Theodore Roscoe

What if George Washington almost accepted a crown? What if John Adams walked out on his presidency and came back a different man? Theodore Roscoe turns the tidy pages of history inside out with an irreverent wink: short, savory fictions that imagine the private stumbles, strange temptations, and human quirks behind the public faces of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Jackson-and the republic they made. These spirited vignettes-ranging from the theatrical crown-room of Mount Vernon to the bathtub diplomacy of Napoleon and Jefferson, and from the private torments of the White House to the muddy glory of New Orleans-blend sharp satire, warm humanity, and pulpy adventure. Roscoe's voices are vivid, his humor sly, and his sympathy for these flawed giants never far from the surface. The result is a wildly entertaining portrait gallery: history rethought as myth, legend, and unforgettable anecdote. Perfect for readers of historical fiction, alternate-history fans, and anyone who loves presidential lore with bite, this collection is a playful reminder that great men were, first and always, human.

Two of the leading diplomats of Europe, sitting across a dinner table in a locked room, both shot to death. That was the spark that kindled the war flames in the summer of 1936. The two had met in the Teuton capital to discuss a secret matter of vital importance. No one, not even the occupants of the press room next door, had heard the shots fired, yet there the two men were, riddled with bullets. Teutonic police, after a quick investigation, announced that the Esperenchman had started the duel. Excited Teutons began shouting, "Down with Esperance " Mobilization began.Of those reporters whose room was so close to the mystery chamber, there were some who did not believe they had killed each other. John Keats, the American, was one. At the height of the excitement, two attempts were made on the life of Keats, and another was murdered. The surviving reporters, seeing that war was inevitable, took the first train for the Esperench capital. But war was inevitable: can Keats put a stop to it?

In Haiti, that dark island of mystery, voodoo, and zombies, John Ranier, American medico of a cruise ship, arrives to plunge into a strange dilemma: a man with a Z scar on his arm is dead: but there's no wound on him. The second of author Theodore Roscoe's Haitian zombie novels, and one of the best stories he penned for the pages of Argosy.

Nobody had much use for wealthy old Uncle Eli Proudfoot when he was alive, so there was not much sorrow when he was murdered at Morne Noir, his Haitian estate. Seven of the eight people who were named in his will were eager to have it read. The will stipulated that he was to be buried with voodoo rites, and it was quite clear where his entire estate should be given. But when that recipient was discovered dead, the eighth person-Patricia Dale-became the prime suspect... and she was to be the recipient of the grim business of the Haitian voodoo sect as well.

Best remembered as the author of Thibaut Corday and his French Foreign Legion yarns, author Theodore Roscoe wrote another, little-known, long-running series: the adventures of curio hunter Peter Scarlet and Bradshaw, the naturalist. While each appeared in solo stories, they also teamed up in several yarns. These tales of treasure in the Orient are action-filled adventure by one of pulpdom's best. Volume 2 collects the next six adventures, taken primarily from the pages of Argosy Magazine.

An ancient ch teau in Haiti is the scene of one of the most blood-curdling series of murders in the history of the island. Who was the murderer-man, beast or some supernatural being? An artist and his girlfriend attend her uncle's funeral on the island of Haiti, where they encounter the deep vein of Voodoo superstition. The legend of living souls trapped in dead bodies becomes a frightening reality as they witness a Zombie resurrection. The tale, by the well-traveled pulp fiction author Theodore Roscoe, captured his sense of awe and terror surrounding such a monster in the very place that would have given rise to it. His first-hand experience during his travels in Haiti taught him of such legends and he used them effectively in Murder on the Way Thus, well before the Zombie came to represent today's flesh-eating cinematic monster of lore, Roscoe's story (published by the New York Dodge Publishing Company in 1935) unravels impossible shootings, inexplicable disappearances, and the stirrings of rebellion. These are the background elements for this most unforgettable weekend house-party in the heart of Zombie madness.