Lizzie's mother is dead, and left in the care of her prim older sister, the 15-year-old fears her carefree ways are over. But when tragedy strikes again, Lizzie discovers a sinister web of lies and deception, of murders past and present. Fierce resentments and racial tensions boil beneath the illusion of civilization. Soon, Lizzie finds herself ensnared in a secret that stretches from the opium dens of British Columbia and the alleys of San Francisco to the jungles of Panama and beyond -- and it's a secret that the murderer will do anything to protect.

There is a prophecy in the Old Testament that speaks of a day of revealing. On this divinely destined day, darkness will no longer be a shadow covering the world, but the light of mans rule. The Bucket of Blood will arriveand sooner than we think. It begins with an appointed birth. A child is brought into the world. With the childs ordained delivery, the signs begin. This child rises from the ranks of afflicted people who have forgotten their way, as they fear the nation within which they live. Lies become truths, and abominations in religious sects cause desolation. People kill one another and boast of it, are even praised for it, their hearts turned to ice. This child grows to be a man of great power and prestige, and his charisma pulls world politicians into evil fray. There are horrific ritual murders that stump investigators. Lust overtakes even the most honorable of men. The world is in a state of uproar, so will darkness prevail as the ruler of a nation brings ruin to mankind?

"Bucket of Blood" is what a coal town was called when bloodshed occurred to establish a worker's union. During the 1927-1928 strike in the western Pennsylvania coalfields, Russellton became known as such a place. In an effort to break the strike, special Coal and Iron Police were brought into the area to evict the mine families from their company houses. These men imposed unconstitutional restrictions to harass the people and keep out relief workers and organizers. It was a time of brutal beatings, rape, and murder. Without union representation, the workers were constantly exploited. Because the company used many weapons to keep them enslaved, the miners' families were forced to live in abject poverty. The miner had only one weapon, the strike. Bucket of Blood: The Ragman's War chronicles the depravation and indignities suffered by the families in the Russellton camps during the strike. Author R.S. Sukle explores the glimmers of hope appearing through relief efforts by the sons of a local farmer who become union activists. Ragman, a mine mechanic, walks out with the other men. Against his intentions, he is drawn into the struggle by his brothers, and the abuse that is heaped on his family by the Coal and Iron Police. The killing of a state Coal and Iron Policeman in Russellton is a local legend. The killer was never identified. This story has been passed down in certain families, each with their own version. Each claims the killer as a relative. Bucket of Blood is one of those stories.

The author sympathetically portrays the people--miners, shopkeepers, bartenders, collegians, and country club members--of the coal region of his hometown in five novels and more than fifty short stories

A comprehensive dictionary of blues lyrics invites listeners to interpret what they hear in blues songs and blues culture, including excerpts from original interviews with Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Guy, and many others.

Saloon-keepers and street preachers, gypsies and steel-walking Mohawks, a bearded lady and a 93-year-old “seafoodetarian” who believes his specialized diet will keep him alive for another two decades. These are among the people that Joseph Mitchell immortalized in his reportage for The New Yorker and in four books—McSorley's Wonderful Saloon, Old Mr. Flood, The Bottom of the Harbor, and Joe Gould's Secret—that are still renowned for their precise, respectful observation, their graveyard humor, and their offhand perfection of style. These masterpieces (along with several previously uncollected stories) are available in one volume, which presents an indelible collective portrait of an unsuspected New York and its odder citizens—as depicted by one of the great writers of this or any other time.

Italian immigrants of the early 20th century experienced an inevitable, and often emotionally painful, cultural transformation after arriving in America. Worlds turned upside down. Lives changed forever. Greg Casadei captures what that process was like in this touching tale about his family's "Americanization." He also provides insights and lessons that his experiences provided along the way. The Americanization of Greg's family began with his grandparents in Sassofeltrio, Italy in the early 1900s. It ended with the January 2010 passing of his father in Tucson, Arizona. In between lies a rich story of fear and faith, hardships and overcoming, respect and toughness, risk taking and rewards, family and friends, love and togetherness, separation and crumbled foundations, death and despair, and the gradual unraveling of a once tight-knit family. Through historical facts, anecdotes and humor, Greg provides a vivid picture of what it was like growing up in an Italian family in America. You'll laugh, cry and want more as Greg recounts stories about colorful family members and their lives in Sassofeltrio, Oakwood, Michigan, and Tucson, Arizona. After turning the last page, you'll understand why the Americanization of Greg's family was so painful, but why he wouldn't have traded the experience for anything.