This is the fascinating story of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, one of a number of Episcopal churches that had their beginnings in Florida before the close of the nineteenth century. From it's beginning in 1886, Holy Trinity's story has been one of struggle, perseverance and triumph, overcoming catastrophic citrus freezes, the great depression and changing demographics that challenged and at times threatened her very survival. While documenting the roles and contributions of countless individuals at Holy Trinity throughout her history, this book also chronicles the sturdy faith, stable tradition, and spirited optimism of the founding pioneers and those that followed, and provides a message of inspiration for those of us in today's church, whose beliefs are questioned, whose traditions are under siege, and whose hopes are almost buried under skepticism and despair.

"Exposes the sinister complexity of American racism... King tells this... story with grace and sensitivity, and his narrative never flags." --Jeffrey Toobin, New York Times Book Review From the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller Devil in the Grove comes the story of a small town with a big secret. In December 1957, the wife of a Florida citrus baron is raped in her home while her husband is away. She claims a "husky Negro" did it, and the sheriff, the infamous racist Willis McCall, does not hesitate to round up a herd of suspects. But within days, McCall turns his sights on Jesse Daniels, a gentle, mentally impaired white nineteen-year-old. Soon Jesse is railroaded up to the state hospital for the insane, and locked away without trial. But crusading journalist Mabel Norris Reese cannot stop fretting over the case and its baffling outcome. Who was protecting whom, or what? She pursues the story for years, chasing down leads, hitting dead ends, winning unlikely allies. Bit by bit, the unspeakable truths behind a conspiracy that shocked a community into silence begin to surface. Beneath a Ruthless Sun tells a powerful, page-turning story rooted in the fears that rippled through the South as integration began to take hold, sparking a surge of virulent racism that savaged the vulnerable, debased the powerful, and roils our own times still.

"...longtime parishioner George R. Bentley affectionately chronicles the history of Holy Trinity from its humble beginnings through its emergence as a leading force for social responsibility in one of Florida's most vibrant cities"-- Cover.