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A Cowboy for Christmas
by Lacy WilliamsRedemption Ranch After an accident leaves her injured, Daisy Richards stays secluded at her family's Wyoming ranch to avoid the town's gawking stares. Yet handsome cowboy newcomer Ricky White insists she can do anything she dreams-ride a horse, decorate a Christmas tree...even steal a man's heart. Once a reckless cad, Ricky is to blame for what happened to Daisy. Now reformed, he wants to make amends by setting things right for his boss's beautiful daughter in time for the holidays. But Daisy doesn't know Ricky's responsible for her predicament. When the truth is revealed, will he lose the greatest gift he's ever received-her trust? Wyoming Legacy: United by family, destined for love
A Cowboy for Katie
by Debra CloptonIt's 1885 and five preachers sit around a campfire out West, trading stories of unlikely couples they've seen God bring together. This is one of those stories . . .In which Katie, who has chased off half a dozen suitors with her shotgun, hires a rambling ranch hand who's finding Katie may change his wandering ways.Everyone in town knows Katie Pearl has no interest in getting hitched. She likes living on her own out on her departed Pa's big ranch, turning down suitors left and right--with a pistol by her side.But when she needs a strong hand to help with rebuilding her house, Katie hires wandering cowboy Treb Rayburn, knowing he's just in town to make a quick buck and then he'll be off for parts unknown. But Treb's got a heart big as Texas. Their blossoming friendship may change her loner status and his wandering ways for good."Debra Clopton is a master at creating characters youjust have to love!" --Linda Goodnight, New York Times best-selling author
A Cowboy of Convenience: Romancing The Runaway Bride A Cowboy Of Convenience Orphan Train Sweetheart Handpicked Family
by Stacy HenrieGroom by AgreementA real home—it’s what Vienna Howe dearly wants for her young daughter. Yet the ramshackle property she just inherited hardly qualifies. She can’t afford the repairs—until foreman West McCall suggests they start a dude ranch together. For propriety’s sake, they’ll need a marriage in name only…a practical solution for two wary hearts. Years ago, West convinced Vienna to marry a man of means, never realizing how cruel her husband could be. Guilt-ridden, he intends to secure the lovely widow’s future. But despite his reluctance to get close to anyone, this union might do more than fix Vienna’s ranch. It could open the door to a warm, loving future…
A Cowboy of Legend (Lone Star Legends #1)
by Linda BrodayIt's time for a new generation to become Legend.Deacon Brannock is determined to make a name for himself and the saloon he's worked his whole life to afford. He was prepared for life in the Wild West, but he hadn't counted on Grace Legend...Grace has always fought hard for what she believes in, and after her best friend is killed at the hands of her drunk and angry husband, that includes keeping alcohol out of her town. When the owner of the new saloon turns out to be a kind and considerate man, she can't help but wonder if they could have a future together...if they weren't on opposite sides of every issue."Resonate[s] with honesty and love...Linda Broday's best."Fresh Fiction for The Cowboy Who Came Calling
A Cowboy's Heart
by Liz IrelandWill Brockett Certainly Had His Hands FullHis ex-fiancée had up and married while he'd been out on a cattle drive. Then she'd run away from her new husband, and as the town's part-time sheriff, it was up to Will to rescue her, and keep the residents of Possum Trot happy knowing that he was watching out for them.Now, to top it all off, his best friend, Paulie Johnson, had discarded her riding togs for a fancy dress and suddenly started looking like prime wife material. Poor Will was beginning to wonder just what was going to happen next!
A Cowboy's Pride
by Pamela BrittonBroken Cowboy...Trent Anderson's rodeo days are over. Thanks to the car accident that killed his best friend, he will never get on a horse again. But physical therapist Alana McClintock isn't listening to his protestations. She just won't let up-getting under his skin, waking parts of him he thought would sleep forever. He can sense she feels something for him, too.Alana knows Trent's injuries aren't as extensive as he thinks, and with some hard work she's convinced he will ride again. But the problem is convincing Trent. As Alana works with the wounded cowboy, she is drawn to him in a way that is anything but professional. She's determined to help him, though-even if it means he'll walk away from her.
