In 1862, a young newlywed is executed for treason trying to free her husband, a Confederate cavalry officer, from an island prisoner of war camp in Boston Harbor. For years after, soldiers and later tourists swear they have seen a Lady in Black robes wandering the fortress in search of her dead husband, who accidently died by her own hand during the escape attempt. In present times, when a teacher is murdered while taking his history class on a field trip to the old fort, now a national historical monument, witnesses claim to have seen a mysterious person in black near the murder scene. Investigation of the murder falls to the Massachusetts State Police and a veteran detective who is recovering from an opioid addiction and concealing a dark secret which drives him to seek psychological help. The search for the killer leads the detective and his female partner to discover a plot by a Mexican cartel to use the island fortress as a distribution point to flood the American Northeast with counterfeit opioids. Skeptical of ghost stories, the detective, Vince Magliore, nevertheless encounters some inexplicable events while on the island fortress, and in a gun battle with cartel operatives, may have been saved by the intervention of a shadowy apparition. Urged by his psychologist, Magliore travels back to California to confess to his old boss, the chief of his former police department, the secret he has been hiding. The chief’s response to Magliore’s confession is totally unexpected.

If Slocum doesn’t skidaddle, he’ll be horsemeat! If his Appaloosa hadn’t twisted its ankle on the way to Springfield, Missouri, Slocum might never have looked into buying a new horse there. He might also have missed meeting two of the prettiest cowhands ever to walk on God’s green earth. And now, he might not be running for his life… In Springfield, a man looking to buy a horse has two choices: he can go see the Tolliver brothers’ costly horses, or he can look at Linda Collins’s cheaper ones—and risk getting pumped full of lead by the Tollivers’ hired hands. So when Slocum, a stranger to the town and its rules, shows up on the wrong side of the fence, he’ll have to use his horse sense to protect the very grateful Collins sisters, not to mention stay alive himself…

The short story should enlighten, excite and above all, entertain the reader from an early stage. It is the skill of grasping interest from the outset and retaining such that remains the aim of any writer. THE LADY IN BLACK and Other City Tales collects fourteen short stories set in a different city at a time of particular interest in each chosen destination's history. When better to visit Venice than at the time of Casanova (BECKFORD'S VENETIAN AFFAIR) or Vienna in the dying days of the belle epoch of Emperor Franz Josef ? In THE LADY IN BLACK , the mystery of Gustav Klimt's last missing portrait is solved in a thrilling journey through the battlefields of the second world war to the present day (and where a particularly chilling twist is revealed at the story s conclusion!). In DUPONT'S REVENGE, the French Resistance is reactivated in 1970's Nice to deal with a troublesome neighbour, and in present day Liverpool, a journalist discovers to his cost the consequences of meddling in the affairs of THE TOXTETH VAMPIRE. The futility of Britain's celebrity obsession is evaluated in all its puerile glory where, in FALLS ROAD DON JUAN, a Belfast lothario accepts a sexual wager which if won, will see him fifty thousand pounds better off. It is common knowledge that the invasion of Britain by the German war machine seemed inevitable in 1940, but few appreciate the even greater threat to the security of the nation which occurred twenty three years earlier when Winston Churchill ordered tanks into a major British city on the verge of Bolshevik revolution. THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN tells the story of Brennan, the charismatic anarchist who came dangerously close in bringing the world's greatest Empire to collapse. Britain is again under threat in THE LAST TARGET. Set in a future London on the brink of civil war a young intelligence operative hunts the world's most elusive assassin on the eve of the reopening of the House of Commons destroyed by Islamic terrorists. Join three middle aged men in a touching tale of lost youth in THE INTERESTING ACCOUNTANT as they attempt to relive old times in modern day Cuba, and in DIET, a young Calgary lawyer finds success in her endeavour to loose weight but at a terrible cost. In FRANKIE AND BENNY a young Scots entrepreneur lives the American dream at the dawn of the twentieth Century in New York and gives the Marx Brothers their first break in entertainment along the way. If the purpose of the short story is to seek a response from the reader, to make them laugh, cry, sulk, shudder, frown or wince, THE LADY IN BLACK and Other City Tales delivers.

There are people we love. There are those that we thought we once loved. There are friends, enemies and just people. There are a lot of different people around us. But there are those with whom we would never want to meet.Pain and tears sometimes generate understanding, compassion, and forgiveness. And sometimes they generate hatred and evil...

"A Lady in Black" by Florence Warden is a compelling mystery novel set in the atmospheric backdrop of Victorian England. The story revolves around the enigmatic Lady in Black, a mysterious woman whose presence and actions stir up intrigue and suspense in a quiet, rural village. The plot thickens when a series of unsettling events and unexplained occurrences begin to disrupt the lives of the village residents. The protagonist, a curious and determined young woman, takes it upon herself to uncover the truth behind the Lady in Black. As she delves deeper into the mystery, she unravels secrets of the past and confronts hidden dangers that threaten her safety. Warden's skillful storytelling and vivid descriptions create an eerie and captivating atmosphere, drawing readers into a world of secrets and suspense. The novel explores themes of identity, deception, and the quest for truth, all while maintaining a gripping and fast-paced narrative. "A Lady in Black" is a classic Victorian mystery that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, blending elements of romance, intrigue, and supernatural suspense to create an unforgettable reading experience.

In this one-of-a-kind Hollywood history, the creator of Instagram's celebrated @ThisWasHollywood reveals the forgotten past of the film world in a dazzling visual package modeled on the classic fan magazines of yesteryear. From former screen legends who have faded into obscurity to new revelations about the biggest movie stars, Valderrama unearths the most fascinating little-known tales from the birth of Hollywood through its Golden Age. The shocking fate of the world's first movie star. Clark Gable's secret love child. The film that nearly ended Paul Newman's career. A former child star who, at ninety-three, reveals her #metoo story for the first time. Valderrama unfolds these stories, and many more, in a volume that is by turns riveting, maddening, hilarious, and shocking. Drawing on new interviews, archival research, and an exhaustive library of photographs, This Was Hollywood is a compelling and visually stunning catalogue of the lost history of the movies.