Devil Knows: A Tale of Murder and Madness in America's First Century
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.91 (559 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1942146221 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-10-30 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and a finalist in the USA Best Book Awards in the Historical Fiction category, Devil Knows: A Tale of Murder and Madness in America’s First Century is a mystery-in-the-archives thriller written with great charm and cinematic flair.In the dead of night at the height of the 1692 Salem mania, a dying smallpox victim collapses in prison while visiting a witch condemned to hang – Mary Bradbury, the great ancestor of famed writer Ray Bradbury.A delirious old man, Hopestill Foster, is brought before the Rev. Cotton Mather, the infamous witch-hunter and the most powerful man in ancient Boston, for a very private interrogation. Mather is desperate for answers about Foster’s past because he knows it ties into his own.Better had he not asked.Over the course of the prisoner telling his story to the cleric, 60 years of a terrible history unfolds, at the heart of which is a monstrous secret about Mather’s family that must not be allowed to escape the room where Foster is being held.Hopestill Foster, the novel's protagonist, a man inured to a lifetime of suffering and one to whom a great wrong was
David Kolb has written a captivating book about this historical David Kolb has written a captivating book about this historical time period. He very skillfully introduces us to an engaging character whose life we travel through as the threads of this intricately woven story unravels. The layers of history that we learn about along the way on this suspenseful journey are both surprising and appalling. I could not put. I've always loved fictional works dealing with our country's early history—from Hawthorne I've always loved fictional works dealing with our country's early history—from Hawthorne to Miller to the recent film "The Witch". David Kolb's fantastic "Devil Knows" gave me a deeper appreciation for the forces at work within the colony, as well as the sense of both isolation and possibility that the early residents of Massachusetts must have f. Marianne Van Eenenaam said Devil Knows David Joseph Kolb. Devil Knows illuminates a dark period of America's past that largely has been overlooked by modern history. With far-reaching research, the author gives life to actual people who lived in the 1600's, who dealt with Indian wars and suffered under the harshness of Puritan dogma as well as some who benefitted from it.The story is lifted by the presence of
He is currently co-publisher and co-editor, and a columnist for, a progressive political newsletter “dedicated to turning West Michigan blue.”The writer’s journalism has earned him high praise from readers and editors alike, and has garnered for Kolb numerous first-place writing awards from the Associated Press, United Press International, the Michigan Press Association and the American Legion.In 1996, Kolb was nominated for the Pulitz
Religious differences and philosophies, witches, battles and conspiracies against the Native American people all lead to an intriguing tale. "With relentless research, fascinating characters and a great storyteller's imagination, David Kolb unravels a lingering mystery from the historical horror known as the Salem witch trials: How did Mary Bradbury become Salem's only convicted "witch" to escape execution? Like other great historical fiction, Kolb's narrative picks up where facts leave off and reveals disturbing, yet valuable, truths." - Clarence Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist for the Chicago Tribune "Award-winning journalist David Kolb has created an interwoven tale of the earliest days of American history. In this well-researched story he shows how the earliest inhabitants of New England fought, con