Murder At The Best Little Library In Texas

Think public libraries are staid and quiet? Then welcome to the “Best Little Library in Texas” where restroom fires/accidents, a surprise birth upstairs, angry female demonstrators at the front door, even a study group pledged to kill people because of their DNA (and a subsequent murder) are almost routine. How do six committed librarians and one lonely Texas cowboy survive these dangers? Credit their high quotient of humor, affection for one another, teamwork and community service. The “Best Little Library” proves it’s not the quality of the book collections, it’s the individuals of the staff who make the library exceptional.

“Mayaguez and the Murder Ship” trace the marine exploits of First Mate, later Captain, Casey Flynn. Aboard the container ship Mayaguez, he was First Mate during the surprise capture of that vessel and crew by Cambodian communists in 1975. During the four days between their capture and release to the U.S. Navy, Flynn acted as calm intermediary with his crew’s communist captors. The Americans were fearful of being summarily shot, ransomed or tried before a Cambodian court, then imprisoned. Once U.S. aircraft appeared overhead firing and bombing, their captors became hysterical and unpredictable, making Flynn’s protection of his crew even more difficult. Promoted to captain for his performance on the Mayaguez, Flynn’s trials had just begun. His first command, an old oil tanker, was beset with problems: a dispirited crew, several of whom mysteriously and regularly disappeared. The anxious, short-handed, double-dutied crew labeled their vessel the “Murder Ship.” To help him solve the mysterious disappearances or murders, an inexperienced Security Officer (who happened to be the transport lines owner’s beautiful daughter) was added to assist Flynn in this his new command. What could possible go wrong on Casey’s maiden voyage of the “Murder Ship”?

“KIA: Killed In the Alamo” highlights the struggle of three Alamo Colonels (Travis, Bowie and Crockett) to organize, sustain and lead the stubborn defenders of the Alamo who gave their lives fighting for an independent Texas. On March 6, 1836, Mexican General, (and President) Santa Ana directed his powerful army to not only assault the old Alamo and its Texas defenders, he ordered the immediate execution of any survivors. The defenders of the Alamo, mostly volunteers, came from eastern and southern United States, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, and Denmark as well as well as Texas. Sadly, the birthplaces of 48 of the 212 slain defenders are unknown. To honor their heroism and bravery, a roster of their names is at Chapter 14. Perhaps the highest accolade for these heroic defenders is that inscribed on the Cenotaph in San Antonio, Texas, next to the Alamo: “IN MEMORY OF THE HEROES WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES AT THE ALAMO MARCH 6, 1836, IN THE DEFENSE OF TEXAS. THEY CHOSE NEVER TO SURRENDER NOR RETREAT; THESE BRAVE HEARTS, WITH FLAG STILL WAVING, PERISHED IN THE FLAMES OF NOBILITY THAT THEIR HIGH SACRIFICE MIGHT LEAD TO THE FOUNDING OF TEXAS.”

Abbie Brown calls her old high school flame, Bruno, to help her brief a rich client on Abbie’s extensive design and decoration project for the client’s already elegant home. The client is Lois, Abbie’s close friend and former college roommate. Before Abbie and Bruno arrive in Canyon Lake to conduct their briefing, Lois’ husband, Hugh, goes missing. Lois insists Abbie and Bruno stay at her home and find her husband. Abbie’s design and decoration project is on hold until Hugh is found. Meanwhile, a red bikini and bra-clad female is found dead on a nearby beach. Local newspaper dubs the dead girl ‘The Lady in Red.’ Police Chief Rogers of Canyon Lake can’t identify the girl, so focuses his investigation on her, rather than the missing Hugh Grimes. Wealthy Hugh Grimes is best known for his speeding around town in his bright red sports car. A fire on the north shore of the lake, a burned male corpse found in that fire and a third murder--a well-known female who recently dyed her hair fiery red--is linked to the previous two ‘red’ deaths. Chief Rogers is unable to solve either case. Can Abbie and Bruno--increasingly interested rekindling their old relationship--restore peace and quiet to this rural Texas Hill Country community, despite the three murders?

"These true crime and murder stories between 1895 and 1910 revolve around one untested lawyer who rises from shady character to preeminent defense attorney in Houston. James Brockman seemingly appears out of nowhere to represent clients from gang leaders to jilted spouses, from wealthy storekeepers to drunken on-duty policemen. There are murder cases of jarring violence in which multiple people are shot down in a train station or a courthouse, and there are cases of uncommon humanity and sadness. The stories of these cases cross racial lines, and several tell an instructive story of the segregated Texas that affected so many lives. His career gained national recognition, including his involvement in the most famous American murder case of the young twentieth century, when he himself was murdered in Houston"--

Renowned storyteller Docia Williams gathers a medley of some of the best haunting stories from her four previous books-Spirits of San Antonio and South Texas, Phantoms of the Plains, Ghosts Along the Texas Coast, and When Darkness Falls-then she adds a hundred pages of new ghostly tales from the Piney Woods of East Texas and from North Central Texas, including the Dallas area. Once again Mrs. Williams brings to light tangible evidence and eyewitness testimony in Best Tales of Texas Ghosts to validate an illusive world without dimension, one filled with bizarre and disturbing accounts of unexplained presences. After interviewing hundreds of people with firsthand experiences and personally witnessing eerie manifestations, she has concluded, "There are things happening all around us that can only be labeled as supernatural."

This is the fourth volume sponsored by the United States Board on Books for Young People, following Children's Books from Other Countries (1998), The World Through Children's Books (2002), and Crossing Boundaries (2006). This latest volume, edited by Linda M. Pavonetti, includes books published between 2005 and 2009. This annotated bibliography, organized geographically by world region and country, with descriptions of nearly 700 books representing more than 70 countries, is a valuableresource for librarians, teachers, and anyone else seeking to promote international understanding through children's literature. Like its predecessors, it will be an important tool for providing stories that will help children understand our differences while simultaneously demonstrating our common humanity.