THE UNDERTAKER'S DAUGHTER : A MEMOIR
by Kate Mayfield
"We've got a body." These four words were a constant within the Mayfield family. When you lived above a funeral home, you got used to death.
In 1959, Kate's father, Frank, moved everyone to Jubilee, Kentucky. This town was segregated and nobody kept secrets, except the ones that were buried with them. Frank was an undertaker, the only other white one. Competition was fierce. But, Frank was a natty dresser. He always wanted to look his best. After all, he had to keep his reputation up. The people depended on him.
In those days, if somebody needed to go to the hospital or a doctor's office, they would call a funeral home. If you had an emergency, you knew who to contact. Consequently, telephones were installed in every room downstairs and upstairs. They rang all the time. It didn't matter the hour. When the death call came in, that was a sign for everybody in Kate's family to not make a sound and keep themselves invisible to what went on below. Silence was needed, because it meant respect.
Growing up in this kind of environment prepared Kate to celebrate both death and life.
The Undertaker's Daughter is truly wonderful storytelling. Kate's writing is beautiful. Her depictions of all the different characters, including her parents, linger in your mind throughout the entire book. She knows how to draw you in when describing a small, Southern town in the 1960s where racism is rampant and the community knows everybody's business.
I almost didn't want the book to end. It's a terrific read and keeps you absorbed.
Highly recommended.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Thursday, December 11, 2014
DID SHE KILL HIM? : A TORRID TRUE STORY OF ADULTERY, ARSENIC, AND MURDER IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND
by Kate Colquhoun
In 1889, Florence Maybrick, a young American woman from Mobile, Alabama, stood trial for the alleged arsenic poisoning of her husband, James. He was a "rich" cotton broker from Liverpool and much older than her (twenty-four years).
The trial caused quite a sensation not only in England but around the world. It was all anybody could talk about and was on the front pages of every newspaper. The case broke the facade behind Victorian respectability and all their dirty laundry was exposed. Between finding out about debts, gambling, servants with loose lips, self-medication, hypochondria, and mutual infidelity, there was plenty of titillating information to read.
Did She Kill Him? grabs you from the first page and never stops. Kate Colquhoun has exceptional mastery in drawing you in from her descriptions of the characters with all their foibles and setting the stage for a stupendous tale. There's tension, suspense, and intrigue. The amount of detailed research that Colquhoun did is astounding, but it made everything cohesive. Her previous book Murder in the First-Class Carriage (reviewed in this blog) is just as good as this one, so it's obvious that Colquhoun is an expert at writing about Victorian murder mysteries.
If you're a true-crime addict, make sure to get this book. You won't be disappointed.
Very highly recommended.
by Kate Colquhoun
In 1889, Florence Maybrick, a young American woman from Mobile, Alabama, stood trial for the alleged arsenic poisoning of her husband, James. He was a "rich" cotton broker from Liverpool and much older than her (twenty-four years).
The trial caused quite a sensation not only in England but around the world. It was all anybody could talk about and was on the front pages of every newspaper. The case broke the facade behind Victorian respectability and all their dirty laundry was exposed. Between finding out about debts, gambling, servants with loose lips, self-medication, hypochondria, and mutual infidelity, there was plenty of titillating information to read.
Did She Kill Him? grabs you from the first page and never stops. Kate Colquhoun has exceptional mastery in drawing you in from her descriptions of the characters with all their foibles and setting the stage for a stupendous tale. There's tension, suspense, and intrigue. The amount of detailed research that Colquhoun did is astounding, but it made everything cohesive. Her previous book Murder in the First-Class Carriage (reviewed in this blog) is just as good as this one, so it's obvious that Colquhoun is an expert at writing about Victorian murder mysteries.
If you're a true-crime addict, make sure to get this book. You won't be disappointed.