A Cowman’s Wife
by Mary Kidder RakA Cowman’s Wife is the true account of the author’s experience as co-owner of Old Camp Rucker Ranch, a 22,000 acre spread north of Douglas, Arizona that she purchased with her husband in 1919. It chronicles a woman’s view of cattle ranching in Northern Arizona, with all the hardships of the 1920’s and 1930’s, Native Americans, Mexicans, wolves, and horse thieves. She also tells of the pleasures of ranch life: spectacular sunsets, mountain scenery, camaraderie of ranch people, and all-night dances at neighborhood school house.A wonderful escapist read!
A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906
by Simon WinchesterA burgeoning new city is built on the dreams of the American gold rush. It is also built upon a landscape that has been stretching, sliding and breaking apart for millennia. In 1906 the dreams of this city came crashing down beneath the rippling wave of a horrifying earthquake that turned roads into great rippling rivers, that set buildings ablaze for days on end, that made homes collapse upon themselves. Simon Winchester's breathtaking story delves deep beneath the surface of the earth and explains to us why the world moves as it does; and breaks apart with such devastating results. At the same time he never lets us forget the human story: what happened in this new, seemingly blessed city on the 18th April 1906. As he vividly portrays the lives of the people who suffered and survived the devastation he also tells a universal story: the hubris of man as he ignores the warnings of nature and how we respond and try to understand the world around us. Compelling, moving and enlightening, Simon Winchester brings to light the world beneath our feet and through the story of this one terrifying event one hundred years ago, begins to make sense of our world now.
A Crack in the Sea
by H. M. BouwmanAn enchanting historical fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Thanhha Lai's Newbery Honor-winning Inside Out and Back Again <P><P>No one comes to the Second World on purpose. The doorway between worlds opens only when least expected. The Raft King is desperate to change that by finding the doorway that will finally take him and the people of Raftworld back home. <P><P>To do it, he needs Pip, a young boy with an incredible gift—he can speak to fish; and the Raft King is not above kidnapping to get what he wants. Pip’s sister Kinchen, though, is determined to rescue her brother and foil the Raft King’s plans. This is but the first of three extraordinary stories that collide on the high seas of the Second World. <P><P>The second story takes us back to the beginning: Venus and Swimmer are twins captured aboard a slave ship bound for Jamaica in 1781. They save themselves and others from a life of enslavement with a risky, magical plan—one that leads them from the shark-infested waters of the first world to the second. Pip and Kinchen will hear all about them before their own story is said and done. <P><P>So will Thanh and his sister Sang, who we meet in 1978 on a small boat as they try to escape post-war Vietnam. But after a storm and a pirate attack, they’re not sure they’ll ever see shore again. What brings these three sets of siblings together on an adventure of a lifetime is a little magic, helpful sea monsters and that very special portal, A Crack in the Sea.
