It really is the dead of winter in Ruby Lake when a party becomes an invitation to murder for Birds & Bees owner Amy Simms . . . No one ruffles Amy’s feathers like Craig “The Gigolo” Bigelow. Not only has the two-timer returned to town, but his new girlfriend has invited Amy to a dinner party. And at Usher House of all places—legendary home to ghosts, freak accidents, and now, most horrifying of all, an ex-boyfriend and his fiancé. Regrettably, there are also sick ducks on the property that need attention. For a bird lover like Amy, it’s fowl before pride. When everyone becomes snowbound, Amy can’t imagine the evening getting worse. Until a guest is found with a carving knife stuck in his chest. And he’s not the first to call it a night. Now Amy’s got till dawn to go hunting for a killer—before someone else ends up a dead duck . . . Praise for J.R. Ripley’s Beignets, Brides and Bodies “Appealing . . . A clever, amusing cozy.” —Publishers Weekly “Ripley’s entertaining second series outing is a tasty option for foodie mystery fans.” —Library Journal
When Birds & Bees owner Amy Simms volunteers to act in a local production of Annie, Get Your Gun, she finds herself upstaged by a killer waiting in the wings . . . Who’s got time for birdwatching? Amy has enough to do running her shop, fighting attempts by the town planning commission to demolish her old Victorian house, and rescuing an injured towhee. Yet somehow she allows herself to get roped into performing in the Ruby Lake, North Carolina, community theater’s new musical after some cast members get injured by mysterious mishaps. The production seems plagued by bad luck, but events turn tragic when a member of the company is found murdered in a locked dressing room. Trading in her binoculars for a magnifying glass, Amy steps into the role of amateur sleuth and soon discovers the victim ruffled a lot of feathers. With a flock of suspects, Amy will need to beat the bushes before the cagey killer takes flight. After all, the show must go on . . . Praise for J.R. Ripley’s Buried in Beignets “Those who like their mysteries relatively nonviolent and delivered with a smile will thoroughly enjoy this little gem.” —Booklist “A fun new cozy series. I would definitely read another, so I hope this is the first of many.” —Myshelf.com
Maggie Miller’s attempt to run from her troubles leads her to Table Rock, Arizona, her own beignet café . . . and disaster. Welcome to Table Rock, Arizona, the place where folks who aren’t too keen on the ‘mainstream’ move to. Maggie Miller has come here to forget about her dead husband. OK, so he isn’t really dead. That’s just what she tells everybody. Recently divorced, Maggie flees Phoenix and the sight of her husband and his new wife and moves to Table Rock to be closer to her own family. She’s also planning on opening her own beignet and coffee business, Maggie’s Beignet Café. But that dead guy in her storeroom might just put a kink in her plans. Unless she can figure out who killed him, and why, she might never open for business . . .
