Georgia Books

"In the Saddle" is an interesting blend of letters, diary excerpts and reminescences of a Confederate cavalry unit - the 5th Georgia Cavalry. The book is informative and well documented, although it has -- even though the author admits it -- a pro-southern bias. The most enthralling part of the book is its coverage of the constant battling and skirmishing of the 5th Georgia and the Confederate cav. with the hugh Union army under Gen. William T. Sherman as he cuts and burns his way through Georgia and the Carolinas. Though out numbered, the Rebel troopers are superior to their Union cavalry counterparts. Not until after Atlanta falls and the breadbasket of the Confederacy is spent does the Federal cavalry compare to the Confederate horsemen. By then, however, the Rebel army is ragged, hungry and ill equipped -- often out numbered three, four or five to one. It is amazing that they accomplished what they did. In all the book is an enjoyable read -- even for a Yankee!

I read this book in one evening, eventhough I am not a Civil War buff. My husband left this in our den and I picked it up and was enthralled. Many of the soldier's stories were touching and interesting, particularly since they fought in and around where I live -- Atlanta. Some of these men and boys suffered horribly for their beliefs (whether right or wrong) you have to admire them. In addition, foot notes are given to help explain military terminology. I recommend this book; it is an excellent window into those horrible days of war that shaped our nation, healed its wounds, opened other wounds, and brought us into the 20th century

I picked this up recently for several reasons. I am researching my own Confederate cavalry ancestors and was interested in the author's approach of using first person accounts to tell this unit's story. The author states in the Introduction that this book should not be considered a full history of the unit but as "a primer." He accomplishes this perfectly. Through his use of letters, I was able to "see" through the eyes of the brave men of the 5th GA Cavalry. I now feel even closer to my ancestors who fought on both sides of the War Between the States. This work should be read by anyone seeking to better understand what it was like to ride "in the saddle" for extended periods and under situations that would try the bravest soul. I found his chapter on the Union prison camp, Camp Chase Ohio, especially poignant.

I had the opportunity to read this work - before its official release. I highly recommend this book if you are a Civil War buff, even if you aren't! The first hand accounts of what is was like to be a young cavalryman during the American Civil War are engaging for any reader, particular those who like adventure and history. But be prepared, this book takes a no-apologies approach to its subject matter: it is decidedly Southern. In this lies a certain charm, if you want to call it that. It is supplemented with numerous period photos and drawings that enhance the reading experience. In addition, it covers the often forgotten war in the western theater and the subsequent fighting in and around that doomed little town called Atlanta. Over all, it is recommended reading...

As a judge, a lawyer and an historian I had heard about the Leo Frank case but did not know the details. Leonard Dinnerstein does an excellent job of relating the story of Leo Frank in a fair and unbiased manner. He also puts the entire affair in a historical context. This would be an excellent read for any student of racism in America and of the New South. It is easy to read and has an excellent bibliography.

I got interested in this case after reading a large write up in the local paper, the Atlanta Journal constitution, which is quoted many times in the book. I like historical books and was really amazed at the semitic overtones in the south during the civil war. As stated by reveiwer C. Ellen, it was written well and put into context with other goings on in that period. Being from Atlanta myself, I could very easily relate to the narative and it held my facination throughout. It told what I beleive to be the complete story and facts as well as being updated for NEW release in 1987 by adding an additional preface. Anyone who is interested in civil war reads, the laws of the time , or who lives in or around Atlanta , will be interested in this book. Over 50 pages of it are dedicated to the bibliography and all facts are well documented. It is a story that is all to reminiscent of famous cases that have arrisen in the past few years. It's a sad commentary on just how far the attitudes of this nation have come in the past 100 years or so. If interested in further information after reading this book, then I suggest trying to contact the Atlanta Journal Constitution for their brilliant account of the incident in the June 11, 2000 addition of their paper. It also gives a partial list of the lynching mob, held in secretcy until this time. A great book to own for any historical book collection.

