Bøger af Stephen Terrell

Cold-blooded murderer or loving father driven insane? In early 1900s Indiana, John Terrell was the wealthiest man in Wells County, thanks to oil discovered on his farm. But when his youngest daughter, Lucy, became pregnant and entered into a forced marriage to abusive Melvin Wolfe, Terrell's life and fortune unraveled in a tumultuous spiral of murder, a dramatic trial, and a descent into madness. Wolfe's abuse of Lucy eventually drove her back to her parents' home. His continued harassment of the entire family became too much for John Terrell. He shot Wolfe in a roadside ambush, followed the wounded man to the doctor, broke into the operating room, and put a shotgun to the injured man's head before pulling the trigger. The murder made sensational headlines across the country. Terrell, a polarizing figure in the community due to his wealth and atheism, went on trial and faced the death penalty. His lawyer presented an insanity defense; over 150 witnesses testified, including a dozen high-paid experts for the defense. Yet Terrell was convicted in just 15 minutes. While awaiting sentence, his mental condition rapidly deteriorated; transferred to an asylum, he was ultimately proclaimed "insane." Until his death, the fierce debate raged: Had Terrell truly lost his mind? Or did he simply scam his way out of prison?

A touching collection of short stories rooted in the heartland -- and in the heart. The collection includes the award-winning short story Visiting Hours. Visiting Hours: Sarah is a turn-of-the-century farm wife. Her children grown, she feels the melancholy of aging and isolation, exacerbated by the death of an elderly aunt. Her brash cousin Maude insists that Sarah come with her for a visit. The tragic death of a young Negro girl and an old wives' tale prompts Maude to insist that the two cousins go to the calling for the dead girl. But what awaits them will change both their lives. Christmas 1948: Life is tough in the hills and hollers of post WWII Tennessee. It is particularly so for Cassie Mae. Her father still deals with the emotional scars of serving in the Pacific during WWII. Her mother has all she can do to keep the family clothed and fed. So at age 14, Cassie Mae tries to make Christmas special for her five younger brothers and sisters. Tending Roses: Facing failed relationships, a stalled career, and an estranged teenage daughter, a man makes an obligatory visit to see his aging aunt. As they walk through the aunt's carefully tended rose garden, he learns something of life and himself. Rabbit for Breakfast: It's the first weekend of rabbit season in the mid-1950s. A young boy and his father go to relative's house for a breakfast of fried rabbit and homemade biscuits. The boy deals with a loving aunt, a quirky uncle and an emotionally distant father. Somewhere In Time: A man faces the cruel truth of Alzheimer's. Riding the Rails: An article exploring the soul-soothing qualities of traveling by train. Sunday Morning Coming Down in New Orleans: Reflections on a trip to New Orleans seven months after Hurricane Katrina left 80% of the city underwater. Despite all the damage done, the article finds that the soul of New Orleans is still there, unchanged.

Matt Demaree is a brilliant law clerk to Alabama Supreme Court Judge Preston Ratliff. An evening of drinking and a chance encounter with a young woman lead to a sexual tryst in the deserted courtroom. But the judicial center was not as empty as Matt believed. When Matt discovers two men standing over the judge's body, his promising career quickly crumbles.Charged with the judge's murder, Matt turns to Kisti Newcombe, a talented, street-smart African-American lawyer toughened by surviving breast cancer. Kisti aggressively works to build the case for the defense, but she and Matt struggle with issues of trust. Matt's faith in the judicial system wanes, and he seeks to take matters into his own hands.As the real killers close in, Matt faces an agonizing decision. If he takes the desperate acts needed to learn the truth behind the judge's murder, he will lose his promising career. If he doesn't, he and Kisti may lose their lives.

In America's dark days following the Vietnam War and Watergate, Zach Carlson is a deeply cynical Chicago crime beat reporter, making his living by the adage "if it bleeds, it leads." He is as emotionally detached from those around him as he is from the blood and death he covers daily. When Zach's life in Chicago shatters, he moves to a small Indiana town to run a weekly newspaper, seeking to lose himself in the mundane dullness of small-town America. Instead of tranquility, Zach finds a town trying to cope with its own fear, anxiety and anger. The railroads, which have provided the town's economic lifeblood, are leaving, and with it most of the town's jobs. Violence, drugs and crime are seeping into the bucolic community. When Stratton suffers its first murder in decades, Zach's investigation uncovers secrets that tear away the town's veneer of innocence and force Zach to face the still-open wounds that eviscerated his life."Stephen Terrell's Last Train to Stratton sneaks up on you and yanks you in. The writing is as sensitive as it is tough, and the unforgettable characters are as familiar as they are fresh. Simply put, Last Train to Stratton is a gripping, heartfelt read that will stay with you long after you finish it."- Janis Thornton, author of the Elmwood Confidential Series and Too Good a Girl