Very highly recommended.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
THE NAZIS NEXT DOOR : HOW AMERICA BECAME A SAFE HAVEN FOR HITLER'S MEN
by Eric Lichtblau
There was a quota that only forty thousand people could be admitted to the United States after World War II. Visas were denied to Holocaust survivors. (Anti-semitism was still rearing its ugly head.) The ones that should have come were not allowed, and, ironically, the ones that should NEVER have been admitted, and came by the thousands, were Nazis. They had no trouble entering, labeling themselves as "war refugees." Many of them had help and protection from the U.S. government. The CIA used Hitler's collaborators to work as spies, scientists (Project Paperclip), and engineers, while shoving their horrendous, murderous deeds under the rug. They lived as American citizens unscathed until years later when the Justice Department decided to identify and prosecute them.
There have been many books written about Nazis who came to America. Most of them were boring to read and not very interesting. You can't say that about this particular book. The Nazis Next Door will blow your socks off. It's disturbing, compelling, makes you shake your head in disbelief, and is one fantastic read.
Author Eric Lichtblau is an investigative reporter and he did one heck of a job. Between 150 interviews and perusing 4500 pages of archival documents, intelligence reports, etc., he didn't miss a thing. The writing is superb and keeps you riveted.
If I had to rate this book, I would give it ten stars instead of the usual five.
Very highly recommended.
by Eric Lichtblau
There was a quota that only forty thousand people could be admitted to the United States after World War II. Visas were denied to Holocaust survivors. (Anti-semitism was still rearing its ugly head.) The ones that should have come were not allowed, and, ironically, the ones that should NEVER have been admitted, and came by the thousands, were Nazis. They had no trouble entering, labeling themselves as "war refugees." Many of them had help and protection from the U.S. government. The CIA used Hitler's collaborators to work as spies, scientists (Project Paperclip), and engineers, while shoving their horrendous, murderous deeds under the rug. They lived as American citizens unscathed until years later when the Justice Department decided to identify and prosecute them.
There have been many books written about Nazis who came to America. Most of them were boring to read and not very interesting. You can't say that about this particular book. The Nazis Next Door will blow your socks off. It's disturbing, compelling, makes you shake your head in disbelief, and is one fantastic read.
Author Eric Lichtblau is an investigative reporter and he did one heck of a job. Between 150 interviews and perusing 4500 pages of archival documents, intelligence reports, etc., he didn't miss a thing. The writing is superb and keeps you riveted.
If I had to rate this book, I would give it ten stars instead of the usual five.
Very highly recommended.
Monday, September 8, 2014
FETCH THE DEVIL : THE SIERRA DIABLO MURDERS AND NAZI ESPIONAGE IN AMERICA
by Clint Richmond
It's the largest unsolved crime in the Southwest. Sheriffs, the Texas Rangers, and federal agents have been baffled for decades not able to figure out how and why it happened.
Hazel and Nancy (her daughter) Frome were California socialites. They had traveled all over the world by themselves, unescorted by any man and were about to do it again. Both of them knew how to drive and bought a silver Packard.
They took off on a road trip in March 1938 from San Francisco heading towards the East Coast. Their car broke down in El Paso, Texas, so they decided to live it up by staying in a ritzy hotel and going to the border of Juarez, Mexico, to shop, dine, and drink. One week later, their battered bodies were found in the desert. They had been abducted, tortured, and shot execution style.
Chris Fox, the local sheriff, doggedly investigated this heinous murder for years. He was convinced that everything originated in California, because Hazel's husband was an executive at Atlas Powder Company (an explosives manufacturer) and they became involved in World War II. Hazel liked to talk and was constantly bragging to strange men about what her husband did. At this period of time, Germany wanted to infiltrate American industry and sent spies over to try to get information that they then could use for themselves. German espionage was rampant in California, Texas, and Mexico. Did Hazel talk too much?