A red-bellied woodpecker may lead to a yellow-bellied killer . . . One morning when unwilling early bird Amy Simms grabs her binoculars for a closer look at the woodpecker who’s been waking her up, she can't believe her eyes. Across Ruby Lake, through a curtain of rain, she sees a body being tossed out of an upstairs window at the old McKutcheon place. Or at least she thinks she does. The police chief finds no body—only a discarded dressmaker's dummy—and complains that Amy sent him on a wild-goose chase. She should probably focus on minding her store, Birds & Bees, but Amy can't help snooping. And when she turns up another body—a murdered member of her birdwatching group—Amy once again needs to wing it as a sleuth to zoom in on a killer . . . Praise for J.R. Ripley’s Buried in Beignets “Those who like their mysteries relatively nonviolent and delivered with a smile will thoroughly enjoy this little gem.” —Booklist “A fun new cozy series. I would definitely read another, so I hope this is the first of many.” —Myshelf.com
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and the only things on Birds & Bees owner Amy Simms’s wish list are peace, quiet, and birding beside her beau. But in small town Ruby Lake, ‘tis the season to solve murders . . . Before Amy can get into the holiday spirit, she meets Franklin Finch—the cocky new owner of Christmas House Village, one of the most beloved attractions in town. Locals have been squawking over his decision to sack veteran staff members for cheaper help. And when Finch blows off a business deal with Amy, it confirms that he’s the biggest scrooge around. Still, she’s stunned the night his dead body is found swinging in the attic of a festive Victorian . . . Clashing against Chief Kennedy once again, Amy sets off to prove that Finch was murdered. But while her investigation quickly reveals a gaggle of disgruntled ex-Christmas House Village employees and unusual clues, Amy must move with caution as she focuses in on the seedy killer . . . Praise for J.R. Ripley’s Beignets, Brides and Bodies “Appealing . . . A clever, amusing cozy.” —Publishers Weekly “Ripley’s entertaining second series outing is a tasty option for foodie mystery fans.” —Library Journal
Birds & Bees owner Amy Simms will need help from her fine-feathered friends when an uncommon bird sighting plunges her into a hornet’s nest of black magic and murder most foul . . . Amy’s enjoying a rare moment of relaxation when a customer shows up seeking her expertise in ID-ing an unusual bird she’s seen flying around her wooded cabin at the edge of town. Ruby Lake, North Carolina, newcomer Yvonne Rice resembles an exotic bird herself—apparently the kind that doesn’t fly. When she’s found shot to death in her locked cabin, the only witness found is a statue of a voodoo deity staring down from the mantel. Does the rare yellow cardinal Yvonne spotted hold any clues to her demise? What about the Ouija board spelling out the words I am murdered? As Amy delves deeper into Yvonne’s life and meets her strangely secretive neighbors, she’s determined to stop a fowl-hearted murderer from migrating to a new killing ground . . .
Ruby Lake, North Carolina, might be the perfect place to go birdwatching during autumn, but it’s also a habitat for murder . . . As Birds & Bees owner Amy Simms guides a halfhearted birding group around Ruby Lake, rumors soon start flying about the annual Fall Festival’s classic car and tractor show. Local eccentric Chick Sherman—boasting the hottest ride in town—has ruffled feathers by mysteriously entering the contest, and curious Amy hatches a plan to sneak a glimpse at the phantom automobile before the big event kicks off . . . But competition turns deadly when Amy finally spots the sleek ’56 El Morocco—and it’s on top of Chick’s very dead body. With her neighbor and business partner framed as the murderer and priceless Audubon prints suddenly missing from Chick’s home, only Amy can identify the telltale markings of a killer before another hapless victim is plucked from the flock . . . Praise for J.R. Ripley’s Beignets, Brides and Bodies “Appealing . . . A clever, amusing cozy.” —Publishers Weekly “Ripley’s entertaining second series outing is a tasty option for foodie mystery fans.” —Library Journal
Amid the Halloween festivities, one of the Beignet Cafe’s customers comes to a sticky end in this entertaining cozy mystery… It’s Halloween, and café owner Maggie Miller’s special pumpkin spice beignet promotion is proving popular at her café in Table Rock, Arizona, halfway between Sedona and nowhere. But the evening ends in disaster when Maggie discovers the body of one of her regular customers, strangled to death with an expensive cashmere scarf. The late Nancy Alverson had tended to keep herself to herself—but what secrets was she hiding? And why had she been studying books on witchcraft? Of one thing Maggie is certain: It was no witch who killed Nancy. Instead, someone has taken advantage of the spookiest night of the year to commit a brutal murder… “[Maggie’s] dotty internal monologues will amuse many cozy fans.”—Publishers Weekly
For Amy Simms, owner of Birds & Bees, nothing is more important than impressing her old professor, but this odd bird is about to fall to earth . . . When her favorite ornithology professor comes calling, Birds & Bees owner Amy Simms hangs six hummingbird feeders around the shop to welcome Professor Livingston with a flock of his favorite flying creatures. But Amy soon finds that the sugar water in the feeders brings more than a swarm of hummingbirds. It also attracts murder. Professor Livingston is just as friendly as Amy remembers, but something seems to be troubling him. When Amy pays him a visit that night, she finds the professor slumped over a table with a pair of scissors buried in his neck. And standing over his body is Rose Smith, the local bookseller, who claims she killed him. But while the police believe they have a bird in hand, Amy thinks the real killer may still be in the bush . . . Praise for J.R. Ripley’s Beignets, Brides and Bodies “A clever, amusing cozy.” —Publishers Weekly “Ripley’s entertaining second series outing is a tasty option for foodie mystery fans of Sandra Balzo and Jessica Beck.” — Library Journal
What's STIFF IN THE FREEZER about? Read on. Running a restaurant can be murder. That's what ex-attorney Tony Kozol is about to find out. Tony's troubles began when one of his clients framed him in a money laundering scheme. Tony was disbarred and the next thing he knows, his Uncle Jonathan is handing him the keys to a fast food restaurant. It sounds like good news, but can he handle running a restaurant? And can he handle the...Stiff In The Freezer?
