St. Petersburg Times columnist Jeff Klinkenberg has put together a beautiful collection of his stories here and in "Dispatches From the Land of Flowers." Each one a tale that leaves you yearning to know more. Surprising facts about a Florida you never knew existed! A great book that introduces you to the history and culture of a true Florida.

This is an amazing book that covers the entirety of the sport from the local short track to daytona. It is a unique historical anecdotal look at the sport during the early 1970's and much legend and lore from that period is covered. This is quite simply one of the best books on the sport that i have had the opportunity to read. If you are a fan or a student of NASCAR Stock Car racing then you must read this book.

Whitey Black has a chronically ill younger sister Sandy and all she wants is a Christmas angel doll. It is the 1950's and Whitey and his friend are working together on a paper route. The setting is the rural south and friendship is at the center of this wonderful story.

This is the premise to a blessed event that will fill the lives of many sick children for years to come. It is a story of remembrance and benevolence. It is a heartrending tale of a young boys love for his sister. For those of you who enjoy THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL there is a sequel titled, A GIFT OF ANGELS. This is a superb pair of books with appeal for the whole family, a Christmas tradition. Kelsana@yahoo.com 12/25/01

The Angel Doll is a quick read and one to surely bring tears toyour eyes. It is a beautiful story, (definitely one for the holidayseason), set in the South in the 50's. This is the kind of story thatone would want to read to their children each and every Christmas.With the "me" generation is full force, this tale will bringhome, in full force, the power of love and caring and friendship.This tale will leave its full impression on your heart and leave youwondering about the mystery of the dolls. I just discovered on ...,that there is a sequel to this lovely tale and can hardly wait to readit! Uplifting tale for the entire family and I strongly encourageparents to have their children read it!

We've known Jerry and Linda just over a year as neighbors. While our interactions with them were somehow special as Jerry walks his dog past our home each day, reading The Angel Doll opened an entirely new journey deep into the heart of the person we knew only casually. Aside from the fact that it is an "easy read" for anyone, the book opened the soul of what we have come to love about the people of the Blue Ridge Country. It epitomizes all that is so genuine and real about those who touch us on a daily basis. As you step each step with Jerry through the lives of those involved in his story, it also takes you through the world in which he lives. Mountain people have always been an interesting study, but somehow the people of the Blue Ridge are different and Jerry has enabled those people to absolutely come to life.

It has a universal appeal to both women and men, children and adults and puts a mirror in front of all of us. There are stories scattered throughout the book to which all of us can relate in our own little worlds. I would strongly advise anyone contemplating ordering the book to go ahead and order the sequel since the two are inseparable and the sequel is a true continuum of the first.

I am amazed at the diversity with which Jerry is so talented and skilled.

Thanks so much, Jerry and Linda for not only the book but your friendship! Also, on a personal note, thanks Linda for the delicious chocolate pie you brought, it was yummy and we could literally taste the love!

Big Huggggzzzzzzz

I am not huge true crime genre reader, but Bledsoe writes a story about two murders in the south during the mid-80's that captured my interest. Bledsoe does deep and wide investigative research into the infamous murders of a widow and a daughter in Kentucky and how they were connected with another multiple murder in Winston-Salem.

In detail, Bledsoe portrays the various players. The reader gets an engrossing detail into the detectives that researched the case. In addition, the victims' lives were intimately discussed. The story reads like a mystery, taking the reader through the possible suspects. Ultimately, the victims were related to a bitter child custody battle between Tom Lynch and his ex-wife Susie Lynch and the shocking insanity of the criminal becomes clearer.

I didn't know anything about this case before reading the book. It was a little slow to start, often times tedious. I felt at times that Bledsoe was giving me more information than I needed or cared to know. However, as the book progressed, the details that Bledsoe were revealing were more relevant and showed the nature behind crime. Bledsoe had definitely done his research. The book also asks more questions than it answers -- leaving the window open to speculation and ones questions that probably will never be answered.

First off, this is one heck of a book. Just great writing and well worth reading.

However, I may be a little slow on the uptake, but I found following everyone -- who's who -- a wee bit difficult at times. Moreover, the history parts were interesting, but as someone else said in here, a less is more approach would have been appreciated.

One thing I think all who have read this book can agree on is the amount of work that went into writing this must have been enormous. On this account alone Bledsoe deserves some type of reward.

If I had to do it all over again, I would certainly buy this book and pay twice the amount.

I first read this book when it was released many years ago - checked it out at the library, read it, read it again, turned it in and went back for it. Starting with IN COLD BLOOD - I've read almost every book of this genre. With all modesty - this is the finest book of it's kind. The story of this family is just unbelievably tragic - that two members of a family could destroy so many fine people. Jerry Bledsoe sets up the history of the family, of the tobacco industry, and then dives into the sick minds of Susie and Fritz. You will never forget this.

