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This is a tale told by a master storyteller of two people convicted of murder. One set in the present, the other in the Morganton area during the 1830's. Spencer Arrowood, the sheriff of Hamelin, Tennessee is agonizing over the guilty verdict of Fate Harkryder and his death sentence for the murder and torture of two hikers. The parallel story that legends are made of is that of Frankie Silver, who killed and dismembered her husband more than one hundred and fifty years earlier. She was the first woman hanged in North Carolina. Lots of North Carolina history, genealogy, 1800's law and great scenery. This book will entertain both native North Carolinians and newcomers.

Reviewed by Thea J., South County Regional

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CHAPEL HILL – In 40 years of off-and-on researching Frankie Silver, the North Carolina mountain woman hanged in 1833 for chopping up her abusive husband, an author has discovered Appalachia’s most famous ax murderer was not the first woman executed in the state. "Nor was she the first white woman to be hanged here, and she wasn’t even the first woman hanged in Burke County, part of which now is Mitchell County," said Perry Deane Young, a Vietnam War correspondent who wrote "The Untold Story of Frankie Silver," just published by Down Home Press. "At least nine North Carolina women, whites and blacks, were hanged or burned at the stake before she was, and we can never know the exact number because few records exist. At least 15 women were executed prior to 1910 when the state took over capital punishment." Also contrary to common belief, Frankie and her husband Charles were not the subjects of the "Ballad of Frankie and Johnny,"
-Carol, New Orleans, Louisiana

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All Evyn has ever wanted is to be a storyteller, but that is ripped away fro him when he and his father are attacked. His father is killed and Evyn's tongue is cut off. Determined not to become a slave, Evyn teaches himself to read and write and is appointed the personal companion of the King of England. There Evyn's gifts are used as he records the events that lead up to the Norman invasion of 1066. This swashbuckling adventure story tells of one of the most important moments in England's history, the Battle of Hastings.

Reviewed by Snow W., South County Regional

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The King's Shadow is a really great book. You'll never guess what will happen next.
-Amy, LA, CA

I absolutely loved this book! Powerfully written, tragic and moving. Please read it!
-Jori, Midlothian, VA

This book was great and always kept me on the edge of my seat.
-Nicole, Westake, CA

I really loved this book! It was so interesting and provided a window for me into the past. I learned a lot about ancient English culture and found out after I had read part of the book that all the facts are true! I absolutely loved every second of reading it.
-Carolyn, VA

The King's Shadow is a wonderful hisorical book. It kept me up all night flipping the pages. Alder writes this book in a very powerful way. It's a great book. I hope you read it sometime.
-Con, Atlanta, GA

This book… well I can honestly say that this book was well written. I never had to guess what the author meant by a certain thing, and I was never lost. The ploy however, is boring if you prefer happier books and awesome if you are into the whole drama, tragedy after tragedy hero type thing. This book was full of action, but some of the parts in the story were a bit fuzzy. Overall, it was a great book. If you don't like history, war, or gore, than don't read it!
-Alexis, Discovery Bay, California

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City of Light is set at the turn of the last century (1900) in Buffalo, NY. At that time, Buffalo was a bustling hotbed of excitement and technological wonder, as the Niagara Falls Power Plant was about to go online. We see the changes through the eyes of Louisa Barrett, the spinster headmistress of the local girls school; the blossoming of environmental terrorism as people who disagree with how the plant will affect Niagara Falls act out; and the political shenanigans that go on to get the plant opened on time. Even more intriguing are the battles that take place within Louisa's personal life. The best thing about this book is that some of the characters are real people, and the story is a semi-true representation of how this all took place. Beautifully written, infinitely interesting, and a piece of history as well! One of the best books of the year.

Reviewed by Beth G., North County Regional

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The Kansas-Missouri border witnessed some of the bloodiest fighting of the Civil War, which involved guerrilla warfare between Unionist Kansas "redlegs" and secessionist Missouri bushwackers. One of the most infamous bushwackers was William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson, and Wildwood Boys is a fictionalized account of his life. Bill is born into an unconventional yet close-knit family. Bill's mother instills in him a passion for literature and music, while his father instructs him in the finer points of horse thieving and sharp-shooting. When the Civil War breaks out and Unionists mistreat his family, Bill joins the bushwackers. The story features plenty of fast-paced action and adventure, but this is not your typical shoot-em-up yarn. The characters are well developed, and the prose is eloquent. Wildwood Boys weaves historical characters and fictional situations into a violent yet captivating tale of uncommon beauty and pathos.

Reviewed by Bryon C., North County Regional

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James Jesus Angleton was the top man in the Department of Counterintelligence for the United States during the Cold War. He was capable, experienced and critical of anyone who might have access to sensitive material. At the same time, he was a close friend of Harold "Kim" Philby, the top British agent who was also a double agent for the KGB. What then was Angleton? Although a fictional account of real people and situations, Spytime reminds us that people we want to trust can have weaknesses.

Reviewed by David K., Plaza Midwood Branch

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Memorial Day, 1889. Civil War veteran Frank Fallon wakens in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, melancholy, reflecting on his failing marriage. Nora Talbot journeys to exclusive South Fork Hunting and Fishing Club - whose members include Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon - to meet her father, both of them entranced by the great earthen dam that holds back man-made Lake Conemaugh, the Club's centerpiece. The day before the flood that most heard, rather than saw, coming, and that over 2,000 of them did not survive. The disaster looms, even as characters fall in love, face personal tragedies and become adults. The story builds to that final, heart-wrenching moment when the dam burst and the water took over. Masterful prose, well-researched detail and characters as real as your next door neighbor combine to create a moving testament to innocence lost and the beauty of what never should have been. Very highly recommended.