If you're a true crime fan, you will want to read this book. It took Clint Richmond fifteen years to dig through declassified files to construct a plausible story. From the beginning, he sets the tale up quite well and keeps you riveted. It's actually quite frightening to find out how many Nazi agents were on our soil and that President Roosevelt and his administration knew they were here.
Fox came the closest to solving the case, while being maligned constantly about it.
Fetch the Devil will definitely keep your interest up to the end, which is the most fascinating, since that is where Richmond presents his theory of the murders.
Highly recommended.
by Clint Richmond
It's the largest unsolved crime in the Southwest. Sheriffs, the Texas Rangers, and federal agents have been baffled for decades not able to figure out how and why it happened.
Hazel and Nancy (her daughter) Frome were California socialites. They had traveled all over the world by themselves, unescorted by any man and were about to do it again. Both of them knew how to drive and bought a silver Packard.
They took off on a road trip in March 1938 from San Francisco heading towards the East Coast. Their car broke down in El Paso, Texas, so they decided to live it up by staying in a ritzy hotel and going to the border of Juarez, Mexico, to shop, dine, and drink. One week later, their battered bodies were found in the desert. They had been abducted, tortured, and shot execution style.
Chris Fox, the local sheriff, doggedly investigated this heinous murder for years. He was convinced that everything originated in California, because Hazel's husband was an executive at Atlas Powder Company (an explosives manufacturer) and they became involved in World War II. Hazel liked to talk and was constantly bragging to strange men about what her husband did. At this period of time, Germany wanted to infiltrate American industry and sent spies over to try to get information that they then could use for themselves. German espionage was rampant in California, Texas, and Mexico. Did Hazel talk too much?
If you're a true crime fan, you will want to read this book. It took Clint Richmond fifteen years to dig through declassified files to construct a plausible story. From the beginning, he sets the tale up quite well and keeps you riveted. It's actually quite frightening to find out how many Nazi agents were on our soil and that President Roosevelt and his administration knew they were here.
Fox came the closest to solving the case, while being maligned constantly about it.
Fetch the Devil will definitely keep your interest up to the end, which is the most fascinating, since that is where Richmond presents his theory of the murders.
Highly recommended.
Friday, August 29, 2014
IN THE KINGDOM OF ICE : THE GRAND AND TERRIBLE POLAR VOYAGE OF THE USS JEANNETTE
by Hampton Sides
They should never have listened to that crackpot August Petermann. The most famous German cartographer in the world believed that there was an Open Polar Sea beyond the crippling ice where warm waters flowed into a fertile outcropping of land. Because of this ridiculous theory, George Washington De Long, a young U.S. Navy officer, decided to embark to the North Pole in 1879 on a ship named the USS Jeannette.
James Gordon Bennett, Jr., funded the entire expedition. He was eccentric and extremely wealthy, and owner of The New York Herald. Oh, how he loved sensationalism. (Previously, Bennett had sent his reporter Stanley to Africa and found Dr. Livingstone.) The country was obsessed with "Arctic fever" and writing about it would bring even more money into his newspaper.
In the summer of 1879, De Long sailed from San Francisco leaving his wife and young daughter behind. He commanded a group of thirty-two men. Off they went using maps with incorrect information where nobody knew what existed beyond the nether regions.
Eventually, while traveling north of the Bering Strait, the ship got stuck in pack ice and they became trapped. They all had to get off onto an ice cap. The Jeannette sank and there they were marooned with not too many supplies and not exactly close enough to get to Siberia, which was one thousand miles away. The explorers knew that they could not stay in this spot. Using three open boats, the men divided up and battled storms, the frozen sea, frostbite, starvation, while struggling to reach the coastline.
Just when you think there can't possibly be another book about polar exploration, we are offered up one heck of a story. Hampton Sides is a master writer and teller of tales. By using letters, journals, old and dusty documents, Sides was able to recreate the harrowing adventure and keep you riveted to your seat.
At a little more than 400 pages, it really doesn't seem that long, because you can't stop reading.
