Rush of Shadows by Catherine Bell
When American
pioneers set their hearts on a California valley where Indians had been living
for thousands of years, a period of uneasy appraisal emerged, followed by
conflict and soon enough by genocide. The epic greed and violence of the 1850's
and 60's has been brushed aside by history, conveniently forgotten in the pride
of conquest. Willful ignorance and cruelty, terror and desperation were common
in that time, but there were moments too of nobility and compassion, ingenuity
and forgiveness, qualities which might have prevailed if certain things had
been different. Rush of Shadows brings to life two freethinking women, Mellie,
a white, and Bah.
The Magic of Maxwell and his Tail
Everyone has magic but sometimes you have to search to find out what it is. That’s what Maxwell
Mouse had to do. And he discovered that what he thought was something very bad was actually
something very good, indeed.
The Magic of Maxwell and His Tail is more than just a charming, wonderfully illustrated story. With
childlike innocence, it presents an inspiring motivational model for youngsters—especially gifted kids and those with special needs—to take another look at themselves and recognize their unique gifts. It shows them how to see beyond what appear to be limitations and appreciate them as positive attributes that will help them to soar.
Written by an educator with over 30 years in the trenches and based on sound educational principles acknowledging the various ways children learn (multiple intelligences), The Magic of Maxwell and His Tail is a micro-guide to life. It will delight children as they celebrate Maxwell’s triumphs, and warm the hearts of parents as they watch their kids discover how perfectly special they are.
The Magic of Maxwell and His Tail is the first in a series of books to entertain, educate, and encourage children to be their better selves.
Mouse had to do. And he discovered that what he thought was something very bad was actually
something very good, indeed.
The Magic of Maxwell and His Tail is more than just a charming, wonderfully illustrated story. With
childlike innocence, it presents an inspiring motivational model for youngsters—especially gifted kids and those with special needs—to take another look at themselves and recognize their unique gifts. It shows them how to see beyond what appear to be limitations and appreciate them as positive attributes that will help them to soar.
Written by an educator with over 30 years in the trenches and based on sound educational principles acknowledging the various ways children learn (multiple intelligences), The Magic of Maxwell and His Tail is a micro-guide to life. It will delight children as they celebrate Maxwell’s triumphs, and warm the hearts of parents as they watch their kids discover how perfectly special they are.
The Magic of Maxwell and His Tail is the first in a series of books to entertain, educate, and encourage children to be their better selves.
The Cottoncrest Curse by Michael H. Rubin
In this heart-racing thriller, a series of gruesome deaths ignite feuds that burn a path from the cotton fields to the courthouse steps, from the moss-draped bayous of Cajun country to the bordellos of 19th century New Orleans, from the Civil War to the Civil Rights era and across the Jim Crow decades to the Freedom Marches of the 1960s.
At the heart of the story is the apparent suicide of elderly Civil War Col. Augustine Chastaine who, two decades after the end of the Civil War, viciously slit the throat of his wife and then shot himself. Sheriff Raifer Jackson, however, believes that this may be a double homicide, and suspicion falls upon Jake Gold, an itinerant peddler with many secrets to conceal, not the least of which is that he is a Jewish immigrant in the post-Reconstruction South, where racial, religious and ethnic prejudice abounds.
Jake must stay one step ahead of the law, as well as the racist Knights of the White Camellia, as he interacts with blacks and whites, former slaves, Cajuns, crusty white field hands, and free men of color as he tries to keep one final promise before more lives are lost and he loses the opportunity to clear his name.
At the heart of the story is the apparent suicide of elderly Civil War Col. Augustine Chastaine who, two decades after the end of the Civil War, viciously slit the throat of his wife and then shot himself. Sheriff Raifer Jackson, however, believes that this may be a double homicide, and suspicion falls upon Jake Gold, an itinerant peddler with many secrets to conceal, not the least of which is that he is a Jewish immigrant in the post-Reconstruction South, where racial, religious and ethnic prejudice abounds.
Jake must stay one step ahead of the law, as well as the racist Knights of the White Camellia, as he interacts with blacks and whites, former slaves, Cajuns, crusty white field hands, and free men of color as he tries to keep one final promise before more lives are lost and he loses the opportunity to clear his name.
Reservation Ravaged by JoAnna Senger
Hermione Daggert is a newly certified California private investigator and the junior partner in Denning & Daggert. Proud possessor of her own business card, she relies on her special analytical skills and ability to fade into the background so completely that people forget they met her. The senior partner, Emma Denning, turns over an assignment for a local Indian tribe, the Kanache, to Hermione. Over a year before, a man camped illegally on the reservation. The chief forced him to leave immediately. Ever since, the land on which he camped has seen unparalleled devastation. The chief’s grandson is injured in a freak accident on that section of the reservation and loses a leg.
Hermione is hired to find that man. And she does.
But that is only the beginning. The Kanache sell that section of the reservation to an academic entrepreneur, Dr. Frederic Unlickner, who uses the site to build the Institute of Holistic Health, his lifelong dream. Emma Denning despises Unlickner on sight and nicknames him “Dr. Unlikeable.”
No longer content to simply maim a teenage boy, the land seems to seek new victims beginning with a fiery crash, burning a young socialite alive. Hermione finds herself working at the Institute, trying to unravel the geologic mystery with several murders tucked inside. No longer sure that she understands human nature, or anything else, she narrowly escapes being swallowed alive by the land underneath her feet.
Hermione is hired to find that man. And she does.
But that is only the beginning. The Kanache sell that section of the reservation to an academic entrepreneur, Dr. Frederic Unlickner, who uses the site to build the Institute of Holistic Health, his lifelong dream. Emma Denning despises Unlickner on sight and nicknames him “Dr. Unlikeable.”
No longer content to simply maim a teenage boy, the land seems to seek new victims beginning with a fiery crash, burning a young socialite alive. Hermione finds herself working at the Institute, trying to unravel the geologic mystery with several murders tucked inside. No longer sure that she understands human nature, or anything else, she narrowly escapes being swallowed alive by the land underneath her feet.
