Böcker av Karen Stokes

As war loomed in March 1861, President Jefferson Davis sent Ambrose Dudley Mann on an important diplomatic mission abroad to seek recognition of the Confederate States of America from the chief European powers. When the war ended four years later, Mann took up residence in France and stayed there as a voluntary exile for the rest of his life. In Paris, and at his country estate in Chantilly, he kept up a correspondence with Davis and other friends. Most of Mann's papers have been lost to history, but this book presents a newly discovered collection of his letters written from 1867 to 1879. They are deeply personal writings revealing a personality dominated by two great earthly passions, the first of which was an independent South, and the second, a beautiful widow from South Carolina, Mrs. Susan Sparks Keitt, to whom all the letters are addressed. Mann writes of other ex-Confederates in Paris, Reconstruction politics in America, the horrific conditions in Paris when the city was under siege during the Franco-Prussian War, and visits by his treasured friend Jefferson Davis. Mrs. Davis wrote that the two men loved each other "like David and Jonathan, until extreme old age." Mann also cherished Mrs. Keitt until his death, and his letters are a testament of his devotion to her and his beloved South.

In 1861, as a deadly conflict looms between North and South, Charleston sits like a queen upon the waters-beautiful, proud, and prosperous-and no native son loves her more than George Taylor. A successful Broad Street lawyer, Taylor has won the heart of an enchanting young woman and looks forward to a brilliant future in his city by the sea, but the turmoil of war sweeps him away from all he holds dear to defend his country. Sustained by the love of his fiancée Marguerite, he fights and survives many fierce battles, but when finally taken prisoner, he is fated to endure one of the most extraordinary ordeals ever inflicted on Confederate captives, becoming part of a group of prisoners subjected to unimaginable hardships and suffering, first in a stockade prison on Morris Island in Charleston harbor, and then at Fort Pulaski in Georgia.On the home front, George Taylor's family faces unexpected dangers when South Carolina is invaded by the destructive army of General Sherman in 1865. Trapped in Columbia, they experience a night of horrors as the state's capital city is sacked and destroyed by fire. At war's end, Taylor returns home to find his beloved Charleston in ruins, and his future with Marguerite in jeopardy.Based on true events, THE IMMORTALS is a saga of survival and courage that lays bare some of the darkest, most tragic episodes of America's bloodiest war.

Death in the heartland plunges Georgy into the depth of three murders. Returning to the small town where she lived as a child to care for her aunt's house until it sells proves dangerous. Tulip House becomes ominous with mysterious events forcing Georgy to take matters into her hands. Seeking help she is refused by the local authorities with the occurrences simply explained away.Suspicious of all she encounters shows each could be the killer lurking on the streets of a pristine community. Georgy is alone to clear her name and is unable to convince the local police of an ex-con's guilt.Stalked and trapped she uses her wits and intelligence to survive life threatening confrontations. 'Tulips on Walnut' nearly destroys her but instead proves her determination through her own efforts.