In 1984, Velma Barfield was the first woman executed by a state in the United States in over two decades. What led Velma into using arsenic to kill four people over a decade? Jerry Bledsoe explores Velma's background, the impact of her conviction on her children, and insight into the key characters that were involved in her trial such as her attorneys and the prosecuting attorney. The second part of this true life story is Velma's finding God as she awaits her execution.

This true life crime story is an incredible accomplishment by Jerry Bledsoe because the author provides a wider examination than normally found with these type of books. Mr. Bledsoe goes beyond just Velma by delving into the motivations of her attorneys and the prosecutor, and the impact on Velma's family. By doing this, the talented writer makes the book seem more complete than most legal thrillers and leaves readers pondering the merits of the death penalty in a way rarely seen on the printed page. This reviewer will go second hand booking in order to read Mr. Bledsoe's previous true crime stories (BITTER BLOOD, BLOOD GAMES, and BEFORE HE WAKES) as well as his fictional work (THE ANGEL DOLLS) because if they are half as good DEATH SENTENCE, they are masterpieces.

First I would like to say that Jerry Bledsoe did a excellent job putting this book together.

This book is about Velma Barfied, a woman punished with the death penalty for posining her victims with arsenic, starting when she was young leading up to her death. Velmas final faith in God, the victims fellings of loss, betrayal and pain, Velmas familys issues of deceit, of denial, guilt, memories of happy times and sad, and pain along with Velmas friends of old and new whom stood beside her till her final breath are all bits and pieces of this heart-wrenching true story.

I really can't say I am for or against the death penalty, I'm not sure anyone really knows until you are the victim of a murdered family/friend or on the other side and a family/friend of the murderer... no-one wants a loved one to die in any way. And this book showed both sides I felt for Velmas family and friends and I also felt for the victims of such horrible deaths. This is the first novel of a true life nature that I have read, and some how it all seems so unreal... When I first found out what Velma did I was appalled, and I am still appalled and do not aprove of her actions, but then my heart started opening up to her family - if they could forgive her for murdering there mother/grandmother/greatgrandmother and her childrens father and still stand behind her - it broke my heart.

This is a novel of great controversy, there aren't any easy answers in my eyes, we forget that theirs always victims on both sides - but this was by far well written book.

Extremely Well-written ans meticulously researched, Death Sentence tells the story of convicted murderer Velma Barfield who was executed by lethal injection in North Carolina in the late 1980's. Reading this book, I knew Velma was guilty, knew that she was a cold-blooded killer who murdered for financial gain and...yet...I found it really, really difficult not to feel some compassion for her as she neared the end of her life on death row. This book didn't change my mind about the death penalty but I came away from reading it with the uneasy conviction that Velma Barfield was sincerely remorseful about her crimes (as well she should) and was a changed woman.I don't think her death row religous awakening was phony. I could be wrong.I found it easy to intensely dislike the early Velma but not the elderly Velma. Anyway, unlike so many true crime books, Death Sentence makes you think about much larger issues.

This was a fascinating book! The author told the story in a way that drew you into the killer's mind and made you feel as if you knew her. She seemed so normal and average on the surface, but once it is all put together into a book like this, you realize that this woman was very disturbed and no one saw it until after she killed two husbands!

Yet another classic from the pen of Jerry Bledsoe. This book recounts the shocking story of Barbara Stager,a woman who was an agent of the devil, yet who appeared to be a model of Christian virtue by shrouding herself and her life with hypocrisy. She cold bloodedly murdered two sleeping husbands, not out of anger, or jealousy, or self defense, but out of the unquenchable greed that her own desperate desires had wrought in her, wickedly and calculatingly placing a price tag on the heads of both of these unfortunate men who each made one fatal mistake. An actress of Oscar winning ability, she was then able to convince many people around her of her innocence, but she couldn't convince the people who mattered the most; the police, the district attorneys, and most importantly, the jury. With this masterpiece, Bledsoe again proves that only he and Ann Rule are the true pioneers of the true crime genre. Another ten star effort. Chilling!

This is a well-researched, well-written book that devotees of the true crime genre will enjoy. The author, Jerry Bledsoe, is right up there with the other true crime greats, Jack Olsen and Ann Rule. The book, which contains eight pages of photographs, reveals an astounding tapestry of deceit, lies, and greed, all of which led to a cold blooded murder of a husband by his seemingly devoted wife.

Barbara Stager was a middle-aged woman with expensive tastes. Unfortunately, she and her husband Russ, a high school coach, did not earn the kind of money that could pay for the finer things in life. She needed money. He was insured. So, this church going, ostensibly devoted wife and mother, shot her husband while he slept, claiming that it was an accident. Funny thing, almost the same thing had happened to her first husband, who had died in bed of a gunshot wound, when a gun she claimed he was handling went off accidentally.