A Crane Among Wolves
by June HurAN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace, crafts a devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today’s world, based on a true story from Korean history.Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly.1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death. Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off—but there’s no way to know who he can trust.When Iseul's and Daehyun's fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul’s family connections and Daehyun’s royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever seen:Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant. Also by June Hur:The Silence of BonesThe Forest of Stolen GirlsThe Red Palace
A Crane Among Wolves: A heart-pounding tale of romance and court politics – for fans of historical K-dramas
by June HurA devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today's world, based on a true story from Korean history.Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly. 1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom's turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king's latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king's power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death. Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he'll need help to pull it off-but there's no way to know who he can trust.When Iseul's and Daehyun's fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul's family connections and Daehyun's royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever seen:Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant. 'June Hur reigns supreme in making the past come alive.' CHLOE GONG'Gripping and devastating.' ANN LIANG 'There were literally moments in this book where I forgot to breathe.' ELLEN OH
A Crane Among Wolves: A heart-pounding tale of romance and court politics – for fans of historical K-dramas
by June HurA devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today's world, based on a true story from Korean history.Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly. 1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom's turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king's latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king's power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death. Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he'll need help to pull it off-but there's no way to know who he can trust.When Iseul's and Daehyun's fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul's family connections and Daehyun's royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever seen:Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant. 'June Hur reigns supreme in making the past come alive.' CHLOE GONG'Gripping and devastating.' ANN LIANG 'There were literally moments in this book where I forgot to breathe.' ELLEN OH
A Crazy Day with Cobras
by Mary Pope Osborne Sal MurdoccaThe #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time celebrates 25 years with new covers and a new, easy-to-use numbering system!Merlin’s beloved penguin, Penny, has been put under a spell! To save her, Jack and Annie must find a rare and precious emerald. When the magic tree house whisks them back to India over four hundred years ago to search for the jewel, they discover an amazing and exotic world filled with great danger.Formerly numbered as Magic Tree House #45, the title of this book is now Magic Tree House Merlin Mission #17: A Crazy Day with Cobras.Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid?Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter booksMerlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced readerSuper Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventureFact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventuresHave more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!
A Crazy Day with Cobras (Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #17)
by Mary Pope Osborne Sal MurdoccaThe New York Times bestselling Magic Tree House series is back!But with the magic tree house comes terrible news: Merlin's beloved penguin, Penny, has been put under a spell! Jack and Annie must find four things to break the spell. The first is a rare and precious emerald. When the magic tree house whisks them back to India over four hundred years ago to search for the jewel, they discover an amazing and exotic world filled with great danger. Will Jack and Annie find what they're looking for? Will they avoid the wrath of the all-powerful Great Mogul, survive a crazy ride on a wild elephant, escape an attack by king cobras--and make it back to the magic tree house alive? Mary Pope Osborne brings together just the right combination of history, magic, and fast-paced adventure to satisfy kids, parents, teachers, and librarians. Magic Tree House books are known around the world as books that inspire reading. From the Hardcover edition.
A Creed Country Christmas
by Linda Lael MillerCelebrate the holidays with the Creed forefathers--Montana men who built the family homestead and established a legacy of love...In the unforgiving Montana wilderness of 1910, widowed rancher Lincoln Creed is up against more than rustlers, wolves and the coming winter storms. His young daughter has needs beyond the beans and bacon he can barely cook. Lincoln must find little Gracie a governess, a lady who can teach and cook--yet won't set her sights on him.Disowned for her refusal to marry, twenty-five-year-old Juliana Mitchell shares the love in her heart with her young students at the underfunded Indian school. When she meets Lincoln and Gracie, her response to the handsome rancher makes her realize she's not against marriage after all.She longs to help, yet the two orphaned brothers in her care need her. But in the season for miracles, Providence just might find a way to bring Juliana, the boys and the Creed family together for Christmas Eve....
A Creed Country Christmas
by Linda Lael MillerCelebrate the holidays with the Creed forefathers--Montana men who built the family homestead and established a legacy of love...In the unforgiving Montana wilderness of 1910, widowed rancher Lincoln Creed is up against more than rustlers, wolves and the coming winter storms. His young daughter has needs beyond the beans and bacon he can barely cook. Lincoln must find little Gracie a governess, a lady who can teach and cook--yet won't set her sights on him.Disowned for her refusal to marry, twenty-five-year-old Juliana Mitchell shares the love in her heart with her young students at the underfunded Indian school. When she meets Lincoln and Gracie, her response to the handsome rancher makes her realize she's not against marriage after all.She longs to help, yet the two orphaned brothers in her care need her. But in the season for miracles, Providence just might find a way to bring Juliana, the boys and the Creed family together for Christmas Eve....
