In the historical context of the Jim Crow South, Gail explores her mother's decision to pass, how she hid her secret even from her own husband, and the price she paid for choosing whiteness. Haunted by her mother's fear and shame, Gail embarks on a quest to uncover her mother's racial lineage, tracing her family back to eighteenth-century colonial Louisiana. In coming to terms with her decision to publicly out her mother, Gail changed how she looks at race and heritage.With a foreword written by Kenyatta Berry, host of PBS's Genealogy Roadshow, this unique and fascinating story of coming to terms with oneself breaks down barriers. A Washington Post Notable Book of 2017's Most Inspiring Stories.
Twenty-three years ago local actress Danielle Moyer vanished after starring in a play at the Bayside Theater. Her body was never found...Now the specter of her ghost has returned to haunt the Bayside Theater or -- so it seems. A series of pranks is plaguing the theater and someone is leaving bizarre clues in the abandoned Moyer cabin. Door County Gazette reporter Leigh Girard, who's writing an article on the theater, chalks the pranks up to theatrical hijinks. She's investigating the murder of Brownie Lawrence, a formerly homeless man she befriended. When the theatrical hijinks turn deadly, Leigh suspects that the fate of Danielle Moyer has triggered a murderous revenge. What she never expects to find is a killer so vengeful that anyone is fair game -- including her.
Chicago performance artist Rose Caffrey is desperate to sell her sister's nineteenth-century farmhouse in southern Illinois. She's haunted by her sister's death from a fall inside the house.
But when Rose discovers three murals in an upstairs bedroom depicting strange images of Native Americans and bizarre nineteenth-century landscapes, she becomes obsessed with knowing the artist's identity and the meaning of the murals. Buried for over one hundred and seventy-five years under wallpaper and paint, the murals hint at secrets tied to the old house, the artist, and the nearby 1836 Trail of Tears Camp Ground Cemetery. Only one mural remains to be uncovered. And Rose is convinced the hidden mural holds the key to deciphering the other three.
As art restorer Alex Hague peels away the layers of wallpaper from the last mural, Rose searches for the artist's identity. But all her discoveries only add to the murals' mysteries. What the last mural reveals launches Rose and Alex on a quest for one of the greatest lost art treasures of sixteenth century America. Pursued by an unknown adversary who seems to know their every move, they race across the country hunting for the treasure. What Rose never expects to find are crimes going back over four hundred years with the potential to transform American history--if she can escape the fate of the other lost artists before her.
The Lost Artist is a fast-paced mystery thriller that shatters the very foundation of American history. Beneath the layers of time lurks a truth worth killing for.
On the eve of tourist season in the resort community of Doo County, Wisconsin, a killer is targeting young blond women, leaving their strangled bodies along the desolate Mink River.
An amateur naturalist dies of mushroom poisoning, a day later the local librarian kills herself, then the buried bones of an infant are discovered. Chicago native Leigh Girard is finding life in a small town can be fatal.