The circumstances and attitudes that coincided in the trial of Leo Frank, had very little to do with the accused or the victim. They were both surrogates for a larger battle; Leo Frank was proxy for Northern industrialists and "Little Mary Phagan" stood in for the victimized South who had been taken advantage of by Northern opportunists.

The fact is that the case of Leo Frank acted as a steam valve, in many respects, to the buildup of Southern frustration and anger that had grown since the Civil War, then through Reconstruction and its aftermath. Southern Pride took a near-mortal blow when Lee surrendered to Sherman at Appomattox, humiliating the survivors of hundreds of thousands of dead. Reconstruction brought in Northern carpetbaggers who participated in the governments of the states that they had just defeated. Southern anger accumulated, especially as attempts to overturn it were thwarted until the contested election of 1876, in which Rutherford B. Hayes won on the condition of agreeing to end Reconstruction.

Reconstruction allowed Southern states to exact a measure of revenge on black populations, although resentment toward the North remained unavenged. In an honor-bound society such as the South, it is very difficult to imagine that wrong to one's family would go without settling the score. Such is the larger metaphor of the South as a whole to the North. Southern society and culture prided itself on being a distinct and cultured entity from the slavish industrialists of the North.

Thus, when a stereotypical Northern carpetbagger, a Jew no less, found himself in connection with the violent death of a Southern belle, vengeance became a powerful a prevailing force. Upon Leo Frank was heaped all of the indignation from Southern loss to the North - the industrialization, forcing young girls to work in factories; the ownership of capital; the imposition of Reconstruction; Lincoln marching into Richmond - all Southern rage at the North was embodied in the trial of Leo Frank. (Ironically, a Northern newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, fed the flames through his acquisition of the Atlanta Georgian, which led the pack in sensationalizing the trial.)

All of this is to say that the forces which demanded that Leo Frank be the sacrificial lamb for the North's crimes against the South were too powerful for rational legal procedures. If the governor had reversed the conviction or the commuted the sentence, he would have been denying the mob the satisfaction of revenge. The lynching of Frank did give rise to the Klu Klux Klan, however the immediate reaction of Georgia (and the South) was a demand for justice, even though it was at the end of a rope.

It is telling that Frank did not receive a pardon of his conviction until 1986, and even that was amid controversy in the South. Those eighty years had to pass before rational analysis of a crime could be carried out and a form of justice could be executed, which lends perspective to the heft of the event in the history of the South. Tom Watson's remark was an astute reflection of the prevailing sentiment of the day and offers a glimpse into larger, unresolved tensions of the day.

Dinnerstein does a beautiful job in eloquently presenting the facts of the famous Leo Frank case. All angles of the case are examined in a thorough, impartial manner. A must read for anyone familiar with the Frank case, and well worth looking into for anyone who loves a good murder mystery.

We bought this book as a gift for an ardent Atlanta (nee Boston, nee Milwaukee!) Braves fan. We had looked for some time to find an appropriate book, and this was a winner! Mazzone has been linked with Bobby Cox, the Braves manager, for several years and their results together have been recordbreaking. So much of the success of the Braves has had to do with the consistently high level of perfromance of their pitching staff, and Leo Mazzone has been the constant during all that time, despite turnover of the pitchers themselves. It was interesting to hear from the man himself, and the book makes excellent reading for a real baseball fan. It will be interesting to see how long the Braves maintain their pitching excellence, now that Leo Mazzone will be wearing a Baltimore uniform!

While I enjoyed the behind the scenes experience and Leo's candid discussion concerning his past and present pitchers, the book needed more beef. Too good a subject to pass an opportunity to be more in depth. Other than that, very enjoyable book!

Of the many factors influencing the Braves' stupendous run of 13 straight Division Championships, none of it is more prominent than its emphasis on pitching anchored by Leo Mazzone.

"Tales from the Braves Mound" contains anecdotes in Mazzone's career from his pitching days to his forays in the minor leagues and finally to his elevation to pitching coach with Bobby Cox as the manager of the Atlanta Braves.