A Creed Country Christmas & The Doctor's Blessing: A Mckettrick Christmas - A Creed Country Christmas (Montana Creeds Ser. #4)
by Linda Lael Miller Patricia DavidsBESTSELLING AUTHOR COLLECTIONReader-favorite romances in collectible volumes from our bestselling authors.HOLIDAY ON THE HOMESTEADMontana, Christmas 1910: For widowed rancher Lincoln Creed, the holiday serves as a harsh reminder of what a tough year it’s been—and who he’s lost. His ranch has fallen on hard times, and he must find his little daughter Gracie a governess, a lady who can teach and cook—yet won’t set her sights on him.For schoolteacher Juliana Mitchell, the holiday means finding a way to stretch her meager salary to provide food and firewood for the orphaned children in her care. Twenty-five-year-old Juliana has no desire to get married. Yet when she meets the handsome rancher, she can’t help but be drawn into his loving home. It’s the season for miracles, and fate might bring this family together for Christmas…FREE BONUS STORY INCLUDED IN THIS VOLUME!The Doctor’s Blessing by USA TODAY bestselling author Patricia DavidsAs a nurse and midwife in Amish country, Amber Bradley keeps butting heads with the new doctor in town. After meeting Amber, Dr. Phillip White almost forgets his stay in town is temporary. Perhaps he’s finally found the home—and heart—he’s always been looking for.Previously published.
A Creed Country Christmas (Montana Creeds #4)
by Linda Lael MillerCelebrate the holidays with the Creed forefathers-Montana men who built the family homestead and established a legacy of love& In the unforgiving Montana wilderness of 1910, widowed rancher Lincoln Creed is up against more than rustlers, wolves and the coming winter storms. His young daughter has needs beyond the beans and bacon he can barely cook. Lincoln must find little Gracie a governess, a lady who can teach and cook-yet won't set her sights on him. Disowned for her refusal to marry, twenty-five-year-old Juliana Mitchell shares the love in her heart with her young students at the underfunded Indian school. When she meets Lincoln and Gracie, her response to the handsome rancher makes her realize she's not against marriage after all. She longs to help, yet the two orphaned brothers in her care need her. But in the season for miracles, Providence just might find a way to bring Juliana, the boys and the Creed family together for Christmas Eve&.
A Creed for the Third Millennium
by Colleen McCulloughTomorrow's America is a cold and ravaged place, a nation devastated by despair and enduring winter. In a small New England city, senior government official Dr. Judith Carriol finds the man she has been seeking: a deliverer of hope in a hopeless time who can revive the dreams of a shattered people; a magnetic, compassionate idealist whom Judith can mold, manipulate and carry to undreamed-of heights; a healer who must ultimately face damnation through the destructive power of love.
A Cretan Healer's Handbook in the Byzantine Tradition: Text, Translation and Commentary (Medicine in the Medieval Mediterranean #3)
by Patricia Ann ClarkIn 1930 the Cretan healer Nikolaos Konstantinos Theodorakis of Meronas re-copied a notebook containing medical lore passed down through his family over generations. The present volume offers an edition of this notebook together with an English translation, the first of its kind. It belongs to the genre of iatrosophia, practical handbooks dating mainly to the 17th to 19th centuries which compiled healing wisdom, along with snippets of agricultural, meteorological and veterinary advice, and admixtures of religion, astrology and magic. Both fascinating and of critical importance, iatrosophia allow glimpses of classical and Byzantine medical sources and illustrate the vitality and resilience of Greek traditional medical and botanical knowledge. From years spent exploring local healing customs in Crete's Amari region, Patricia Clark is able to present Theodorakis' iatrosophion against a rich historical, geographical and social background. Introductory essays and explanatory notes to the translation give context to the iatrosophion and provide the specialized information necessary for a good understanding of the text. The abundant materia medica of the notebook is treated in a substantial appendix. Each animal, mineral, plant or product is provided with an overview of its various names through the millennia. Such entries are not only a key to understanding the Greek medical legacy, but also a vivid illustration of its usage from antiquity to the present day.
