Download or read book Mourning Gloria written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-04-05 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Susan Wittig Albert, “who consistently turns out some of the best-plotted mysteries on the market,”* delivers the charm and suspense in her latest herbal treat, Mourning Gloria. Now ex-lawyer and current herbalist China Bayles must stop a killer whose evil is burning through Texas… China is relishing the scents, produce, and even the showers of spring. She’s also busy hosting Pecan Springs’ Farmers’ Market. It brings additional customers to her herb shop Thyme and Seasons. And residents find rare ingredients they wouldn’t otherwise find in the supermarket. Everybody wins… But as the town bustles back to life in the warmth of the season, one woman’s life is tragically brought to an end. China happens upon a burning house trailer and hears a woman screaming for help. The evidence leaves no doubt that it’s arson homicide—but who would commit such a ghastly crime? An intern-reporter at the local paper, Jessica Nelson, is assigned to cover the story. Drawn into the case by its similarity to her own tragic loss—Jessica’s family died in a fire—she soon finds herself deeply involved and in danger. And when Jessica disappears, China becomes determined to help find her, before she becomes headlines herself… *Houston Chronicle

Download or read book LITTLE GLORIA written by Barbara Goldsmith and published by Knopf. This book was released on 2011-08-24 with total page 980 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a story of money, glamour, and scandal (on the highest level); a story of American society and of European royalty; a story of family strife exploding into one of the most dramatic and publicized court battles of the century—the battle for a solemn ten-year-old child, “little Gloria” Vanderbilt, who in 1934 was the object of the epic custody suit between her mother, the beautiful and penniless Vanderbilt widow, and her aunt, the famous Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, whose $78 million could buy her anything she wanted. And what she wanted was “little Gloria.” The leading characters: Gloria Morgan, who was one of the fabled Morgan Twins (invented by society reporter “Cholly” Knickerbocker as the quintessential Café Society beauties) and who, as a shy, stammering eighteen-year-old, living on nothing a year, did what she was raised to do, becoming the wife of . . . Reggie Vanderbilt, at forty-three a worn-out alcoholic who had managed to go through almost $25 million in fourteen years and who died only two years after his marriage to Gloria, leaving his beautiful young widow nothing but their baby, their baby’s untouchable trust fund, and the Vanderbilt name . . . Gloria Morgan’s twin, Thelma, who, as Lady Furness, was for years the mistress of the Prince of Wales (until she introduced him to her “best friend” Wallis Simpson) . . . Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Reginald’s sister, a formidable Society woman, a sculptor and the founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art, a woman who conformed—on the surface—to everything expected of American royalty and yet lived a hidden second life as a passionate bohemian . . . And the child—little Gloria herself—shunted out of her mother’s life, carted around Europe, depending for her existence on her neurotically overprotective nurse, Dodo, who never left her for a single day, and her mad Morgan grandmother, who insisted that her own daughter might murder the child for the Vanderbilt millions. Deserted, “dressed in rags,” neglected, she became an almost mythic incarnation of “the poor little rich girl.” This child, who was to grow up to become a world-famous fashion designer, her name—Gloria Vanderbilt—a household word. We come to understand and care about this child as we observe, close up, the astonishing lives and intrigues surrounding her. We see her at the age of ten brought to the courthouse, rushed through mobs of spectators, reporters, photographers. We follow a courtroom drama of sensation after sensation, the judge ultimately banning both public and press, the final scandalous testimony reaching to the heart of the English royal family. We listen to the parade of witnesses—servants, millionaires, society celebrities, aristocrats, family retainers. We watch the judge himself—a classic Tammany pol—becoming another of the many victims of the case, reviled on all sides. And finally we see little Gloria pushed to choose between her mother and her aunt, making the decision that will affect her whole life—with nobody ever asking her the basic question, “Why are you afraid?” For the first time, the thousands of pages of documents and sealed court testimony have been unearthed and explored. Hundreds of people have been interviewed. And a writer completely knowing about society and the period has used all this material to create a compelling narrative of vitality, resonance, and fascination. Combining her extraordinary abilities as an investigative reporter with the skills and sensitivity of a novelist, Barbara Goldsmith has given us a galvanizing story, a whole world of astonishing emotional and social circumstances, unforgettably revealed.