The anecdotes provide some interesting tidbits such as Maddux's request to give him a mound visit because "it's lonely out there" and even Glavine's reluctance to hit a batter after his teammate was beaned by the opposing pitcher. Also, Mazzone defends his coaching philosophies which include the practice of throwing in between starts, getting the pitcher's input on how long he stays in the game, his aversion to the "wild card" format and emphasis on pitch location rather than raw power. Of course, the good coach in him refuses to dwell on the Braves' postseason failures but instead celebrates the team's successes.

Having said that, I would have liked him to make the book just a little bit longer by rating the current aces (Randy Johnson, Bartolo Colon) and sluggers (Barry Bonds, David Ortiz) and of course another chapter on the post-Maddux, Glavine era would have made the book perfect.

Even if pundits scoff at his team's postseason failures, I do believe real baseball enthusiasts including opposing players and coaches have a healthy respect for his and Cox's ability to mold a staff and in effect a team.

I have been a Brave's fan since the late eighties watching the young guns loose close games by one or two runs, especially in 89 and 90. Scott and Leo team up to give us a highly entertaining behind the scenes look of a decade and more of one of the best pitching staff's in the history of baseball. This book is well written and is a must for any true baseball fan, particularly Brave's fans. Great book Scott and Leo!

I read River of Grass last fall and then read Liquid Land last winter. It was great. Easy to read and follow. Very informative.
I'm reading it for the second time now. You can't read it without coming away with genuine concern or affirming everything you have thought or been told about the state of our Everglades and how vital they are to the well-being of our Earth.

From panthers to tree snails, author Levin has experienced Florida's Everglades as no other, and here is provided an artful survey of author Ted Levin's travels through the region. From issues surrounding its restoration efforts to history of wildlife and wildlife management efforts, Liquid Land is packed from cover to cover with eye-opening insights.

This book just won author Ted Levin the 2004 John Burroughs Award for natural history writing, putting him in the company of such wonderful writers as David Quammen (Song of the Dodo), Carl Safina (Eye of the Albatross), Rachel Carson (The Sea Around Us), John McPhee (Control of Nature), Bernd Heinrich (Mind of the Raven), and others.

For me, this book is the new Everglades natural history classic, and will go on my bookshelf next to Marjorie Stoneman Douglas' "The Everglades: River of Grass."

The Florida peninsula was at one time, depending on how you looked at it, a collection of pestilential swamps and frightening dark hardwood hammocks and pine woodlands, or a remarkable paradise of biodiverse and uniquely intertwined ecosystems. I tend to view the peninsula that was as the latter and I am saddened by, for example, the loss of tropical hardwood hammock to the ever growing asphalt and concrete jungle that is called greater Miami.

Indeed, of the many splendors of the "Sunshine State" the Everglades is one of the most remarkable. Made famous by Marjory Stoneman Douglas (who lived to reach 100 years of age), it has at least as much allure as the "Big Scrub" of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. I have seen both, but by the time I saw them they were both much diminished from what they were even fifty years before.

Ted Levin eloquently tells the story of the Everglades, its near destruction and attempted restoration in "Liquid Land: A Journey Through the Florida Everglades." It is not a pretty story as it involves many misguided ideas about the "grassy waters." These led to the building of miles of canals and dikes and one of the most messed up attempts to tame the untamable in the history of the United States. Whether the Army Corps of Engineers can restore the Glades to their original splendor is questionable, as they don't even really know what the Everglades were like prior to the end of the 19th Century. Nobody bothered to record it! After all it was worthless swamp and jungle to the developers like Napoleon Bonaparte Broward.

Levin records this sad history of an underappreciated wilderness reduced to, as Levin says, the artificialness of Disney World by the pumps that try to restore "normal" flows of water. Besieged by often totally inappropriate development, the Everglades still survive in a much reduced form. This world was also well described, as well as illustrated by beautiful and haunting photographs as it was in the early 1970s, by Archie Carr in "The Everglades" (Time-Life Books).

