R H Peake

There is tremendous variety in form, theme, and tone in the poems in this volume. Many of the poems may strike the reader as corroboration of Thoreau's view of wildness and wilderness because Peake's love of wild things forms his poetic center, but this book also includes intense love poems as well as celebrations of birds and trees and lightning bugs. Though Peake celebrates nature, he does not view it with sentimentality. He faces without tears a world in which one creature preys upon another for survival, and he looks without fear to the "revelry of the grave" when his form becomes food for worms and feeds the laurel bushes growing over him. According to critic John Lang, Peake's poems reveal "a poet whose ear is attuned to the music of words" His poems abound "in beautiful lines and images: 'The black-necked waders cry in their wet fields, ' for example, and 'skies the white-faced ibis soars.' Such lines embody in Fred Chappell's phrase, 'the eye's joy.'" Like Peake's descriptions of finding a rare green kingfisher, for readers of his poems, "Delight follows discovery."

There is tremendous variety in form, theme, and tone in the poems in this volume. Many of the poems may strike the reader as corroboration of Thoreau's view of wildness and wilderness because Peake's love of wild things forms his poetic center, but this book also includes intense love poems as well as celebrations of birds and trees and lightning bugs. Though Peake celebrates nature, he does not view it with sentimentality. He faces without tears a world in which one creature preys upon another for survival, and he looks without fear to the "revelry of the grave" when his form becomes food for worms and feeds the laurel bushes growing over him. According to critic John Lang, Peake's poems reveal "a poet whose ear is attuned to the music of words" His poems abound "in beautiful lines and images: 'The black-necked waders cry in their wet fields, ' for example, and 'skies the white-faced ibis soars.' Such lines embody in Fred Chappell's phrase, 'the eye's joy.'" Like Peake's descriptions of finding a rare green kingfisher, for readers of his poems, "Delight follows discovery."

A sequel to Moon's Black Gold, this novel deals with the struggle of George Landsetter to keep his five hundred acres of woodland from Dave Blackmun, a lawless miner, and criminal kingpin. Helped by Mike Barton and the FBI, George brings down Blackmun while trying to court Heidi Leaves, head of a non profit promoting better mining laws.

A sequel to Moon's Black Gold, this novel deals with the struggle of George Landsetter to keep his five hundred acres of woodland from Dave Blackmun, a lawless miner, and criminal kingpin. Helped by Mike Barton and the FBI, George brings down Blackmun while trying to court Heidi Leaves, head of a non profit promoting better mining laws.

On a flight to a birding tour in Australia, Margaret Smith develops a friendship with Hammond ("Porky") Frank. On the first part of the tour, they become close friends, although Margaret ("Maggie") becomes suspicious of Porky. On the northern part of the trip, they are joined by a new assistant leader, Jameson Kanger, who begins a scheme with Porky. Left to herself, Maggie spends time with other tour members, especially Patricia Shaper, a young Olympic Women's Trap Skeet champion. Kanger drugs Shaper and rapes her. Patsy confides in Maggie and they avoid Kanger and Porky the rest of the tour, although Porky renews his relationship with Maggie when she returns to Galveston, Texas. She arranges a meeting for him with Mackensie Craft, a wealthy birder willing to pay to see a rare and supposedly extinct Eskimo curlew. The proposed sighting goes awry as Shaper intrudes and, in the confusion, Craft kills Hammond and Kanger. Two local policemen try to solve the murders. They eventually do even though they are also working on a case involving a serial rapist, but Craft disappears. So, the murder mystery becomes a manhunt during which the policemen are married by women who help them apprehend the serial rapist.

On a flight to a birding tour in Australia, Margaret Smith develops a friendship with Hammond ("Porky") Frank. On the first part of the tour, they become close friends, although Margaret ("Maggie") becomes suspicious of Porky. On the northern part of the trip, they are joined by a new assistant leader, Jameson Kanger, who begins a scheme with Porky. Left to herself, Maggie spends time with other tour members, especially Patricia Shaper, a young Olympic Women's Trap Skeet champion. Kanger drugs Shaper and rapes her. Patsy confides in Maggie and they avoid Kanger and Porky the rest of the tour, although Porky renews his relationship with Maggie when she returns to Galveston, Texas. She arranges a meeting for him with Mackensie Craft, a wealthy birder willing to pay to see a rare and supposedly extinct Eskimo curlew. The proposed sighting goes awry as Shaper intrudes and, in the confusion, Craft kills Hammond and Kanger. Two local policemen try to solve the murders. They eventually do even though they are also working on a case involving a serial rapist, but Craft disappears. So, the murder mystery becomes a manhunt during which the policemen are married by women who help them apprehend the serial rapist.

Everett "Moon" Lunamin returns from battles in Vietnam determined to gain wealth and social status mining coal during the coal boom of the late 1960's and early 1970's. Moon struggles with his cousin George Landsetter, a reclamation officer, and surface mining competitors whose greed exceeds their ethics. He succeeds and marries his high school sweetheart, whose family accepts him because he is now wealthy. Moon becomes unhappy that his wife Susan enjoys his money but is unhappy with his efforts to obtain it. They both neglect their son and seek companionship outside their marriage, but Susan refuses divorce to keep her lifestyle. Moon returns from a trip to Africa with his lover and finds Susan murdered with his shotgun. Beset by the IRS, an ambitious prosecutor, and several jealous cousins, Moon struggles to save his business and his life.