Download or read book Mourning Gloria written by Katie Michelle and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-08-31 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gloria Westerly doesn't have a friend in the world before moving to Century City. Though living with her aunt on the property of the wealthy family she works for is odd, stranger still is the mansion's only occupant. While there is certainly a story to the Rigby's son, Adam, Gloria is distracted entering her final year of high school when she meets the carefree troublemaker, Edge Rider. Like Adam, Edge can tell there's more to Gloria under the surface. If anyone can dig deep enough to understand her past trauma, it would be Edge. And maybe she'd like him to try. However, Gloria has no way of knowing that getting closer to him means stepping into a feud between friends; one centered around Adam Rigby and Edge's legal guardian, Jet Veron. Adam warns Gloria to get out while she can, but it's too late. She's already in.

Download or read book Mourning Into Dancing written by Walter Wangerin Jr. and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 1996-05 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his passionate and direct style, Walter Wangerin, Jr., examines grief and mourning.

Download or read book The Fittest written by J.T. McIntosh and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-10-01 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The threat to civilization was so incredible, no one recognized it. It started with a simple experiment: heighten animal intelligence. When a few of the specimens escaped from their cages, people were amused by the strange creatures. But then they started breeding. And new generations combined sharpened intelligence with a natural hatred of mankind. And one man knows too much for his own safety.

Download or read book Mystery Women Volume Two Revised written by Colleen Barnett and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2011-12-31 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many bibliographers focus on women who write. Lawyer Barnett looks at women who detect, at women as sleuths and at the evolving roles of women in professions and in society. Excellent for all women's studies programs as well as for the mystery hound. Look at the popularity of such reading guides as Willetta Heising's Detecting Women (3rd ed. 0-9644593-7-X) or Amanda Cross' fiction (Honest Doubt 0-345-44011-0 11/00).

Download or read book Talking with Children About Loss written by Maria Trozzi and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1999-10-01 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through captivating stories and thoughtful analysis, Maria Trozzi explains how to handle the difficult job of talking with children and adolescents about loss, with discussions about: * How children perceive and interpret events such as death, disability, and divorce * Guiding children through the four tasks of mourning * Helping children face funerals, wakes, and memorial services * Children's fears and fantasies: how they express them, and how to address them * Age-appropriate responses to children's questions and concerns * Talking to children about long-term illness, suicide, family or community tragedy, and other special situations * What to do when children won't talk about loss, and when to seek professional help"The wisdom, authenticity, and sheer presence of the author are evident from page one until the end of the beautifully written book. Terms like 'ground-breaking' and 'innovative' have been triviliazed by overuse. In this case they are deserved." --Stan Turecki, M.D., author of The Difficult Child

Download or read book Ashes to Ashes written by Jonathan Schiff and published by Susquehanna University Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Ashes to Ashes will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Those unfamiliar with psychoanalysis will especially appreciate the author's avoidance of jargon, while psychoanalytic experts will be interested in his use of both traditional and contemporary psychoanalytic literature."--BOOK JACKET.

Download or read book Offed in the Orchids written by Dale Mayer and published by Valley Publishing Ltd.. This book was released on 2021-11-23 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Riches to rags … Finally it’s calm … At least for the moment … If she’s lucky … Needing a break from all the murder and mayhem, Doreen and Mack plan an outing to see the local orchid show. Some of the displays are in the community center, but the more prized specimens of this genus require a visit to some of the gardeners’ homes, a rare opportunity not afforded to everyone. This trip, not quite a date, affords Doreen a chance to enjoy not only the company of Mack but to get to know a few more of the colorful locals. But, when one of these locals ends up dead just after their visit, the dark underbelly of orchid growing is exposed and, with it, an old murder, … not to mention another new one. Doreen and Mack just can’t catch a break. But can they catch a killer before he kills again? cozy mystery; riches to rags; clean romance; animal mystery; cat and dog; mystery; Female sleuth; back yard mystery; Mystery; Animals; Parrots; Birds; Fun; amateur sleuths; mysteries with dogs; mysteries with Cats; Clean and wholesome;

Download or read book Scripting Death written by Mara Buchbinder and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How the legalization of assisted dying is changing our lives. Over the past five years, medical aid-in-dying (also known as assisted suicide) has expanded rapidly in the United States and is now legally available to one in five Americans. This growing social and political movement heralds the possibility of a new era of choice in dying. Yet very little is publicly known about how medical aid-in-dying laws affect ordinary citizens once they are put into practice. Sociological studies of new health policies have repeatedly demonstrated that the realities often fall short of advocacy visions, raising questions about how much choice and control aid-in-dying actually affords. Scripting Death chronicles two years of ethnographic research documenting the implementation of Vermont’s 2013 Patient Choice and Control at End of Life Act. Author Mara Buchbinder weaves together stories collected from patients, caregivers, health care providers, activists, and legislators to illustrate how they navigate aid-in-dying as a new medical frontier in the aftermath of legalization. Scripting Death explains how medical aid-in-dying works, what motivates people to pursue it, and ultimately, why upholding the “right to die” is very different from ensuring access to this life-ending procedure. This unprecedented, in-depth account uses the case of assisted death as an entry point into ongoing cultural conversations about the changing landscape of death and dying in the United States.