A monumental "tribute" to the short-sightedness and unbelievable hubris of the human species, the story of the Everglades is also one of hope, however slight. Archie Carr always tried to look on the bright side of the issue and I think we have to do so as much as we can (while not sugar- coating the destruction that has occurred in the past and is still going on today). While a mere shadow of what once was, there are still some areas like Corkscrew Swamp and (if you are very adventurous) the Fakahatchee Strand that are very much worth seeing- especially if you can appreciate swamps.

Read Ted Levin's book if you care about the special wild places of this planet!

The author expended a tremendous effort in researching the Jeff Davis Legion. He has created an interesting history of this unusual cavalry unit. Any one who is interested in the Confederate Cavalry will enjoy the detail information the author has dug out of the archives.

Amazon says book has 40 pages. It has 325

The author obviously performed a great deal of research in order to extract such detailed and little known facts about the "Little Jeff". Truly a gem for all interested in the Civil War. Highly recommended.

This is the first complete history of The Jeff Davis Legion, initially designated the 2nd Mississippi Cavalry Battalion. Fighting under Jeb Stuart and Wade Hampton it later followed Hampton to Georgia and the Carolinas. Though companies from Georgia and Alabama joined the regiment, it remained officially a "Mississippi" cavalry unit. They were the only Mississippi cavalry to fight as part of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

Among the men of the "Little Jeff" were educated elite from Natchez and Savannah and rustic farmers and country tradesmen from Kemper County, Mississippi and Sumpter and Barbour Counties, Alabama. Through first hand accounts we follow these soldiers from their early enthusiasm until camp life and sickness brought war into perspective. They fought their first engagement in late 1861 and from then on fought in most of Lee's campaigns. They were at Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Seven days, Antietam, Trevilian Station, Brandy Station, Gettysburg and countless smaller engagements They sustained some of their greatest losses at lesser known places like Upperville, Funkstown, Stony Creek, and Bentonville.

Readers of this history should come away not only with an accurate characterization of the Confederate cavalryman, but also with an understanding of their place in the overall strategy of Lee's army. The related book, published simultaneously, "Horsemen of the Jeff Davis Legion" gives information taken from the individual cavalryman's service record from the National Archives as well as a wealth of information from other sources about each man. This should be useful as a geneological reference. Also contains statistics related to the Jeff Davis Legion and brief biographies of senior officers associated with it.

Donald A. Hopkins

I read this book as a child and instantly fell in love with it. I was able to find a few copies of it while I was in college and shared them with my pre-teen relatives. Over the years I misplaced my copy and have been seeking it feverishly. (Thank you Amazon.com.) I'm now a veteran Language Arts teacher and have decided to share this exceptional novel with my 7th grade students. I'm confident they will cherish it, as did I.

Ludell is a wonderful preteen book. I read this book as well as Ludell and Willie and many many more when I was 11yrs old. Of all the books I read as a young girl, this was my very favorite. It really helped me to understand some of the things I was going through at that time in my life. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down until the last page. I cant wait to give it to my girls. Anyone looking for a charming coming of age book for youngsters glued to the television should consider this book.

When I was 10 years old I was an avid t.v. watcher. Much to my mother chagrin that's all I did everyday. After many arguments and threats she decided to take matters into her own hands. She put me on punishment. No t.v. for a month. This was beyond punishment to me. She might as well had told me not to breathe again. I refused to talk to her for days. One day out of the blue she came into my room and handed me a book. We were very poor and to 'waste' money was something that was frowned upon. So she gives me this book and tells me that books are what she used to 'watch' when she was a kid. I grudgingly took the book. I quickly lost myself in Ludell's life. She reminded me of my mom. She's curios and full of life. Ludell's freinds became my frieds. At 10 years old I finished reading Ludell in less than a day! A couple of years later walking aimlessly around the public library (I now 'watched' more books than I watched t.v.) I found Ludell and Willie. I shouted as loud as I could I was so happy. I knew Ludell and Willie belonged together. Now at 21, I'm looking for Ludell to pass down to my cousin. We have similar taste in books. It's a shame that Ludell is out of print. I wish I would have kept the one I had but sadly it got mixed up in some things that were donated to the Salvation Army. Whoever was the lucky person to receive Ludell, I know they loved that book as much as I did.