Reviewed by Christenbury J., Main Library

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Becoming Madame Mao is a novel based on the life of the most powerful and reviled female figure in modern Chinese history, Jiang Ching, a.k.a. the "White-Boned Demon." The story chronicles her life from her abusive childhood to her modest successes in the theater to her failed marriages to her eventual rise to power as Chairman Mao Zedong's wife and political ally. At the height of her power, she established a national propaganda machine in the form of the Cultural Revolution and positioned herself for a desperate grab at control of the Communist Party following Mao's death. In this enlightening tale, Anchee Min, once recruited for Madame Mao's Shanghai Film Studio, somehow manages to paint a human face on a woman whose blind ambition and inability to separate drama from reality contributed to millions of deaths.

Reviewed by Peter J., Carmel Branch

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Blonde is a cleverly crafted "fictional biography" of Norma Jean Baker, who became the blond icon, Marilyn Monroe. The author uses the fictional voice of Monroe to lead the reader from her chaotic childhood through her tumultuous stardom and untimely death at age 36. Monroe was adored and idolized by movie fans, but she experienced little stability or happiness in her real life. She forever sought the father she never knew and the love and approval of her unavailable mother. Numerous liaisons and marriages failed to fill her insatiable need for a love she was unable to feel for herself. Her own mental instability coupled with the blatant advantage the movie studios took of their "product" - the MM they marketed - led to her dependence on alcohol and prescription drugs. Though we know Oates has invented most of the details of this story, there are enough elements from true sources to convince the reader that this could indeed have been exactly the way it was for the fabulous MM.

Reviewed by Michelle H., Main Library

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In Moon Rising, Ann Victoria Roberts expertly weaves a tale of passion and heartbreak. Damaris Sterne meets Bram Stoker in the middle of a horrific storm. Stoker has come to the seaside town of Whitby in an attempt to escape his life in London. Damaris and Bram feel an instant connection, one that leads to a passionate affair. However, their illusion of happiness is shattered when Bram's "friend" arrives to take him back to London. Damaris eventually builds a new life for herself, including a successful career and marriage, but the time she spent with Stoker has lasting effects. Roberts has created a vivid portrait of life in the late 1800's, one that will capture your heart and your imagination.

Reviewed by Christine B., South County Regional

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I thought Moon Rising was an exceptional historic romance novel. I just happened to pick it up while at the library, never hearing of the author before, and immediately got hooked. I have since then read Louisa Elliott and am now just about to begin the sequel. If you like historic romance novels, with a lot of twists and turns and something that has a naughty side to it, Moon Rising is a must read!
-Sarah, Calgary, AB, Canada

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Come along and be a spectator to the sights and sounds of New York City, circa 1840. Randall Silvis transports the reader to witness through the eyes of 10-year-old street urchin Augie Dubbins, a chilling infant murder and suicide attempt by its young mother. Augie relates the story to New York Mirror reporter, Edgar Allan Poe. An affectionate alliance forms between the two as they pursue the story behind the story. With exquisite prose, Silvis weaves mystery, horror, and loving kindness into his tale much as Poe did in his writing. An intimate portrait of Edgar Allan Poe emerges against the harsh reality of 19th Century New York.

Reviewed by Sue G., Davidson Branch

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In an early 1900s village in England someone is maiming farm animals in the middle of the night. Local solicitor, George Edalji is framed by the local police, tried and then convicted for the crime. George is mixed race, his father is from India and his mother is Scottish. The racism of the local authorities is directly responsible for his wrongful conviction. After serving three years George is released from prison. He appeals to England's most famous writer, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, for help in clearing his name. Doyle, who is looking for direction after the death of his wife, jumps into the fray and works tirelessly to clear George's name so that he may once again practice law. This ingenious novel begins with the birth and childhood of the two men and follows their unique lives in alternating chapters. A fascinating look at British life in the early 20th century and a nice examination of what it means to be British.

Reviewed by Ed M., Morrison Regional

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Catharine Parr watched as the first five wives of Henry VIII met with horrendous ends, from beheadings to exile each have made speedy exits. Now she finds herself the object of his royal affection while she is in love with another. While many works of both fiction and non-fiction have been written on the famous wives of Henry VIII, Catherine Parr is often left behind since she was his last and did not die tragically by his orders. However Erickson provides an in-depth and riveting look into the life of Queen Catharine including her many marriages before her royal union and her service under Queen Catharine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. This novel presents an intriguing glimpse into the history of England and the heart of a Queen.

Reviewed by Courtney A., South County Regional

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“Like everyone, I am born naked,” Marie Antoinette confides to the reader in Abundance. Author Sena Jeter Naslund allows Marie Antoinette to tell her story firsthand in this sprawling novel. Marie confesses everything to the reader, from her love of indulgent baths to extravagant dresses and the oddness of pairing with her husband in the bedroom. This Marie is naïve and almost innocent. She is sympathetic with the life and death struggles of her French peasant subjects, but she does not comprehend their disappointment in the monarchy. Though the outcome of her life is known, this representation is an intimate look into Marie Antoinette’s opulent life and enjoyable to read.

Reviewed by Angela C., ImaginOn

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