Welcome to Branson! Tony Kozol and Rock Bottom (an engagingly laid-back sleuthing duo-Booklist) are back in their fifth hair-pulling, teeth-gnashing, nail-biting, name-calling (and that's only what the author went through to write it) adventure. Hired by folk singer Nanci Dement to appear with her at a Kewpie doll convention in Branson, Missouri, the boys are expecting nothing but fun and relaxation. What they get is murder, and lots of it. Not to mention, Jim Stafford, who finds himself with his own set of troubles-he's been accused of stealing a valuable Kewpie. Worse still, he's been accused of murder! While Tony and Rock try to sort through the tangle of their lives and help out their new friend, Jim, who thinks they are detectives (and Heaven knows they're not!) Nanci is ready to kill them. After all, she's hired them to play the guitar and bass and they're spending all their time playing sleuths! Will Jim spend the remainder of his days singing Cow Patti in jail? Will Nanci Dement stalk down and rub out Tony and Rock with her mandolin? Hold on to your Kewpie doll and read on!
When the guest of honor is killed at an annual birding convention, justice will be swift . . . A flying visit to the City of Brotherly Love takes a murderous turn for Amy Simms, owner of Birds & Bees . . . Amy and her bird-loving crew are ducking out of Ruby Lake, North Carolina to attend the annual American Birding Expo in Philadelphia. The event will generate publicity for Birds & Bees, though assistant manager Esther is strangely reluctant to attend. Before she’s even set up their booth, Amy manages to insult JJ Fuller, famed bird photographer and the expo’s guest of honor. An inauspicious beginning, made worse when JJ is found dead as a dodo, his head caved in by a pair of binoculars. The police suspect Esther is mixed up in murder, and her mysterious past starts coming to light. Amy isn’t sure what to believe. JJ boasted that he would be the first to locate a near-extinct woodpecker. Did a rival decide to beat him—literally—to the punch? With a ZombieFest convention taking place in the exhibit hall next door, there’s all kinds of creepiness to contend with. And somewhere among the birders and the walking dead there’s a killer hoping to fly the coop before justice is served . . .
When a broken arm sidelines the bad-boy rhythm guitarist for a popular country band, struggling musician Tony Kozol gets a gig as a temporary replacement. When the band arrives in Austin, a roadie with the group is murdered and Tony spots an unsettling connection to the band--especially when the body of a pretty young groupie is found next.
Guitarist Tony Kozol and his sidekick, Rock Bottom, land a gig at Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval. Tony soon learns that beneath the rhythmic samba and seduction of the city, Rio has a dark and dangerous side. When a murderer strikes, Tony and Rock dare to nail a killer whose wealth and power are no match for American ingenuity.
