In a startling debut novel based on real events in 1911, a courageous young woman forces her small Kansas town to acknowledge the dark secrets of one violent night and the ugly prejudice that will tear it apart.

The year is 1911. After attending college for two years, Margaret Chambers returns home to teach in the one-room school house of her youth. Trouble brews quickly. The God-fearing citizens of his small, weather-beaten town feel threatened by the bright-eyed, full-figured Margaret. She's too smart by half and she needs to be put in her place. The men devise a plan to chase Margaret from the county forever. But fueled by whiskey and the shame of their own desires, their plan soon spins out of control. In one night of violence, they ambush Margaret and tar and feather her naked body. After the men are arrested, a long, painful trial begins - a trial that will thrust this proud, private Kansas town into the national spotlight, splitting families apart and exposing the dark secrets of one hideous night. "Esther's Pillow" is based on a true story. About the Author Marlin Fitzwater was born and raised in Kansas. He has written a memoir about his years of service to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, "Call the Briefing"; two novels, "Esther's Pillow," and "Death in the Polka Dot Shoes"; and a collection of short stories called, "Sunflowers." He is married and lives in Deale, Maryland.

For centuries her name has been a byword for feminine beauty, guile, and wisdom. This sweeping, meticulously researched novel restores Esther to her full, complex humanity while reanimating the glittering Persian empire in which her story unfolded. Esther comes to that land as a terrified Jewish orphan betrothed to her cousin, a well-connected courtier. She finds a world racked by intrigue and unfathomable hatreds and realizes that the only way to survive is to win the heart of its king. Passionate, suspenseful, and historically authentic, The Gilded Chamber illuminates the dilemma of a woman torn between her heart and her sense of duty, resulting in pure narrative enchantment.

When an ambitious tyrant threatens genocide against the Jews, an inexperienced young queen must take a stand for her people. When Xerxes, king of Persia, issues a call for beautiful young women, Hadassah, a Jewish orphan living in Susa, is forcibly taken to the palace of the pagan ruler. After months of preparation, the girl known to the Persians as Esther wins the king's heart and a queen's crown. But because her situation is uncertain, she keeps her ethnic identity a secret until she learns that an evil and ambitious man has won the king's permission to exterminate all Jews--young and old, powerful and helpless. Purposely violating an ancient Persian law, she risks her life in order to save her people...and bind her husband's heart.

A freethinking young woman must choose between her passion for a preacher and purity of conviction In Henry Adams's memorable tale of old New York, the spirited young painter Esther Dudley is introduced to Stephen Hazard, an Episcopal clergyman at St. John's. But her views, learned from her father, are radical, and he is preoccupied with clerical duties; initially each is repelled by the other. After Esther receives a commission to refurbish the decorations at the church, however, Stephen becomes an enthusiast of her painting and a companion to her ailing father. Esther finds herself falling for the preacher and, following her father's death, even becomes engaged to him. But must she compromise her personal convictions to marry him? Originally published in 1884 under a female pseudonym, Esther is both an unforgettable story of a courageous woman grappling with a conflict between love and integrity and an evocative portrait of the tensions between science, art, and religion. Written with uncommon insight and humanity, Adam's novel rivals the best fiction of Edith Wharton for urbanity and wit.

You've read it as a biblical tale of courage. Experience it anew as a heart-stirring love story. She was a simple girl faced with an impossible choice. He was a magnificent king with a lonely heart. Their love was the divine surprise that changed the course of history. The beloved story of Esther springs to fresh life in this inspired novel that vibrates with mystery, intrigue, and romance. "Joan Wolf never fails to deliver the best!" —Nora Roberts