A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-face with Modern-day Slavery
by E. Benjamin SkinnerTo be a moral witness is perhaps the highest calling of journalism, and in this unforgettable, highly readable account of contemporary slavery, author Benjamin Skinner travels around the globe to personally tell stories that need to be told -- and heard. As Samantha Power and Philip Gourevitch did for genocide, Skinner has now done for modern-day slavery. With years of reporting in such places as Haiti, Sudan, India, Eastern Europe, The Netherlands, and, yes, even suburban America, he has produced a vivid testament and moving reportage on one of the great evils of our time. There are more slaves in the world today than at any time in history. After spending four years visiting a dozen countries where slavery flourishes, Skinner tells the story, in gripping narrative style, of individuals who live in slavery, those who have escaped from bondage, those who own or traffic in slaves, and the mixed political motives of those who seek to combat the crime. Skinner infiltrates trafficking networks and slave sales on five continents, exposing a modern flesh trade never before portrayed in such proximity. From mega-harems in Dubai to illicit brothels in Bucharest, from slave quarries in India to child markets in Haiti, he explores the underside of a world we scarcely recognize as our own and lays bare a parallel universe where human beings are bought, sold, used, and discarded. He travels from the White House to war zones and immerses us in the political and flesh-and-blood battles on the front lines of the unheralded new abolitionist movement. At the heart of the story are the slaves themselves. Their stories are heartbreaking but, in the midst of tragedy, readers discover a quiet dignity that leads some slaves to resist and aspire to freedom. Despite being abandoned by the international community, despite suffering a crime so monstrous as to strip their awareness of their own humanity, somehow, some enslaved men regain their dignity, some enslaved women learn to trust men, and some enslaved children manage to be kids. Skinner bears witness for them, and for the millions who are held in the shadows. In so doing, he has written one of the most morally courageous books of our time, one that will long linger in the conscience of all who encounter it, and one that -- just perhaps -- may move the world to constructive action.
A Crime in the Family
by Sacha BatthyányA memoir of brutality, heroism and personal discovery from Europe's dark heart, revealing one of the most extraordinary untold stories of the Second World WarIn the spring of 1945, at Rechnitz on the Austrian-Hungarian border, not far from the front lines of the advancing Red Army, Countess Margit Batthyany gave a party in her mansion. The war was almost over, and the German aristocrats and SS officers dancing and drinking knew it was lost. Late that night, they walked down to the village, where 180 enslaved Jewish labourers waited, made them strip naked, and shot them all, before returning to the bright lights of the party. It remained a secret for decades, until Sacha Batthyany, who remembered his great-aunt Margit only vaguely from his childhood as a stern, distant woman, began to ask questions about it.A Crime in the Family is Sacha Batthyany's memoir of confronting these questions, and of the answers he found. It is one of the last untold stories of Europe's nightmare century, spanning not just the massacre at Rechnitz, the inhumanity of Auschwitz, the chaos of wartime Budapest and the brutalities of Soviet occupation and Stalin's gulags, but also the silent crimes of complicity and cover-up, and the damaged generations they leave behind. Told partly through the surviving journals of others from the author's family and the vanished world of Rechnitz, A Crime in the Family is a moving and revelatory memoir in the vein of The Hare with the Amber Eyes and The House by the Lake. It uncovers barbarity and tragedy but also a measure of peace and reconciliation. Ultimately, Batthyany discovers that although his inheritance might be that of monsters, he does not bear it alone.