Download or read book The Crown of Life Society written by William R. Henry, Jr. and published by William R. Henry, Jr. and A. Frank Johns, Jr.. This book was released on 2013-07-17 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Golden years? Career criminals and one-time opportunists are scheming to strip that gold from elderly people…Darryl, the greaser who worms his way into the heart and home of the frail Esther, hell-bent to drain her bank account…Harry, the charmer who checks the obituaries and puts widows like Estelle on a schedule for exploitation that includes seizing their homes…Rusinski and Rugerio, criminal doctors who use elders – and routinely put lives at risk – to manipulate a hopelessly inept Medicare and Medicaid bureaucracy, and rake in the cash…Imelda, the “capper” who brings the crooked docs a vanload of elders every Friday, for bogus “sleep studies”…Rose, who can ruin a lonely retiree’s credit rating with a few outings to department stores…Denise, who gets to the much-older Charlie’s wallet through his zipper…to name just a few. And at the top of this criminal world is the brilliant and ruthless Sherrelle. She emerged from prison to build the Crown of Life Society, in which she trains women – all using stolen identities — to exploit elders and avoid detection. She will do anything (murder is an easy call), and use her sharp survival instincts, to make sure the enterprise that nets her over $200,000 a year continues to thrive. Meanwhile, these elders’ adult children feel the stress every day, of trying to balance caregiving with their other responsibilities. Sibling differences, and the tension between too-busy lives and the “We really have to do something about Mom” imperative quickly blaze up. The “Caregiver Coping” chatroom provides some release for Boomers; they post about the problems they are struggling to handle – including some really nutty ones. You can laugh, because these things aren’t happening to you. Or maybe you will laugh because they are happening in your family, and you need your own release. You might shed a tear, too, when some of the elders in this book finally reach the end of their noble, exemplary lives. In The Crown of Life Society, William R. Henry, Jr. and noted elder law attorney A. Frank Johns, Jr. turn fact into fiction for an appalling — but hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking — narrative that is as entertaining as it is informative and timely. It’s a loud alarm for anyone who is an elder, hopes to be one, or has elderly loved ones.

Download or read book The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-07-05 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A brand-new mystery in the "exceptional" (Booklist) series by the national bestselling author. Rumors are sprouting in Depression-era Darling, Alabama. The town's newest visitors, Nona Jean Jamison and Miss Lake, may be the Naughty and Nice Sisters from the Ziegfeld Frolic, who specialize in dancing nearly naked. The Dahlias suspect more than modesty when Nona denies her association. They'll have to dig through clues to get to the root of the mystery...

Download or read book A Mother s Lament written by Lee Gander and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2021-06-15 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagine an expectant mother being able to live a full and intimate life with her child before choosing to have an abortion. It would make all the difference in the world. In this first volume of a trilogy of books that brings the reader into the heart of those silent voices, A Mother’s Lament strives, through living out the relationship between mother and child, to clearly establish the child she carries as an individual person, just as alive, unique and special as you and I. Share Gloria and Jeni’s story as they discover a special and unique love that transcends all boundaries and time.

Download or read book The Darling Dahlias and the Silver Dollar Bush written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-09-02 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: National bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert takes readers back in time to small-town Darling, Alabama, in the 1930s—where the Darling Savings and Trust has just closed and the women of the Darling Dahlias’ garden club are betting their bottom dollar there’s going to be trouble… It’s the spring of 1933 and times are tough all over. The only businessman not struggling is moonshiner Mickey LeDoux, though he still has to steer clear of federal agents. But banks are closing all over the country, and the small town of Darling is no exception. Folks are suddenly caught short on cash and everyone is in a panic. Desperate to avoid disaster, several town leaders—including Alvin Duffy, the bank’s new vice president—hatch a plan to print Darling Dollars on newspaperman Charlie Dickens’ printing press. The “funny money” can serve as temporary currency so the town can function. But when the first printing of the scrip disappears, the Darling Dahlias set out to discover who made an unauthorized withdrawal. Meanwhile County Treasurer Verna Tidwell questions whether she can trust Alvin Duffy—and the feelings he stirs up inside her. And Liz Lacy learns her longtime beau may be forced into a shotgun wedding. Seems other troubles don’t just go away when there’s a crisis. There’ll be no pennies from heaven, but if anyone can balance things out, folks can bank on the Darling Dahlias… Includes Southern-Style Depression-Era Recipes

