Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case: Race, Law, and Justice in the Reconstruction Era - Hardcover

Ross, Michael A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199778809 ISBN 13: 9780199778805

Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PR, 2014

Synopsis

Title: The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case( Race Law and Justice in the Reconstruction Era) <>Binding: Hardcover <>Author: MichaelA.Ross <>Publisher: OxfordUniversityPress,USA

About this title

Review:

As the resurgence of white supremacy and segregation loom in the background, Ross's richly detailed account keeps readers engaged ― and guessing. (Dean Jobb, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

Mr. Ross decisively helms the story, introducing a sparkling cast of characters and turning the pages with just the right mix of action, suspense and intrigue. (Wall Street Journal)

Michael Ross' The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case has all the elements one might expect from a legal thriller set in nineteenth-century New Orleans. Child abduction and voodoo. 'Quadroons.' A national headline-grabbing trial. Plus an intrepid creole detective.... A terrific job of sleuthing and storytelling, right through to the stunning epilogue. (Lawrence N. Powell, author of The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans)

When little Mollie Digby went missing from her New Orleans home in the summer of 1870, her disappearance became a national sensation. In his compelling new book Michael Ross brings Mollie back. Read The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case for the extraordinary story it tells (and the complex world it reveals.)

Michael Ross's account of the 1870 New Orleans kidnapping of a white baby by two African-American women is a gripping narrative of one of the most sensational trials of the post-Civil War South. Even as he draws his readers into an engrossing mystery and detective story, Ross skillfully illuminates some of the most fundamental conflicts of race and class in New Orleans and the region. (Dan T. Carter, University of South Carolina)

The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case is a masterwork of narration, with twists, turns, cliff-hangers, and an impeccable level of telling detail about a fascinating cast of characters. The reader comes away from this immersive experience with a deeper and sadder understanding of the possibilities and limits of Reconstruction. (Stephen Berry, author of House of Abraham: Lincoln and The Todds, a Family Divided by War)

The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case is such a great read that it is easy to forget that the book is a work of history, not fiction. Who kidnapped Mollie Digby? The book, however, is compelling because it is great history. As Ross explores the mystery of Digby's disappearance, he reconstructs the lives not just of the Irish immigrant parents of Mollie Digby and the women of color accused of her kidnapping, but also the broad range of New Orleanians who became involved in the case. The kidnapping thus serves as a lens on the possibilities and uncertainties of Reconstruction, which take on new meanings because of Ross's skillful research and masterful storytelling. (Laura F. Edwards, Duke University)

Ross adds mystery and intrigue to the historic Reconstruction era in New Orleans through his retelling of a sensational true crime tale... Impeccable research and crisp, compelling writing bring us to the case's resolution. (Library Journal)

Ross slowly reconstructs the case and describes the trial, allowing the mystery of guilt or innocence to crescendo. He also demonstrates how a kidnapping case featuring a disbelieving immigrant father, exotic race and legal systems, and a crime-ridden city known for debauchery captivated national attention. Ross poses relevant questions that show this nearly forgotten case's significance to American history. (Publishers Weekly)

[The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case] is a dazzling work of Reconstruction history, a page-turner to match the best police procedural or legal thriller, and a compelling portrait of a city in transition, a city in crisis. (The New Orleans Advocate)

About the Author:

Michael A. Ross is Associate Professor of History at the University of Maryland, College Park.

About this edition

• Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PR
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0199778809
• ISBN 13: 9780199778805
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320