Ludell, was the first book that I read through my school RIF program. It was written by a black author and I told everyone I knew about it. I was in sixth grade and this book changed and enhanced my thoughts. It is a book I will cherish always. I continually passes it on to young ladies and they all have their own personally experience about this book. I have lost my original copy however, I was able to order it again. I lost Ludell and Willie, however, I do have Ludell New York adventure. My first and favorite author will always be Ms. Brenda Wilkenson, she open my eyes to the art of Reading. Please ask you local bookstore to order this book for you. It has some much of pleasant memories of when a Child could really be a Kid.

Why wasn't MANEATER a monster hit? It is in a class with Benchley's JAWS and Godey's THE SNAKE. A maneating tiger loose in the woods of north Georgia, numerous amateur huters becoming tiger-chow before the trained professional is brought in -- this just begs to be a major motion picture.

Truly after reading the reviews written by previous readers about this book, i just had to read the book. I was intrigued ultimately about the premise of the story, a bengal tiger lose in north Georgia, AWESOME. Reading the first half of the story i found comparisons to that of the movie "Jaws", mystique, suspense, and great story telling both depicted by Warner and Speilber. The second half of the story then wandered a bit from the roots and went into a metaphorical shift to ones manhood. But i do truly wish many to read this story which i couldnt put down!!! Also Jim Grahams character in this story is truly charasmatic and geniune!! READ IT

I read every day and this is one of the best books I have ever read and I have read a lot of books over the last 40 years. My husband is reading this right now and he can hardly put it down. I love to read books by Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Lee Childs, John Sandford and many others. The characters in this book come alive, I laughed, cried, and was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. I hope Jack Warner is writing more books because he is on my list as "must have more of his books".

How this novel escaped wider attention is simply beyond me. Jack Warner delivers a brilliant book based on what should have been a campy premise: Huge Bengal tiger escapes from a circus train that is travelling through the southern US, and begins a killing spree. A friend told me about the hardcover from Tor, and I took a chance and picked it up. In a word, brilliant. The characters are fleshed out and deftly drawn, the suspense effective, and the prose both lean and literate. Do yourself a favor and check this one out. Now.

Great Info on Rossville High Schools great tradition in Football. Im Glad Doug wrote this book Gooood Job.

As an old, old Bulldog (RHS Class of 52), I thoroughly enjoyed Doug's effort. It chronicles an impossible dream which those few guys lived and made come true. Thlanks, Doug

This is a great book about Rossville. It is a very personal book to those of us who live here.Well done Doug!!

My mother grew up in Rossville and was in school during the time this book was written. My grandmother taught in the Rossville schools for over 30 years. My grandfather, aunts, cousins and brother and sisters all attended Rossville High School. I grew up on stories of how great the state championship was in the 50's and it was fun to read about a time that is long gone but not forgotten. I graduated from Rossville in 1985 and although we didn't have a championship team, we had a lot of pride in our teams and band. It is sad that it is all gone. Thanks to the author and all the contributors for bringing to us a story of a great bunch of coaches, players, students and faculty.

I was looking for a book that covered motorcycle rides in No Ga and this is a great book for the Southern Applachians.

Great book, well written, easy to read, good humor.
Smart layout enables you to xerox the two facing pages to have a complete map and guide for each ride.
The reference section at the end of the book gives you phone number and other info for hotels, restaurants, dealerships, chamber of commerce, etc.; very convenient.

Highly recommended.