Download or read book A Plain Vanilla Murder written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Greenleaf Book Group. This book was released on 2019-06-04 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Susan Wittig Albert, the New York Times best-selling author of Queen Anne’s Lace, comes an intriguing new addition to her widely-acclaimed China Bayles Mysteries. ​China and Ruby Wilcox are presenting their annual “Not Just Plain Vanilla Workshop,” always a huge hit with customers at Thyme & Seasons Herb Shop. But someone involved with the workshop is driven by a deadly motive, and China soon finds herself teaming up with the very pregnant Pecan Springs police chief Sheila Dawson to solve a vanilla-flavored murder. Sheila, happy to get out from behind the chief’s desk, is investigating the death of a botany professor, a prominent researcher specializing in vanilla orchids. China is trying to help a longtime friend: the dead professor’s ex-wife and a prime suspect in his murder. However, there’s no shortage of other suspects: a betrayed lover, a disgruntled graduate student, jealous colleagues, and a gang of orchid smugglers. But the lethal roots of this mystery reach back into the dark tropical jungles of Mexico, where the vanilla vine was first cultivated. At stake: a lucrative plant patent, an orchid that is extinct in the wild, and the life of an innocent little girl. A Plain Vanilla Murder is a flavorful blend of mystery and herb lore, present sins and past secrets, and characters who are as real as your next-door neighbors—stirred together in an absorbing novel that only Susan Wittig Albert could create.

Download or read book The Darling Dahlias and the Texas Star written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2013-09-03 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: National bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert returns to the small town of Darling, Alabama, in the 1930s—where the Darling Dahlias, the colorful ladies of a garden club, are anything but shrinking violets when it comes to rooting out criminals… The Texas Star herself—Miss Lily Dare, the “fastest woman in the world”—is bringing her Dare Devils Flying Circus to Darling. Unfortunately, she’s also bringing a whole lot of trouble. As the Dahlias prepare for the annual Watermelon Festival—where they will present the famous female aviatrix with her own Texas Star hibiscus—rumors are flying. Dahlias president Liz Lacy learns from newspaperman Charlie Dickens that Miss Dare has been threatened and her plane sabotaged. Apparently the bold and beautiful barnstormer has made plenty of enemies. And is it possible she may even be involved with the husband of one of Darling’s local ladies? And speaking of wings, the new cook at Myra May’s Darling Diner can fry a chicken and whip up a sweet potato meringue pie like nobody’s business. But why is she keeping her past such a mystery? As the Texas Star barnstorms into town, Liz and Verna Tidwell offer to help bring down a saboteur who may be propelled by revenge. Before it’s all over, there will be plenty of black eyes and dark secrets revealed… Includes Southern-Style Depression-Era Recipes!

Download or read book Bittersweet written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Berkley. This book was released on 2016-04-05 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This Thanksgiving, be grateful for China Bayles who teams up with an old friend to solve a complex case of theft and murder in a South Texas ranching community. It's Thanksgiving in Pecan Springs, and China is planning to visit her mother, Leatha, and her mother's husband, Sam, who are enthusiastically embarking on a new enterprise turning their former game ranch into a vacation retreat for birders. She's also looking forward to catching up with her friend, game warden Mackenzie "Mack" Chambers, who was recently transferred to the area. But Leatha calls with bad news: Sam has had a heart attack. How will Leatha manage if Sam can't carry his share? She does have a helper, Sue Ellen Krause. But China discovers that Sue Ellen, who is in the process of leaving her marriage to the assistant foreman at a large trophy game ranch, is in some serious trouble. Before Sue Ellen can tell China the full story, her car veers off a deserted road and she is killed. Meanwhile, when a local veterinarian is shot in what appears to be a burglary at his clinic, Mack Chambers believes his murder could be related to fawns stolen from a nearby ranch. As Mack follows the trail, China begins to wonder if Sue Ellen's death may not have been an accident, and if there's a connection to the stolen animals. But their search for the truth may put their own lives in danger"--