A Crime in the Family
by Sacha BatthyányA memoir of brutality, heroism and personal discovery from Europe's dark heart, revealing one of the most extraordinary untold stories of the Second World WarIn the spring of 1945, at Rechnitz on the Austrian-Hungarian border, not far from the front lines of the advancing Red Army, Countess Margit Batthyany gave a party in her mansion. The war was almost over, and the German aristocrats and SS officers dancing and drinking knew it was lost. Late that night, they walked down to the village, where 180 enslaved Jewish labourers waited, made them strip naked, and shot them all, before returning to the bright lights of the party. It remained a secret for decades, until Sacha Batthyany, who remembered his great-aunt Margit only vaguely from his childhood as a stern, distant woman, began to ask questions about it.A Crime in the Family is Sacha Batthyany's memoir of confronting these questions, and of the answers he found. It is one of the last untold stories of Europe's nightmare century, spanning not just the massacre at Rechnitz, the inhumanity of Auschwitz, the chaos of wartime Budapest and the brutalities of Soviet occupation and Stalin's gulags, but also the silent crimes of complicity and cover-up, and the damaged generations they leave behind. Told partly through the surviving journals of others from the author's family and the vanished world of Rechnitz, A Crime in the Family is a moving and revelatory memoir in the vein of The Hare with the Amber Eyes and The House by the Lake. It uncovers barbarity and tragedy but also a measure of peace and reconciliation. Ultimately, Batthyany discovers that although his inheritance might be that of monsters, he does not bear it alone.(P)2017 Quercus Editions Limited
A Crime in the Family: A World War II Secret Buried in Silence--and My Search for the Truth
by Sacha BatthyanyA memoir of brutality, heroism, and personal discovery from Europe's dark heart, revealing one of the most extraordinary untold stories of World War IIOne night in March of 1945, on the Austrian-Hungarian border, a local countess hosted a party in her mansion, where guests and local Nazi leaders mingled. The war was almost over and the German aristocrats and SS officers dancing and drinking knew it was lost. Around midnight, some of the guests were asked to "take care" of 180 Jewish enslaved laborers at the train station; they made them strip naked and shot them all before returning to the bright lights of the party. It was another one of the war's countless atrocities buried in secrecy for decades--until Sacha Batthyany started investigating what happened that night at the party his great aunt hosted.A Crime in the Family is the author's memoir of confronting his family's past, the questions he raised and the answers he found that took him far beyond his great aunt's party: through the dark past of Nazi Germany to the gulags of Siberia, the bleak streets of Cold War Budapest, and to Argentina, where he finds an Auschwitz survivor whose past intersects with his family's. It is the story of executioners and victims, villains and heroes.Told partly through the surviving family journals, A Crime in the Family is a disquieting and moving memoir, a powerful true story told by an extraordinary writer confronting the dark past of his family--and humanity.
A Crimean Winter of Discontent: The Crimean War Letters of William John Rous
by Ian FletcherAs the snow fell on the face it froze, and my hair was matted with ice, and icicles formed on my eyelashes. So intense was the cold that whenever I was compelled in visiting the sentries or otherwise to face the blast, my nose burst out bleeding, which with the exposure exhausted one so much, that it was only the certainty of never rising again that prevented me throwing myself down in the snow.' This is just one of many lurid passages from the letters of William John Rous, who arrived in the Crimea in December 1854 with his regiment, the 90th (Perthshire) Regiment. Throughout the following months Rous wrote a series of letters describing the ordeal of life in the trenches before Sevastopol in graphic detail. These letters have remained unpublished ever since. Now though Ian Fletcher, one of the leading authorities on the Crimean War, has edited and illustrated Rous’s work for republication. The letters were written during what was the most controversial period of the Crimean War for the British army, for it was during this period that the shortcomings in the army were cruelly exposed during a bitter winter which saw more British soldiers die of cold, disease and overwork than were killed through enemy action. Rous’s words bring home the terrible conditions in the trenches, the lack of sleep, the endless overwork, the constant fear and threat of a Russian sortie, not to mention the ever-present dangers posed by the Russian guns inside the city. Rous’s experience sheds new light on one of the most famous but tragic campaigns ever fought by the British army.