I first read about this book in an article in the Atlanta Journal/Constitution and had to buy a copy. It was a little hard to find. After reading and taking in many of the adventures listed in the book by Hawk Hagebak, I must say that it is the most insightful and intelligent Motorcycle Guidebook I've ever read. The author uses his experience as a former motorcycle cop to give practical (and humorous!) advice for everything between avoiding a ticket to handling a breakdown. He's really funny! The book is broken into 20+ chapters, each chapter is a ride. The rides include restaurant recommmendations, road descriptions, a map and often some interesting information about the area. My favorite quote from the book is on page 9 where the author is telling the reader how to embellish a "road lie". "I was riding Mile High and the abominable snowman came out of one of the scenic overlooks and chased me all the way into Robbinsville!" The author continues, "Lesson learned? Other than the obvious hazard of a slick road, there's an abominable snowman to contend with, and who wants that?" Another funny quote is in Ridge and Valley Chapter. That ride cuts through a town named, "Sublinga". The author pokes fun at the name by saying, "No, not the medical word- Doctor, my Sublinga is swollen!" The maps are great and they're next to written directions to the right of the maps. I found the rides easy to find and easy to follow. He even includes the mileage from point to point (you can reset your odometer at the start of the ride to keep up with the map mileage). If you are new to the area or have been living in the region for several years (myself for 7 years). I thought I knew all the mountain roads, I do know a lot of them, but not with the detail provided in the book. Very handy, if only the area for the book were larger..... Maybe he will put out another motorcycle guide book? A great buy, even if you are not a biker like me. Just stick your head out the window to act like you're on a bike.... Enjoy...I sure did.

This is a great book for planning trips on a motorcycle or a car. The descriptions are detailed and there are bonuses listing restaurants and gas stations. The author goes into a lot of detail about each route. My only complaint is the book is a little thin for $15.00. There is a second book for the rest of North Carolina. It would have been better to combine the two books for $20 - $25. Don't let this comment keep you from getting the books though. The author does a great job.

Leigh, Ruthie and Penny Sue reunited in New Smyrna Beach for the third time; are preparing to give depositions in the trial of the drug smugglers they routed in the first Daffodils (Divorced and Finally Free of Deceitful Licentious Scum) mystery - The Turtle Mound Murders.

Aging hippie and neighbor Guthrie (Fred) Fribble shows up on their doorstep, brimming with local gossip and news. It seems that another, rather elderly neighbor, known as Nana, is in the hospital after a home invasion robbery scared her into a heart attack. He also notifies them that there's a Category 3 hurricane potentially heading towards Florida. The ladies quickly make preparations to weather proof the condo. Later Guthrie returns sporting a frozen chicken atop the Ace bandage on his knee to beg for shelter and company during the storm. "Publix ran out of ice" he says to explain the poultry. He injured his knee when he heard a strange noise outside his condo and fell while attempting to investigate. Further investigation links the strange noises with other odd events, including Nana's heart attack and several deaths. Coincidence? Or is someone out to silence the Daffodils?

To perk up their spirits, the Daffodils and friend Chris agree to participate in a charity racing event, that will raise money for less fortunate hurricane victims. This event has to be postponed when the second storm in as many days is announced to be bearing down on Florida. The ladies evacuate to a luxury hotel on higher ground. But there are strange men lurking around the hotel, so they have to plot a quick escape. Eventually they make it safely to race day only to find out that the other teams aren't all interested in just the racing...

The best so far of the Daffodils books. The author has really fleshed out her characters, and by the third book they are as familiar as old friends. Leigh's levelheadedness, Penny Sue's flirtatious nature and Ruthie's New Age slightly flaky spirituality make them the ideal team. The character interactions, the gentle teasing and feminine in-jokes add to their appeal and invite the reader to imagine themselves as part of the sisterhood. It will be interesting to see what predicament Mary Clay is going to put the Daffodils in next.

In the 3rd book in the DAFFODILS Mystery series, long-time friends and sorority sisters Ruthie, Leigh, and Penny Sue find themselves in New Smyrna Beach awaiting the upcoming trial of a drug smuggling ring. They have been told to be ready to testify, and the three friends settle in for a visit while hoping that they do not have to testify in the case. While staying in Penny Sue's daddy's condo after her divorce, Leigh has been awaiting her divorce settlement and looking to purchase a unit in the complex. She is joined by Ruthie and Penny Sue, and soon after their arrival, a hurricane starts to threaten the Florida coastline.

