If you missed the Dickens County Historical Commission’s First Annual Dickens County History Ramble on Oct. 12, you missed a very interesting and enjoyable event.
Following an introduction by Woodie McArthur, former Texas State Historian and author, Bill O’Neal gave a presentation at the Palace Theater followed by lunch at the Spur Senior Center and a trip out to the gravesite of the subject of his book, “The Bloody Legacy of Pink Higgins.”
O’Neal has published more than 50 non-fiction books in his over five decades as an educator and author. We are fortunate to have some of them at our library. I purchased a few more for the library from the author while he was here. Among those that are now available to check out at the library are “Texas Gunslingers,” “Bill and Olive Dixon: A Plainsman and his Lady,” “John Chisum: Frontier Cattle King,” “John S. ‘Rip Ford’ Texas Hero,” “Historic Ranches of the Old West,” and “Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters.”
We received new large-print books this past week thanks to the Texas Library Association’s Strong Texas Libraries grant funded by H-E-B. Among those are “Blood Lines” by Nelson and Alex DeMille.
Army Criminal Investigation Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor have been separated for five months follow- ing their last assignment, a dangerous mission in Venezuela to locate and detain an infamous Army deserter. Now, in Berlin, they are reunited and tasked with investigating the murder of one of their own: CID Special Agent Harry Vance of the 5th MP Battalion, an accomplished counterterrorism agent who had been stationed in western Germany, and whose body was discovered in a city park in the heart of Berlin’s Arab refugee community.
The authorities suspect this is an act of Islamic terrorism, but Brodie and Taylor soon believe there is more to this case. The reason for Vance’s presence in Berlin is unknown, and as Brodie and Taylor work to discover what the murder victim was doing in the days and weeks preceding his death, they become immersed in the many conflicts and contradictions of modern Germany—the Arab refugee crisis, the dark legacy of the Cold War and the Stasi secret police, and the imminent threats of a rising neo-Nazi movement. At the same time, they are butting heads with the authorities—both German and American—and facing a possible threat from American intelligence agents who fear that Brodie and Taylor might have learned too much about U.S. clandestine operations during their mission in Venezuela.
Ultimately, Brodie and Taylor realize that the murder of Harry Vance was merely the prelude to a much more sinister future event—unless they can unravel the mystery in time to stop it.
Agents Savich and Sherlock are back in the latest installment in Catherine Coulter’s #1 New York Times bestselling FBI Thriller series, where the past refuses to stay buried in “Flashpoint.”
From beloved New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas we have “The Wild Lavender Bookshop,” a slow-burn romance that’s the epitome of comfort reading. Perfect for fans of Robyn Carr and Susan Mallery.
Check it out at the library.
