Edward Motz, an eighteen-year-old employee of the New York Central Railroad in the late 1890s, finds himself enlisting in the Seventy-First Regiment of the New York National Guard, just prior to the outbreak of war with Spain. With the explosion of the battleship Maine on February 15, 1898, in Santiago Harbor, war is declared, and the Seventy-First Regiment soon fi nds itself volunteering for regular service and on its way to the island of Cuba. This book tells the story of Edward’s military experiences in the Spanish American war before, during, and after the Santiago campaign. While this story is fi ctional, many of the events, personalities, and situations Edward encounters are not, and provides a comprehensible synopsis of that campaign. I hope you appreciate the blending of fact and fiction and enjoy this book.

The “gripping” (The Washington Post) story of the most famous regiment in American history: the Rough Riders, a motley group of soldiers led by Theodore Roosevelt, whose daring exploits marked the beginning of American imperialism in the 20th century. When America declared war on Spain in 1898, the US Army had just 26,000 men, spread around the country—hardly an army at all. In desperation, the Rough Riders were born. A unique group of volunteers, ranging from Ivy League athletes to Arizona cowboys and led by Theodore Roosevelt, they helped secure victory in Cuba in a series of gripping, bloody fights across the island. Roosevelt called their charge in the Battle of San Juan Hill his “crowded hour”—a turning point in his life, one that led directly to the White House. “The instant I received the order,” wrote Roosevelt, “I sprang on my horse and then my ‘crowded hour’ began.” As The Crowded Hour reveals, it was a turning point for America as well, uniting the country and ushering in a new era of global power. “A revelatory history of America’s grasp for power” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Both a portrait of these men, few of whom were traditional soldiers, and of the Spanish-American War itself, The Crowded Hour dives deep into the daily lives and struggles of Roosevelt and his regiment. Using diaries, letters, and memoirs, Risen illuminates an influential moment in American history: a war of only six months’ time that dramatically altered the United States’ standing in the world. “Fast-paced, carefully researched…Risen is a gifted storyteller who brings context to the chaos of war. The Crowded Hour feels like the best type of war reporting—told with a clarity that takes nothing away from the horrors of the battlefield” (The New York Times Book Review).

A catastrophe forces Jocelyn Durand, the author of a decades-old and quite accidental publishing one-hit-wonder, to meet her idol, best-selling suspense writer Asher Cray. Each harbors a literary crush on the other, but if gossip rags are to be believed, Asher is a philandering charmer and more than the naïve Jocelyn could ever hope to handle. Still, while social media has labeled him a notorious Lothario, they might have the story all wrong. Regardless, those rumors are the least of Asher's worries compared to the horrific case of writer's block hounding him. Sparks fly between the two would-be wordsmiths, but uprooted nightmarish memories and a revolving door of uninvited visitors create plot twists no one sees coming, threatening the pairs' less-than-storybook romance and upending the Durand siblings' long-held beliefs. Happily-ever-after means the insulated Jocelyn and her stalwart sister must confront a wiped-away past, recognizing monsters come in unexpected forms, and maybe they aren't all bad—a daunting task one wickedly hot Hamptons summer in a very crowded house when everyone's personal histories blur the lines between fact and fiction. Kelly Elizabeth Huston’s sophomore book takes a darker turn while keeping up with some familiar faces and introducing new ones in a roller coaster story about the power of love and what people do in its name.

This book is a collection of McArthur's articles, written in journal form. In the articles, he talks about ordinary activities like cutting wood, breaking into apple pits, and the pure enjoyment of good sleighing on frozen roads in the winter and brings them to life for his city readers and likewise for readers of today.

Ellen Crosby's "beguiling" ("Kirkus Reviews") fifth mystery takes readers into Washington's corridors of power, where Lucie Montgomery uncovers a political and financial scandal while trying to locate her missing friend. WHEN LUCIE MONTGOMERY VISITS Washington, D.C., during cherry blossom season she doesn't expect her reunion with old friend Rebecca Natale is a setup. But Rebecca disappears into thin air after running an errand for her boss, billionaire philanthropist and investment guru Sir Thomas Asher. Also missing: an antique silver wine cooler looted by British soldiers before they burned the White House during the War of 1812. The next morning Lucie identifies Rebecca's neatly folded clothes found in a rowboat floating in the Potomac River. Is it suicide, murder--or an elaborate scheme to disappear? A clandestine meeting in the U.S. Capitol, a startling revelation on a windy hill, and cryptic messages from Rebecca cloaked in eighteenth-century poetry are all part of the suspenseful tale of whether Rebecca is alive or dead--and the truth about Asher Investments. Featuring an absorbing plot, colorful characters, and fascinating winemaking detail, "The Vintage Vendetta "combines an entertaining mystery with luminous prose that has become Crosby's trademark.

On February 15, 1898, the American ship USS Maine mysteriously exploded in the Havana Harbor. News of the blast quickly reached U.S. shores, where it was met by some not with alarm but great enthusiasm. A powerful group of war lovers agitated that the United States exert its muscle across the seas. Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge were influential politicians dismayed by the "closing" of the Western frontier. William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal falsely heralded that Spain's "secret infernal machine" had destroyed the battleship as Hearst himself saw great potential in whipping Americans into a frenzy. The Maine would provide the excuse they'd been waiting for. On the other side were Roosevelt's former teacher, philosopher William James, and his friend and political ally, Thomas Reed, the powerful Speaker of the House. Both foresaw a disaster. At stake was not only sending troops to Cuba and the Philippines, Spain's sprawling colony on the other side of the world-but the friendships between these men. Now, bestselling historian Evan Thomas brings us the full story of this monumental turning point in American history. Epic in scope and revelatory in detail, The War Lovers takes us from Boston mansions to the halls of Congress to the beaches of Cuba and the jungles of the Philippines. It is landmark work with an unforgettable cast of characters-and provocative relevance to today.