyone can balance things out, folks can bank on the Darling Dahlias… Includes Southern-Style Depression-Era Recipes ReviewPraise for the Darling Dahlias Mysteries: “The prolific Albert excels at the period piece, with a gracious plenitude of Southern color and Depression-era detail, and again offers an uplifting meditation on how friends, neighbors, and strangers combined to help each other during America’s darkest economic days.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch “This sweet book captures the true tone of a small town.”—The Times-Picayune “Captivating…Charming characters, a fast-paced plot, and a strong sense of history help make this a superior cozy.”—*Publishers Weekly * “Cozy fans will be delighted…Another exceptional series.” —Booklist (starred review) “Plenty of charm and period detail.”—*Kirkus Reviews * “The author of the popular China Bayles Mysteries brings a small Southern town to life and vividly captures an era and culture—the Depression, segregation, class differences, the role of women in the South—with authentic period details. Her book fairly sizzles with the strength of the women of Darling.”—*Library Journal *About the AuthorSusan Wittig Albert grew up on a farm in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley. A former professor of English and a university administrator and vice president, she is the author of the China Bayles Mysteries, the Darling Dahlias Mysteries, and the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. Some of her recent titles include Widow’s Tears, Cat’s Claw, The Darling Dahlias and the Texas Star, and The Tale of Castle Cottage. She and her husband, Bill, coauthor a series of Victorian-Edwardian mysteries under the name Robin Paige, which includes such titles as Death at Glamis Castle and Death at Whitechapel. Views: 33
Thieves, liars, killers, and conspirators—it's a criminal world out there, and someone has got to write about it. An eclectic collection of the year's best reportage, The Best American Crime Reporting 2008 brings together the murderers and the masterminds, the mysteries and missteps that make for brilliant stories, told by the aces of the true-crime genre. This latest addition to the highly acclaimed series features guest editor Jonathan Kellerman, bestselling author of more than twenty crime novels, most recently Compulsion and the forthcoming Bones. Views: 32
She was his obsession... For years, Jack Starett had been hunting her down - but all Andrea Hart knew about him was that he was the most powerfully attractive man she'd ever encountered. Just one glance - and she was glad she'd come to Montana. But something in Jack's melancholy eyes warned of danger, something in his heated kisses almost frightened her. And each night spent near the ranch where she'd been born brought back stronger childhood nightmares - or were they memories? Andrea needed someone to watch over her, and Jack had set himself up as her protector. But was her midnight cowboy a white night - or a threat to her safety? Views: 32
Bitter Retribution, A Romance Book by Rachel Sharpe Views: 32
SUMMARY:
Rhode Island bookshop owner Penelope McClure never believed in ghosts -- until she met the spirit of Jack Shepard, a big city private investigator who was gunned down in her store over sixty years ago. Now Penelope not only believes in her hard-boiled ghost, she asks for his help in solving a murder. A loyal customer of Penelope's bookshop has been found dead on posh Larchmont Avenue. The elderly woman left a will that was recently (and suspiciously) revised to name her mailman, Seymour Tarnish, the sole heir to her estate. Many eyes in the little town turn to the hapless mailman as the murderer, including the town's police chief, but Seymour doesn't care. He's too busy settling into his posh new digs. Unfortunately, Seymour's new mansion also appears to be haunted and when the mansion's ghosts begin plaguing him, he hires a team of parapsychologists to exorcise every last spirit from the entire town. Now Penelope must not only solve a murder, and prove her friend Seymour innocent, she must act fast to save her beloved ghost; because if these "spirit zappers" actually do their job, then the ghost of Jack Shepard finally will be history. And that scares Pen a lot more than rattling chains and cold spots. Views: 32
An action-packed Atlanta-set mystery by an author who "nails the voice of new Southern noir" (Hank Phillippi Ryan, Mary Higgins Clark Award–winning author of Trust Me). Lowcountry bar owner and Marine veteran Brack Pelton heads to Atlanta in the wake of a panicked three a.m. phone call. A woman is missing, and Brack's friend Mutt is in danger. Brack's old flame, investigative news correspondent Darcy Wells, now lives there and is set to marry another man. If Brack was honest with himself—and he usually wasn't—he'd realize that the missing woman isn't the real reason for his visit. His Semper Fi buddy Mutt can handle himself just fine. When Brack and Mutt team up to find the woman, the Atlanta underworld revolts, the two biggest players target them, and people start dying. Most people would size up the situation, call it impossible, and walk away. But most people are not Brack Pelton. Impossible situations are his... Views: 32
The story of how one of the "most powerful women in women's rights" (Forbes)is paving the way to a world with human dignity for all. However Long the Night is the extraordinary story of one woman's determination to create a movement toward change, and a better future, for millions of girls and women across Africa. Molly Melching grew up in the Midwest but was called to explore the world outside her hometown when she arrived in Senegal in 1974. There, she quickly grew invested in the fate of the Senegalese women she met. Based on her experiences living in a remote African village, she founded Tostan, an organization dedicated to empowering African communities by using democracy and human-rights-based education to promote relationships built upon dignity, equality, and respect. She forever changed her life and the lives of those touched by Tostan.Unlike many Western organizations that have tried to transform various African cultures from the... Views: 32
All is quiet in Oakeley, Texas after 37 members of the Seventy Devils MC are imprisoned, and the rest dead after a lethal show down at Hall Ranch. Colt, Averi and company shouldn't get too used to the quiet, though. A deadly prison riot leads to the escape of 38 inmates and they are headed straight for Oakeley. Can Colt, Randy and Tim protect the town? With the Seventy Devils looking to settle the score, Oakeley finds itself once again at the center of a violent siege. Will the Ford's and the McClain's live to see the end of an era? Only readers know for sure. Views: 32