Newhart meets Murder She Wrote. Think innkeeper Dick Loudon and mystery writer Jessica Fletcher. Put 'em together, flip 'em around and what do you get? Kelly Green and Harry Leland. One is the new owner of the Beach Lovers Inn in Myrtle Beach, SC. The other is a mystery writer staying at the inn who sees mysteries and murders everywhere. When Kelly's aunt decides to retire, she jumps at the opportunity to run the inn. But soon after, a guest is murdered and Kelly and Harry are determined to find the killer before any more guests check out for good. First in a new cozy series by critically-acclaimed, bestselling author J.R. Ripley.
When Tony Kozol packs his bag and his guitar and heads to Sedona to back up a friend at a New Age conference, murder follows. And the only thing stranger than the murder are the colorful suspects at the conference, not to mention the real stars of the event, the crystal skulls, and now they're missing! With this second book in a series, J.R. Ripley returns with another murderous predicament for the hapless ex-attorney, ex-restaurateur and now struggling musician and amateur sleuth, Tony Kozol. Janvilhelm Rein Wunderkind has invited his old college roommate, Tony Kozol, to join him at a special performance at the Crystal Magic of the Skulls Conference in Sedona, Arizona. With no other prospects for employment, Tony eagerly agrees. But his old friend has changed and the conference is attended by a bunch of New Age enthusiasts and speakers who don't seem all too fond of each other and probably wouldn't be in this lifetime or any other. And then there are the crystal skulls, Magdalena and Azultican, that belong to a young woman who has taken a fancy to Tony. They are said to possess the knowledge of an ancient and superior race who planted the crystal skulls on Earth for humanity's benefit. When someone at the conference is found murdered and the crystal skulls missing, Tony is drawn deeper into a world of New Age intrigue and mystery, searching for a killer, and questioning his own beliefs in the process...
Before William Faulkner, there was Colonel William C. Falkner (1825–1889), the great-grandfather of the prominent and well-known Mississippi writer. The first biography of Falkner was a dissertation by the late Donald Duclos, which was completed in 1961, and while Faulkner scholars have briefly touched on the life of the Colonel due to his influence on the writer’s work and life, there have been no new biographies dedicated to Falkner until now. To the Ramparts of Infinity: Colonel W. C. Falkner and the Ripley Railroad seeks to fill this gap in scholarship and Mississippi history by providing a biography of the Colonel, sketching out the cultural landscape of Ripley, Mississippi, and alluding to Falkner’s influence on his great-grandson’s Yoknapatawpha cycle of stories. While the primary thrust of the narrative is to provide a sound biography on Falkner, author Jack D. Elliott Jr. also seeks to identify sites in Ripley that were associated with the Colonel and his family. This is accomplished in part within the main narrative, but the sites are specifically focused on, summarized, and organized into an appendix entitled “A Field Guide to Colonel Falkner’s Ripley.” There, the sites are listed along with old and contemporary photographs of buildings. Maps of the area, plotting military action as well as the railroads, are also included, providing essential material for readers to understand the geographical background of the area in this period of Mississippi history.
Scholars who investigate race—a label based upon real or perceived physical differences—realize that they face a formidable task. The concept has been contested and condoned, debated and denied throughout modern history. Presented with the full understanding of the complexity of the issue, Race and Practice in Archaeological Interpretation concentrates on the archaeological analysis of race and how race is determined in the archaeological record. Most archaeologists, even those dealing with recent history, have usually avoided the subject of race, yet Charles E. Orser, Jr., contends that its study and its implications are extremely important for the science of archaeology. Drawing upon his considerable experience as an archaeologist, and using a combination of practice theory as interpreted by Pierre Bourdieu and spatial theory as presented by Henri Lefebvre, Orser argues for an explicit archaeology of race and its interpretation. The author reviews past archaeological usages of race, including a case study from early nineteenth-century Ireland, and explores the way race was used to form ideas about the Mound Builders, the Celts, and Atlantis. He concludes with a proposal that historical archaeology—cast as modern-world archaeology—should take the lead in the archaeological analysis of race because its purview is the recent past, that period during which our conceptions of race developed.