Everett "Moon" Lunamin returns from battles in Vietnam determined to gain wealth and social status mining coal during the coal boom of the late 1960's and early 1970's. Moon struggles with his cousin George Landsetter, a reclamation officer, and surface mining competitors whose greed exceeds their ethics. He succeeds and marries his high school sweetheart, whose family accepts him because he is now wealthy. Moon becomes unhappy that his wife Susan enjoys his money but is unhappy with his efforts to obtain it. They both neglect their son and seek companionship outside their marriage, but Susan refuses divorce to keep her lifestyle. Moon returns from a trip to Africa with his lover and finds Susan murdered with his shotgun. Beset by the IRS, an ambitious prosecutor, and several jealous cousins, Moon struggles to save his business and his life.

There is tremendous variety in form, theme, and tone in thepoems in this volume. Many of the poems may strike thereader as corroboration of Thoreau's view of wildness andwilderness because Peake's love of wild things forms hispoetic center, but this book also includes intense love poemsas well as celebrations of birds and trees and lightning bugs.Though Peake celebrates nature, he does not view it withsentimentality. He faces without tears a world in which onecreature preys upon another for survival, and he looks withoutfear to the "revelry of the grave" when his form becomes foodfor worms and feeds the laurel bushes growing over him.According to critic John Lang, Peake's poems reveal "a poetwhose ear is attuned to the music of words" His poems abound"in beautiful lines and images: 'The black-necked waders cryin their wet fields, ' for example, and 'skies the white-faced ibissoars.' Such lines embody in Fred Chappell's phrase, 'the eye'sjoy.'" Like Peake's descriptions of finding a rare green kingfisher, for readers of his poems, "Delight follows discovery."

Jimmy Russo is a successful businessman and an obsessive lister of the world's birds-until his murder while on a safari in Sierra Leone, Africa. Few of his fellow travelers mourn his death, as his constant negativity, foul mouth, and abuse of his wife, Jane, have long since alienated them. One of them, Jackson Burnbridge, has known the couple since meeting them on a birding tour in Argentina while recovering from a rough divorce after twenty years of marriage. What's more, he and Jane Russo have a past-an affair in Argentina that Jane wants to renew in Africa, despite his resistance. Jack is well aware that this, along with Jimmy's jealousy of him, makes him a prime suspect, and so he carefully reviews the trip, hoping to suss out the identity of the killer. Meanwhile, he finds himself drawn to another member of the group, Iris Fogelman, and wonders if they can find happiness together, in spite of Jane's continued pursuit of him. In this novel, when an obnoxious traveler is killed while on safari, a man who had an affair with the victim's wife deals with the aftermath of the murder and searches for a love of his own.

A sequel to Moon's Black Gold, this novel deals with the struggle of George Landsetter to keep his five hundred acres of woodland from Dave Blackmun, a lawless miner, and criminal kingpin. Helped by Mike Barton and the FBI, George brings down Blackmun while trying to court Heidi Leaves, head of a non profit promoting better mining laws.

Everett "Moon" Lunamin returns from battles in Vietnam determined to gain wealth and social status mining coal during the coal boom of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Moon struggles with his cousin George Landsetter, a reclamation officer, and surface mining competitors whose greed exceeds their ethics. He succeeds and marries his high school sweetheart, whose family accepts him because he is now wealthy. Moon becomes unhappy that his wife Susan enjoys his money but is unhappy with his efforts to obtain it. They both neglect their son and seek companionship outside their marriage, but Susan refuses divorce to keep her lifestyle. Moon returns from a trip to Africa with his lover and finds Susan murdered with his shotgun. Beset by the IRS, an ambitious prosecutor, and several jealous cousins, Moon struggles to save his business and his life.

John Jaykyll, professor at a small college in southern Appalachia, is having a mid-life crisis resulting from his conflict with the new college president, who hates his mountain origins, and dislikes Jaykyll because he is defending mountain literature and culture and the young professor in charge of this program who is accused by a crazy French professor of having an affair with his wife. His jealousy leads to seeking the murder of his neighbor, the young English professor. The French professor supports the malicious and crooked president of the college. Jaykyll undergoes treatment by a psychologist, who uncovers the source of the professor's problem in his fear of a loss of love from conflict with his lovers. Jaykyll enlists many supporters, uncovers the illegal dealings of President Malmuth, and defeats his enemy.

On a flight to a birding tour in Australia, Margaret Smith develops a friendship with Hammond ("Porky") Frank. On the first part of the tour, they become close friends, although Margaret ("Maggie") becomes suspicious of Porky. On the northern part of the trip, they are joined by a new assistant leader, Jameson Kanger, who begins a scheme with Porky. Left to herself, Maggie spends time with other tour members, especially Patricia Shaper, a young Olympic Women's Trap Skeet champion. Kanger drugs Shaper and rapes her. Patsy confides in Maggie and they avoid Kanger and Porky the rest of the tour, although Porky renews his relationship with Maggie when she returns to Galveston, Texas. She arranges a meeting for him with Mackensie Craft, a wealthy birder willing to pay to see a rare and supposedly extinct Eskimo curlew. The proposed sighting goes awry as Shaper intrudes and, in the confusion, Craft kills Hammond and Kanger. Two local policemen try to solve the murders. They eventually do even though they are also working on a case involving a serial rapist, but Craft disappears. So, the murder mystery becomes a manhunt during which the policemen are married by women who help them apprehend the serial rapist.