Packing in supplies, the three hunker down waiting for the storm to pass. When an elderly woman's condo is broken into and she has a heart attack, Leigh's neighbor, Guthrie Fribble, comes to warn Leigh and her friends. Concerned about the coming storm, Guthrie stays with the ladies during storms and helps in their investigation when strange things start to occur. Brand new aluminum pipes and storm shutters are found rusted and broken, a family dog and elderly neighbor are found dead with "glitter" all over the carpet in the condo, and the ladies are followed by a black Taurus. When a brand-new neighbor is shot before their eyes, the DAFFODILS wonder if their drug smugglers could be out to get them. Working hard to stay afloat during hurricane season and dodging bullets from unknown enemies, the DAFFODILS use their wits and good spirits to discover who is trying to silence them for good.


I loved this book! It was funny, heart-warming, and zany all at once. The DAFFODILS share a common bond like many women...they were friends in their younger years and grew apart with marriages, jobs, and children. They are reunited after their divorces, and find that they are able to renew their friendship with little thought to the time that has passed. In this installment, they endured hurricanes, murder attempts, and dead bodies, and found a way to laugh and work together through it all. I love the fact that two of their most important supplies during a hurricane turned out to be wine (but any alcoholic beverage probably would do!) and chocolate. Truly, women after my own heart! The mystery had me guessing until the end with its many twists and turns, and I was kept breathless with the anticipation of each new hurricane. This is a wonderful book about the power of friendship and the strength of human character in the face of adversity, combined with a twisting mystery that will leave you guessing until the very end.

The first book in the series is called "The Turtle Mound Murder". Enjoy!

"Murder in the Pits" was another great mystery from Mary Clay. I have throughly enjoyed the "daffodils" since the first book, "Turtle Mound Murder". (which I bought in the gift shop at the Riverview Restaurant in New Smyrna Beach!!)I have visited New Smyrna Beach FL on many occasions, and reading about the various places the girls visit, brings back nice memories of the area, I was hooked on the Daffodils!! My favorite character in the latest mystery is Guthrie. A bit weird and goofy but, a guy with a big heart and willing to help the girls with anything!! I look forward to the next in the series and hope that Guthrie will continue to be a part of the daffodil mysteries.

Using her mother's name as a pseudonym may seem strange, but Linda Tuck-Jenkins, a/k/a Mary Clay, chose this route because her DAFFODILS murder mysteries series is a change of pace from her first book, STARPEOPLE: THE SIRIAN REDEMPTION. Although Tuck-Jenkins originally followed a career path in mathematics and economics, she never forgot her love of mysteries which began with Carolyn Keene's Nancy Drew mysteries. Although her mysteries feature divorced women, Tuck-Jenkins is a happily hitched woman.

Only Mary Clay could find humor in the recent Florida hurricanes. But when the DAFFODILS (Divorced and Finally Free of Deceitful Licentious Scum), Leigh, Ruthie, and Penny Sue are reunited and ensconced in Penny Sue's father's condo. Originally brought together to testify against mafia types described in the BIKE WEEK BLUES, the ladies seem to be a magnet for murder. True to form, a neighbor tumbles off his deck, but this is no accident. Penny Sue begins receiving anonymous roses, and the DAFFODILS meet an unlikely odd couple in the persons of Guthrie, a reformed hippie, and his hunky mate, Timothy:

"Timothy had changed into a tank top and running shorts. I had to admit the man was a fine specimen of humanity. Penny Sue obviously agreed, since she was swigging wine with her eyes fixed on his muscular thighs. Considering the oppressive heat - the heat index had to be 103̊--I was Afraid she might burst into flames."

Mary Clay has done it again! She has produced a hilarious pre-menopausal combination of divorced women who band together in thick and thin. The combination of Leigh's level-headedness, Penny Sue's sashays and wine guzzling, with Ruthie's forays into the New Age spirit world is enough to brighten any reader's day. The women splash money and daffodil symbols around to raise funds for hurricane relief and climb into race cars to gain national attention, all the while protecting themselves from Russian and Italian mafia. Clay's own particular brand of the psychology of human nature reflected in the DAFFODILS will have the readers rolling in the aisles. A triumph!

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer