The Servant Girl

She is the downstairs maid; he is the Master’s son... Forced to become a kitchen maid at Fortune Hall, Hetty Pearson strikes up an unlikely friendship with the younger son of the house, Richard. But Hetty is just a poor servant girl: what hope does she have of either winning Richard’s heart or escaping his older brother’s more base attentions? Note: previously published as THE JEWEL STREETS by Una Horne

The Servant Girl Murders documents the true story of a series of mysterious murders that occurred in Austin, Texas during the year 1885.

The end of 1884 marked the beginning of a mysterious series of brutal killings that left the citizens of Austin, the capital city of Texas, bewildered and terrified. By the end of 1885, the so-called servant girl murders had claimed the lives of at least five black women and girls, one black man, and two white women, most all hacked to death with an ax or a hatchet. The murders produced a marvelous tale of rape, murder, revenge. prostitution, drunkenness, miscegenation, and official ineptitude. This book chronicles those murders and subsequent events. The intent is to give readers the same thorough sense of the crimes Austinites might have experienced through local, state, and national media. 432 pages, 8.5 x 11 inches; maps, photos, index. "Extremely thorough and meticulous . . . a valuable reference source for future researchers of Austin history." (J. R. Galloway, www.servantgirlmurders.com)

★★★ Murder. Chaos. Outrage. ★★★ This was the mode in Texas' capital city, Austin from 1884 to 1885. The city had been haunted by a string of bloody murders. Women were not just killed--they were dragged alive from their beds, taken outside where they were often tortured and then murdered. Six of the victims, all women, were found dead with sharp objects inserted in their ears. As horrifying as the murders were, what's more, horrifying is that the person who committed these heinous acts of violence was never found. To this day it remains one of the most famous unsolved crimes. It has long been suspected by several noted historians that the real killer may have been none other than Jack the Ripper. Written with gripping, page-turning suspense, this book brings you back in time to Austin, Texas, so you can experience the horror and panic for yourself. Faint at heart turn away!

Faten’s happy life in her village comes to an abrupt end when her father arranges for her to work as a servant for a wealthy Beirut family with two spoiled daughters. What does a bright, ambitious seventeen-year-old do when she is suddenly deprived of her friends, family, education and freedom? Could the mysterious, wealthy young man who lives in the next apartment building help? When Faten finally manages to make contact with Marwan, a musician and engineering student, he helps her figure out a way to pursue her studies in secret. Even against the uncertain backdrop of the civil war, their romance develops, as the two conspire to exchange notes and meet at an idyllic seaside cafe. But in Lebanese society the differences in religion, class and wealth are stacked against them, and their parents have very different ideas about what their futures should be. When Marwan’s mother chooses a girl who will make him a suitable wife, Faten must pick up the pieces of her life and move forward. She does so, despite the odds, pursuing a job, an education and her independence. And, in the end, it seems there may be room in her life yet for romance, and hope for a future where young people can determine their own destinies. An engaging and lucidly written coming-of-age novel. Faten struggles to fulfill her potential in the midst of her society’s rigid expectations. She’s a nuanced, complex protagonist that any teenager can relate to — stubborn, impulsive and full of longing, but with the determination and smarts to keep her real dreams in sight.