&“An engrossing look inside Al Capone's murderous ranks.&” &–Kirkus Almost before the gunsmoke from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre cleared, Chicago police had a suspect: &“Machine Gun&” Jack McGurn. They just couldn't find him. But two weeks later police found McGurn and his paramour, Louise May Rolfe, holed up at the Stevens Hotel. Both claimed they were in bed on the morning of the shootings, a titillating alibi that grabbed the public's attention and never let go. Chicago Valentines is one of the most outrageous stories of the Capone era, a twin biography of a couple who defined the extremes and excesses of the Prohibition era in America. McGurn was a prizefighter, professional-level golfer, and the ultimate urban predator and hit man who put the iron in Al Capone's muscle. Rolfe, a beautiful blond dancer and libertine, was the epitome of fashion, rebellion, and wild abandon in a decade that shocked and roared. Every newspaper in the country followed their ongoing story. They were the most spellbinding subject of the new jazz subculture, an unforgettable duo who grabbed headlines and defined the exciting gangland world of 1920s Chicago. The story of Jack McGurn and Louise Rolfe, two lovers caught in history's spotlight, is more fascinating than any fiction. They were the prototypes for eighty years of gangster literature and cinema, representing a time that never loses its allure. Jeffrey Gusfield, a native Chicagoan, researched the history of Jack McGurn, Louise Rolfe, and the Capone years for more than four decades.

Callie Valentine Jones can't think of a better way to check out of her personal Heartbreak Hotel then to accept her cousin Lovie's timely invite to get away in Cozumel, where her brainy beau is digging up bones for research. But the moment Callie and her loyal good luck charm Elvis arrive, trouble greets them in the form of a skeleton too fresh to be ancient history and too dead to spell anything but homicide. Suspicious minds blame ghosts and gods, but Callie knows the guilty party is all too human--and for once, she's determined not to get involved. That determination flies right out the window when Lovie and Elvis go missing. It's now or never, if Callie wants to save her cousin and her canine from someone who's got murder always on his mind. "Prepare to laugh out loud." --Library Journal

This is Sir Walter Scott's 1828 novel, "The Fair Maid of Perth". Inspired by the uncanny story of the Battle of the North Inch, it tells the tale of Catherine Glover, a glove maker's daughter who kisses an armourer called Henry Smith on Valentine's day during his sleep. However, a duke has his sights set on Catherine and an abduction attempt ensues. Complete with royal intrigue and feuding clans, "The Fair Maid of Perth" will not disappoint fans of Scott's fantastic work and would make for a worthy addition to any collection. Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832) was a seminal Scottish playwright, poet, and historical novelist whose novels were and remain to be widely read and enjoyed the world over. Other notables works by this author include: "Ivanhoe", "Rob Roy", "Old Mortality", "The Lady of the Lake", "Waverley", "The Heart of Midlothian", and "The Bride of Lammermoor". Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.