In the Kingdom of Ice is a spectacular piece of work.
Very highly recommended.
by Hampton Sides
They should never have listened to that crackpot August Petermann. The most famous German cartographer in the world believed that there was an Open Polar Sea beyond the crippling ice where warm waters flowed into a fertile outcropping of land. Because of this ridiculous theory, George Washington De Long, a young U.S. Navy officer, decided to embark to the North Pole in 1879 on a ship named the USS Jeannette.
James Gordon Bennett, Jr., funded the entire expedition. He was eccentric and extremely wealthy, and owner of The New York Herald. Oh, how he loved sensationalism. (Previously, Bennett had sent his reporter Stanley to Africa and found Dr. Livingstone.) The country was obsessed with "Arctic fever" and writing about it would bring even more money into his newspaper.
In the summer of 1879, De Long sailed from San Francisco leaving his wife and young daughter behind. He commanded a group of thirty-two men. Off they went using maps with incorrect information where nobody knew what existed beyond the nether regions.
Eventually, while traveling north of the Bering Strait, the ship got stuck in pack ice and they became trapped. They all had to get off onto an ice cap. The Jeannette sank and there they were marooned with not too many supplies and not exactly close enough to get to Siberia, which was one thousand miles away. The explorers knew that they could not stay in this spot. Using three open boats, the men divided up and battled storms, the frozen sea, frostbite, starvation, while struggling to reach the coastline.
Just when you think there can't possibly be another book about polar exploration, we are offered up one heck of a story. Hampton Sides is a master writer and teller of tales. By using letters, journals, old and dusty documents, Sides was able to recreate the harrowing adventure and keep you riveted to your seat.
At a little more than 400 pages, it really doesn't seem that long, because you can't stop reading.
In the Kingdom of Ice is a spectacular piece of work.
Very highly recommended.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
A SPY AMONG FRIENDS : KIM PHILBY AND THE GREAT BETRAYAL
by Ben Macintyre
Harold Adrian Russell Philby, otherwise known as "Kim" was considered the greatest spy in history.
Both his intellect and his charm made him a perfect recruit for MI6, which was one of the main secret services of Britain. In time, Philby would be appointed head of their counterintelligence against the Soviet Union.
Nicholas Elliott was Philby's best friend and fellow colleague in the spy trade. They learned how to do espionage together during World War II. The two of them belonged to the same clubs, drank a voluminous amount of alcohol, wore the same classy, tailored clothing, and shared every secret. Well, not exactly. Every word that Elliot openly shared, Philby was transmitting to Moscow. But, it wasn't just Elliott's words.
James Jesus Angleton (the head of CIA counterintelligence) was also a great friend of Philby's. They met thirty-seven times in secluded bars and restaurants and Angleton disclosed quite a bit of information that absolutely thrilled the Soviet bosses.
Thanks to both Angleton and Elliott, their words, (unbeknownst to them), killed thousands of operatives and destroyed the intelligence services of both the United States and Great Britain.
Some friend indeed.
Ben Macintyre has done it again. He is a master storyteller and has written quite a number of books dealing with spies, two of which have been reviewed in this blog: Agent Zigzag and Operation Mincemeat.
A Spy Among Friends is quite an eye-opener and virtually impossible to put down. Because of the MI5 (the files for MI6 were closed), Macintyre was able to retrieve plenty of information and research to write a spectacular book.
I could write numerous adjectives to describe the writing, but it's not necessary. Just read it. You will not be disappointed.
Very highly recommended.
by Ben Macintyre
Harold Adrian Russell Philby, otherwise known as "Kim" was considered the greatest spy in history.
Both his intellect and his charm made him a perfect recruit for MI6, which was one of the main secret services of Britain. In time, Philby would be appointed head of their counterintelligence against the Soviet Union.
