History

The time is World War II. Rex Madden is an American flier in the European campaign who loses his courage after seeing his companions meet death in the skies. Fear overwhelms him. At last he discovers “the Christ of fighting men” and finds peace and courage amid the chaos of war.

10 Feb 2020

“The descriptions of battle scenes in the war and the lurid picture of the draft riots in New York are worth reading. Nothing that Mr. Roe has ever written is so vivid and dramatic as his sketch of the three terrible days in New York when the mob ruled the city, sacked the colored orphan asylum, and spread dismay in a thousand homes. It has the quality of history also, as the author has made careful research and employs no incidents which did not really occur.” — San Francisco Chronicle

3 Feb 2020

Of the characters in The Hour Struck , Dan Patch writes, “The hero depicts the victim of “fifth column police politics” prevalent in far too many communities today. The heroine, facing unavoidable circumstances, has no alternative but to fight for the right to protect the good name of those whom she loves. The villains are numerous and represent a system of corrupt politics motivated by selfishness, greed and sin in the hearts of men.”

20 Jan 2020

“The following story has been taking form in my mind for several years, and at last I have been able to write it out… At this distance from the late Civil War, it is time that passion and prejudice sank below the horizon.

13 Jan 2020

“The invisible hand moved mysteriously among the members of First Community Church and struck Reverend Stephen Winthrop. The blow was meant solely for him, but it struck deeply into the inner circle of the church membership, though he would have preferred to suffer alone… The evidence appeared surreptitiously: a picture lying face upward in the path of Amelia Decker.”

6 Jan 2020

Hans Laub fell back, but he kept his balance. The Norwegian continued his advance, his fist loaded and aimed at its retreating target. “Stop, swine!” Hans Laub bellowed. “Don’t come near me!”

30 Dec 2019

“That man is an opium-eater,” he said in a low tone, and his explanation of the effects of the drug was a diagnosis of Mr. Jocelyn’s symptoms and appearance. The firm’s sympathy for a man seemingly in poor health was transformed into disgust and antipathy, since there is less popular toleration of this weakness than of drinking habits. The very obscurity in which the vice is involved makes it seem all the more unnatural and repulsive, and it must be admitted that the fullest knowledge tends only to increase this horror and repugnance, even though pity is awakened for the wretched victim.

16 Dec 2019

“He had expected to be immediately forwarded to some dirty German prison, where he would suffer the same fate as many of his English comrades. Instead of which, however, he might almost have been a guest of honor. For this reason he could not help coming to the conclusion that this special treatment was for some purpose.

1 Dec 2019

The Charleston Earthquake of August 31, 1886 (8.6 on the Richter scale) was strong enough to be felt in Boston, Chicago, New Orleans and Milwaukee. It caused speculation that Florida had broken off the continent. [Wikipedia: 1886 Charleston earthquake] Roe’s novel explores its effects in the context of the relations between North and South after the American Civil War.

18 Nov 2019

“The mediaeval history of the Jews is a tale of well-nigh ceaseless persecutions and exilings; and even when life was fairly peaceful and safe for them, they were, nevertheless, shunned. The assertion of Tacitus that they were the enemies of mankind, persisted from one century to another…

31 Oct 2019