Cyrus K. Holliday envisioned a railroad that would run from Kansas to the Pacific, increasing the commerce and prosperity of the nation. With farsighted investors and shrewd management, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway grew from Holliday’s idea into a model of the modern, rapid, and efficient railroad. There were many growing pains early on, including rustlers, thieves, and desperadoes as well as the nineteenth century’s economic and climatic hardships. The railroad eventually extended from Chicago to San Francisco, with substantial holdings in oil fields, timber land, uranium mines, pipelines, and real estate. This is the first comprehensive history of the iconic Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, from its birth in 1859 to its termination in 1996. This volume discusses the construction and operation of the railway, the strategies of its leaders, the evolution of its locomotive fleet, and its famed passenger service with partner Fred Harvey. The vast changes within the nation’s railway system led to a merger with the Burlington Northern and the creation of the BNSF Railway. An iconic railroad, the Santa Fe at its peak operated thirteen thousand miles of routes and served the southwestern region of the nation with the corporate slogan “Santa Fe All the Way.” This new edition covers almost twenty-five more years of history, including the merger of the Santa Fe and Burlington Northern railroads and new material on labor, minorities, and women on the carrier along with new and updated maps and photographs.
Cyrus K. Holliday envisioned a railroad that would run from Kansas to the Pacific, increasing the commerce and prosperity of the nation. With farsighted investors and shrewd management, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway grew from Holliday’s idea into a model of the modern, rapid, and efficient railroad. There were many growing pains early on, including rustlers, thieves, and desperadoes as well as the nineteenth century’s economic and climatic hardships. The railroad eventually extended from Chicago to San Francisco, with substantial holdings in oil fields, timber land, uranium mines, pipelines, and real estate. This is the first comprehensive history of the iconic Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, from its birth in 1859 to its termination in 1996. This volume discusses the construction and operation of the railway, the strategies of its leaders, the evolution of its locomotive fleet, and its famed passenger service with partner Fred Harvey. The vast changes within the nation’s railway system led to a merger with the Burlington Northern and the creation of the BNSF Railway. An iconic railroad, the Santa Fe at its peak operated thirteen thousand miles of routes and served the southwestern region of the nation with the corporate slogan “Santa Fe All the Way.” This new edition covers almost twenty-five more years of history, including the merger of the Santa Fe and Burlington Northern railroads and new material on labor, minorities, and women on the carrier along with new and updated maps and photographs.
Originally published in 2011, Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind: A Bestseller's Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood presented the first comprehensive overview of how the iconic novel became an international phenomenon that has managed to sustain the public's interest for more than eighty-five years. Various Mitchell biographies and several compilations of her letters told part of the story, but until 2011, no single source had revealed the full saga. Now updated with two new chapters that bring the saga into 2021, this entertaining account of a literary and pop culture phenomenon tells how Mitchell's book was developed, marketed, distributed, and otherwise groomed for success in the 1930s—and the savvy measures taken since then by the author, her publisher, and her estate to ensure its longevity.
From Charleston's doorstep, Morris Island held a critical position in the Civil War. It was first used by Confederates to assist in the bombardment of Fort Sumter and later became the scene of an epic struggle to prevent Union forces from gaining control. After the battle, the roles reversed, and Union forces used the site to bombard Fort Sumter and Charleston. Hundreds lost their lives, and both sides expended a vast amount of war capital for what appeared to be little value. Confederates greatly underestimated how events at Morris Island played into the hands of the Civil War's master strategist, Abraham Lincoln. Author C. Russell Horres Jr. offers the complete story of Morris Island in the War Between the States.
