This wonderful collection of short stories just blew me away. Set in the Reconstruction South era of the late 1800's, the stories follow the career of Harper, the crime reporter for South Carolina's Challenger newspaper. I'll admit to not being a big fan of historical mysteries, but I was absolutely fascinated by this collection of stories. Harmon paints such a richly colored portrait of the times that I felt like I was actually there watching the stories as they unfolded. I started out telling myself "I have some free time, I'll just read THE CHALK TOWN TRAIN...." I enjoyed it so much I read on through THE SWINDLER'S CIRCLE, then THE CONVICTS OF CONGAREE. I kept telling myself "Just one more..." and was suddenly shocked to find I'd read through the entire book! Delving into the Harper Chronicles you will encounter escaped prisoners, shipwrecks, six lonely graves at the edge of a field the townspeople don't want to talk about, and even President Chester A. Arthur. If I was the kind of person to rate books with stars, THE CHALK TOWN TRAIN & OTHER TALES would be given 5 stars!! It will be published in November 2001 by Trafford Publishing. Get your copy as soon as you can! I sincerely hope more volumes of the Harper Chronicles are set for the future.