After seeing its golden age in the 1800s and early 1900s, Amelia Island slipped into a calm and quiet slumber for most of the 20th century; nevertheless, the local paper mills provided an important economic base that brought people and jobs to the area. It did not take long for people to discover the majestic beaches of the island, and growth followed. Companies specializing in resort development soon arrived, and the island became a popular vacation destination. Throughout that transformation, local residents worked hard to keep the small-town feel, natural surroundings, and historic relevance intact.

The murder in 1884, in Fernandina, Amelia Island, Florida, of a prominent citizen by a local railroad conductor, whose pretty wife may have caused the tragedy. The venue of the trial is changed to nearby Jacksonville and the jury reaches a verdict in 10 minutes.

Amelia Island has been host to remarkable people throughout its 500-year history. These people are responsible for giving Amelia the distinction as the only place in the United States to have seen eight different flags. A new railroad followed the Civil War and brought those who sought to take advantage of the burgeoning shipping center. As opportunities waned, the island became a sleepy, blue collar community supported by the local paper mills. Prior to civil rights legislation desegregating the South, Fernandina's American Beach flourished as an African American coastal community. Meanwhile, local visionaries oversaw tight-knit communities and set the stage for the large resorts that came to the island's south end in the 1970s. Today, Amelia Island is a national tourist destination and home to a diverse of community of longtime residents and newcomers, both with remarkable talents and interesting stories to tell.

The story takes up where "Amelia's Secrets" left off; after the murder trial held in Jacksonville, Florida where the accused, great-great-grandson of President Thomas Jefferson, T. J. Eppes murderer of one of his best friends and father of six children walks out of the courtroom a free man. He returns to Amelia Island there to carry on life as usual with his beautiful young bride Katie, expecting their first child, only to find life for her to be a daily trial by a jury of her peers; an impossible situation in the end. Our protagonist John Whitner describes in detail not only their lives culminating in the great hurricane of 1898, which nearly devastates the island but through the lives of the Carnegies of Cumberland Island, Mrs. Leddy owner and operator of the Florida House Hotel and her only child Grace from age eight through her progression to adulthood, marriage, babies and widowhood at the young age of twenty one. John, himself reveals his journey through all this, his relationship with Pauline; it's ups and downs, a new woman in his life (or women) as well as his passion for photography in the many places he visits, Jekyl Island, Charleston, S. C. during the earthquake of 1886 and Chicago's World's fair of 1893. Meticulous research and beautiful descriptions bring nineteenth century Amelia Island to life. with creative flair, Ms. Carter-de Vries uses the first person narrative of her storyteller, John Whitner, to recreate the turbulence of natural disasters and society's mores and make the past inhabitants of Amelia Island walk off the pages. Whether you're a visitor to the island or a life-long resident, you will find much to enjoy in Carter-de Vries' Golden Years, Silver Tears. Karen White New York Times bestselling author the TIME BETWEEN, NAL/Penguin Publishing Group June 2013