See what's new in the Second Edition: Number of species included is increased from 6300 to over 8700, about 85% of the world's birds Better data for many of the species included in the first edition- an exhaustive compilation of new data publis
The role of historical archaeology in the study of African diaspora history and culture Exploring the archaeological study of enslavement and emancipation in the United States, this book discusses significant findings, the attitudes and approaches of past researchers, and the development of the field. Living Ceramics, Storied Ground highlights the ways historical archaeology can contribute to the study of African diaspora history and culture, as much of the daily life of enslaved people was not captured through written records but is evidenced in the materials and objects left behind. Including debates about cultural survivals in the 1920s, efforts to find “Africanisms” at Kingsley plantation in the 1960s, and the realization—as late as the 1970s—that colonoware pottery was created by enslaved people, Charles Orser looks at the influential and often mistaken ideas of prominent anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians. Extending to the present, Orser describes how archaeology better recognizes and appreciates the variety and richness of African American culture during slavery, due in large part to the Black archaeologists, past and present, who have worked to counter racism in the field. While acknowledging the colonial legacy of archaeology, Charles Orser outlines the ways the discipline has benefitted by adopting antiracist principles and partnerships with descendant communities. This book points to the contributions of excavators and researchers whose roles have been overlooked and anticipates exciting future work in African American archaeology. Publication of this work made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
In the moralistic texts of jeremiadic discourse, authors lament the condition of society, utilizing prophecy as a means of predicting its demise. This study delves beneath the socio-religious and cultural exterior of the American jeremiadic tradition to unveil the complexities of African American jeremiadic rhetoric in antebellum America. It examines the development of the tradition in response to slavery, explores its contributions to the antebellum social protest writings of African Americans, and evaluates the role of the jeremiad in the growth of an African American literary genre. Despite its situation within an unreceptive environment, the African American jeremiad maintained its power, continuing to influence contemporary African American literary and cultural traditions.
It's Carnaval time in Rio de Janeiro! What could be more fun? Yes, it's Carnaval time in exotic Rio and Tony Kozol has been invited. Working for Luis Angel, a hot, young Latin pop singing sensation with an eye for the ladies, journeyman guitarist and amateur sleuth, Tony Kozol packs his bags and heads south to sexy, sunny Brazil. Love is in the air, samba is in the streets...and murder is around the next corner. Tony and his bass playing sidekick, Rock Bottom, want nothing more than to bask in the sun along the famed beaches of Ipanema while reveling in the rhythms of Brazilian music and the beauty of the Brazilian women who stroll the sands and sidewalks with exotic rhythms of their own. Fate, however, has other plans. So does Alvarez Yairi, an unsavory, unreadable thug on Luis Angel's payroll. When Tony is mugged on the streets of Ipanema, his attacker is soon found with his throat cut. The local police cast suspicious eyes on Tony and it is Alvarez Yairi who comes to his aid. Yairi enlists the assistance of one of Rio's most notorious gangsters, Little Armando. Soon, Tony and Rock find themselves involved, against their wishes, in Little Armando's schemes. Tony's also fallen in love with a beautiful local dancer who will change his life forever. In THE BODY FROM IPANEMA, the fourth book in J.R. Ripley's quirky and comedic Tony Kozol mystery series, Tony and his bass playing friend, Rock, find themselves surrounded by beauty and intrigue in a land where not all is as it seems...
The role of large-scale business enterprise—big business and its managers—during the formative years of modern capitalism (from the 1850s until the 1920s) is delineated in this pathmarking book. Alfred Chandler, Jr., the distinguished business historian, sets forth the reasons for the dominance of big business in American transportation, communications, and the central sectors of production and distribution. The managerial revolution, presented here with force and conviction, is the story of how the visible hand of management replaced what Adam Smith called the “invisible hand” of market forces. Chandler shows that the fundamental shift toward managers running large enterprises exerted a far greater influence in determining size and concentration in American industry than other factors so often cited as critical: the quality of entrepreneurship, the availability of capital, or public policy.
The rubber industry was born in bankruptcy and built through bankruptcies. As this history details, many of the great rubber barons--Charles Goodyear, Harvey Firestone, B.F. Goodrich, F.A. Seiberling--found themselves or their companies in bankruptcy courts. Fortunately, the industry has always proven as elastic as its product. From the early search for an American location to process the rubber of the tropics to the collapse of the industry, this is the story of rubber in America.
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