The investigation following the death of her second husband revealed a web of lies and a private woman far different from her public image. Barbara Stagers was a woman given to sexual licentiousness, excess spending, thievery, and compulsive lying. The investigation of the murder of Russ Stager led the police to believe that the death of her first husband, Larry Ford, a death that had originally been classified as accidental, was also almost certainly murder. The scary thing is that she almost got away with it a second time. This book is a fascinating look at a real life, black widow.

I read both "Blood Games" and "Cruel Doubt," reading "Games" first. While I enjoyed Bledsoe's proliferation of detail, I felt McGinnis certainly got more to the heart of the matter. With such a bizarre story, it is hard to determine exactly what happened, and I'm sure no one knows for sure. However, McGinnis took the logical next step at the end, interviewing all involved to see what they felt happened and who got off easy. There were so many inconsistencies in testimony that it is apparent that Henderson was lying and Upchurch didn't act alone, and Bledsoe didn't really explore these areas...

McGinniss had access to only one person involved in this case--Mrs. Von Stein. Jerry Bledsoe, on the other hand, interviewed almost every person connected to this case. And presented the case quite well. It has been several years since I read it, but could not put it down.

After reading Cruel Doubt by McGinnis I wasn't really too excited when I picked up this book. Wow, was I ever wrong. While McGinnis spends all his time talking about Bonnie Von Stein and her son, Christopher Pritchard (He wrote the book with her help), Bledsoe spends more time getting to know the other parties alledgedly involved, Neal Henderson, and James Upchurch.

Bledose is objective about all the participants, including the victims. McGinnis tries to portray the son as a victim of drug abuse and wants you to feel sympathetic towards him. So many things do not add up, yet Mcginnis tries to pigeon hole it all away with statements like "...that's just the way she is" or "...the drugs clouded his vision he didn't know what he was saying or doing during that time frame" (paraphrased from Cruel Doubt).

While reading this book I noticed a number of things that lead me to believe that the entire truth was not brought out at trial. In some instances there were major discrepancies in the testimonies of Neal Henderson and Chris Pritchard. Things just did not add up. I wonder about the overzealousness of the police to capture someone because they happened to have a previous infraction. I wonder about the jury who convicted based solely on the two statements with major inconsistencies made by confessed killers.

This is a very interesting book, that gives you things to think about.

Jerry Bledsoe is spellbindingly brilliant once again. A must have for your true crime library.

A gifted and much-published writer, Frye Gaillard is a descendant of the French Huguenot GAILLARD family which was eminent in antebellum South Carolina and later in Mobile, Alabama. Using cherished family journals and legends as well as public records, the author has lovingly reconstructed the events and the flavor of his ancestors' lives. These people come to life as Frye reveals their characters and personalities. But this is more than the history of one family. The story begins in 1695 and continues to the modern day, with the family participating in many, if not all, of the important historical events of their day. The Gaillards were typical of many southern families, finding themselves at political odds with one another and with their neighbors at various times. As the story unfolds, the reader begins to understand the variety of opinions and convictions of the average southerner of those times. Some attention is given to the family's dependency on slavery,though not as much as one might expect considering the title of the book. Complete with photos and documentation, the book is valuable for those researching the Huguenot and planter families of the Charleston, SC area, but more than that, it is interesting and enlightening reading for anyone interested in American history or in the fabric of a southern family's life.

Southern Voices does not divulge too many fascinating details about the remarkable people profiled, but it does provide a good place to start when coming up with your own opinion of somebody. It, more than describing individual achievements, attempts to give the reader the feeling of what the described people are all about. Quite nice, and not a hurried read.

Maybe I have been spoiled, but I wish Ann Rule had done this book. I didn't feel like I really got inside any of the people and there were so many details and descriptions left out. Loose ends lingered and left me wanting to know more.

A true crime story should grab a hold of the reader and put them in the situation with the people involved. I never felt that way with Deadly Goals - more like I was an outsider looking in.
Still, an interesting, quick and very easy read. I read it in a few hours and a fine read for the beach or when traveling.

The main character Pernell Jefferson is portrayed brilliantly in this book by Wilt Browning. He shows the the unfortunate death of a young women who just can't escape the clutches of her ex-boyfriend. Wilt got together with all the witnesses who had anything to do with the trial to get both their story and their view of Pernell. Mr. Browning through his book shows the anger and agression that Pernell was building in his head due to the many years of stacking(consuming) anabolic steroids. In addition, he shows the ordeals that Jeanie had to go through and the eventual death that became of her because Pernell could not control himself.

In reading some of the reviews on here it really amazes me that anyone can justify another's wrong doing, regardless if you were a friend of this mans , murder is murder and there really is no pretty picture so even if you found Pernell to be a great guy so what... he murdered this women in such a horrible way...No sympathy from me ...You do the crime you suffer the consequences of your actions...I dont care if he was on steroids or not ,you shouldnt be taking steriods in the first place..Poor Jeannie thats who you should feel bad for....Good Book