Category: Books

Title: Lincoln's Grave Robbers Author: Steve Sheinkin Published: January 1, 2013 by Scholastic Category: History, True Crime (Young Adult/Middle School) Rating: 5 out of 5 Add: Goodreads Purchase: Amazon | IndieBound | Book Depository A true crime thriller -- the first book for teens to tell the nearly unknown tale of the brazen attempt to steal Abraham Lincoln's body! The action begins in October of 1875, as Secret Service agents raid the Fulton, Illinois, workshop of master counterfeiter Ben Boyd. Soon after Boyd is hauled off to prison, members of his counterfeiting ring gather in the back room of a smoky Chicago saloon to discuss how to spring their ringleader. Their plan: grab Lincoln's body from its Springfield tomb, stash it in the sand dunes near Lake Michigan, and demand, as a ransom, the release of Ben Boyd --and $200,000 in cash. From here, the action alternates between the conspirators, the Secret Service agents on their trail, and the undercover agent moving back and forth between the two groups....

Title: India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy (Madam of Espionage #3) Author: Carol K. Carr Published: February 5, 2013 by Berkley Category: Espionage/Intrigue Rating: 4½ out of 5 Add: Goodreads Purchase: Amazon | IndieBound | Book Depository In Victorian London, India Black has all the attributes a high-class madam needs to run a successful brothel--wit, beauty, and an ability to lie with a smile. Luckily for Her Majesty's Government, all these talents also make her a first-rate spy... India Black, full-time madam and occasional secret agent, is feeling restless, when one of Disraeli's men calls on her to meet the prime minister--alone. Even though all her previous meetings have been organized by the rakishly handsome spy French, it's been decided this is a mission India must attempt on her own. Revolt has spread across Europe and reached the shores of England--anarchists have begun assassinating lords and earls, one by one. Now India must infiltrate the ranks of the underground group responsible for those attacks, the sinister Dark Legion....

Title: Down for the Count (Toby Peters #10) Author: Stuart Kaminsky Published: 1985 Category: Mystery - Private Detective Rating: 3½ out of 5 Add: Goodreads Purchase: Amazon | Amazon Kindle Private eye Toby Peters follows boxing as much as the next guy, but he never expected to encounter heavyweight champion Joe Louis this way: covered with blood and standing on a deserted beach next to the corpse of Peters’s ex-wife’s husband. The champ is innocent, but he has something to hide, and Toby agrees to protect the Brown Bomber from the police and the press. Following up on names he gets from the dead man’s address book, Peters soon finds himself in Reed’s gym, embroiled in a sensational fight scam that may ring the final bell for him. Bruised and battered, Peters meets up with an overzealous Santa Monica cop with a special fondness for the L.A. phone book, a sleazy boxing manager with lousy taste in suits, and a trio of ham-fisted heavies who remind him of the...

Title: Saint Francis of Assisi Author: Demi Published: October 4, 2012 by Wisdom Tales Category: Picture book - Christianity, Biography Rating: 4 out of 5 Add: Goodreads Purchase: Amazon | IndieBound | Book Depository Saint Francis of Assisi is one of the most beloved and inspirational figures in the history of Christianity. The stunning illustrations of award-winning author, Demi, bring to life the story of this son of a rich merchant, who abandoned all his worldly goods in order to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Inspired by the remarkable example of his holiness, Saint Francis is venerated by millions of Christians around the world, no matter their denomination. I didn't know much about St. Francis before reading this children's book. The view I had of him was very simplistic; I imagined him in the brown monk's robe being nice to animals. Saint Francis of Assisi filled out my picture of him. It follows his life from birth, through wars and being captured, his mission work and the founding...