Frank Carlson Library

Judge Crater's wife, Stella, is the picture of propriety. Ritzi, a leggy showgirl, thinks the judge's bed is the first step out of the chorus line. And thanks to the judge, dutiful maid Maria Simon's husband is now a detective in the NYPD. Crater himself is indebted to both Tammany Hall and a notorious gangster. As rumors circulate about widespread political corruption, the Honorable Joseph Crater steps into a cab and disappears forever. Or does he?...

Bloody Bill Quantrill, one of the most notorious and brutal guerrilla fighters for the South in the Civil War, relates his side of the story, detailing his many murderous exploits, including his hell-raising days with Frank and Jesse James.

This novel is based on the experience of American explorer John Frémont and his attempt to find a railway route to the West along the 38th parallel, when he becomes trapped in the snowbound Colorado mountains and must fight his way out.

"William M. "Bill" Tilghman had one of the most illustrious careers of any Old West lawman, serving as sheriff, town marshal, and deputy United States marshal in some of the toughest places west of the Mississippi. But he faced perhaps his greatest and most dangerous challenge when he rode alone into the wild Oklahoma Territory settlement of Burnt Creek on the trail of a gang of rustlers and outlaws with some unexpected allies"--

The massacre at Fort Mims is what spurred young Davy Crockett to leave his family and become a volunteer scout in the military campaign between American militias and the Creek Indians. It was while serving in this capacity that Crockett earned his reputation as a first-rate scout, which added to his already established reputation as a crack shot. Like many volunteers serving in militias, Crockett also had to concern himself with protecting his wife,...

"Nina de Gramont's The Christie Affair is a beguiling novel of star-crossed lovers, heartbreak, revenge, and murder-and a brilliant re-imagination of one of the most talked-about unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century. Every story has its secrets. Every mystery has its motives. 'A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman. It's a particular feeling, the urge to murder. It takes over your body so completely, it's like a divine...

Horace and Augusta tabor left Maine to seek their fortune and ended in up in the mining camps of Colorado. While Horace panned for gold, Augusta prepared meals for miners. Eventually, she opened a store and became postmistress while raising their young son. One day they were happily at work -- Augusta in the store and Horace as mayor of Leadville with his finger in every political pie -- and the next day Horace struck it rich. From then on, everything...

"Sam Bass was just a farm boy from Indiana, but he wound up in Texas and became one of the most notorious outlaws in the history of the Old West. Texas history has often referred to Bass as "Texas' Beloved Bandit" or "Robin Hood on a Fast Horse." Jerry Guin's historical novel The Bandit takes an unflinching look at the life and times of Sam Bass, from his almost accidental incursion into a life of lawlessness to his ill-fated end, and provides a vivid...