Nicholas Elliott was Philby's best friend and fellow colleague in the spy trade. They learned how to do espionage together during World War II. The two of them belonged to the same clubs, drank a voluminous amount of alcohol, wore the same classy, tailored clothing, and shared every secret. Well, not exactly. Every word that Elliot openly shared, Philby was transmitting to Moscow. But, it wasn't just Elliott's words.
James Jesus Angleton (the head of CIA counterintelligence) was also a great friend of Philby's. They met thirty-seven times in secluded bars and restaurants and Angleton disclosed quite a bit of information that absolutely thrilled the Soviet bosses.
Thanks to both Angleton and Elliott, their words, (unbeknownst to them), killed thousands of operatives and destroyed the intelligence services of both the United States and Great Britain.
Some friend indeed.
Ben Macintyre has done it again. He is a master storyteller and has written quite a number of books dealing with spies, two of which have been reviewed in this blog: Agent Zigzag and Operation Mincemeat.
A Spy Among Friends is quite an eye-opener and virtually impossible to put down. Because of the MI5 (the files for MI6 were closed), Macintyre was able to retrieve plenty of information and research to write a spectacular book.
I could write numerous adjectives to describe the writing, but it's not necessary. Just read it. You will not be disappointed.
Very highly recommended.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
50 CHILDREN : ONE ORDINARY AMERICAN COUPLE'S EXTRAORDINARY RESCUE MISSION INTO THE HEART OF NAZI GERMANY
by Steven Pressman
Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus never thought of themselves as heroes. What they did was a completely selfless act. In the spring of 1939, they went to Nazi Germany and Austria to save fifty Jewish children and bring them back to the United States. Many leaders of the Philadelphia Jewish community and organizations tried to dissuade them not to go. At that time, there was plenty of hostility in letting immigrants in, especially Jewish refugees. Both the public and the United States government were opposed to opening the doors for them. American immigration laws were very restrictive.
The Krauses went anyway and were successful in obtaining fifty visas.
Author and filmmaker Steven Pressman wrote the book based on Eleanor's private manuscript. (The Krauses were the maternal grandparents of Pressman's wife.) He also was able to interview at least a dozen of the surviving children, now adults.
50 Children is a well-told story and quite relevant. These children came without their parents and didn't know if they would ever see them again. The really sad and disturbing thing is that many more could have been saved if America hadn't been so xenophobic. Great Britain had the "Kindertransport" and saved 10,000 Jewish children. On the other hand, the United States only saved 1,000. Pretty pathetic. As one survivor said, "We all could get out. The problem was that we couldn't get in."
Besides reading the book, if you're interested in more information, you could watch the HBO documentary on YouTube that Pressman made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2D6e7zpyRw.
Recommended.
by Steven Pressman
Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus never thought of themselves as heroes. What they did was a completely selfless act. In the spring of 1939, they went to Nazi Germany and Austria to save fifty Jewish children and bring them back to the United States. Many leaders of the Philadelphia Jewish community and organizations tried to dissuade them not to go. At that time, there was plenty of hostility in letting immigrants in, especially Jewish refugees. Both the public and the United States government were opposed to opening the doors for them. American immigration laws were very restrictive.
The Krauses went anyway and were successful in obtaining fifty visas.
Author and filmmaker Steven Pressman wrote the book based on Eleanor's private manuscript. (The Krauses were the maternal grandparents of Pressman's wife.) He also was able to interview at least a dozen of the surviving children, now adults.
50 Children is a well-told story and quite relevant. These children came without their parents and didn't know if they would ever see them again. The really sad and disturbing thing is that many more could have been saved if America hadn't been so xenophobic. Great Britain had the "Kindertransport" and saved 10,000 Jewish children. On the other hand, the United States only saved 1,000. Pretty pathetic. As one survivor said, "We all could get out. The problem was that we couldn't get in."
Besides reading the book, if you're interested in more information, you could watch the HBO documentary on YouTube that Pressman made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2D6e7zpyRw.
Recommended.
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