William D. Andrews

Somebody is stealing the Ryland Historical Society's valuable antique maps. Puzzle-loving director and security expert Julie Williamson is intrigued but also distracted as she plans her wedding. When a colleague turns up dead, and more maps go missing, Williamson is pulled into a conundrum that might not have such a happily-ever-after ending. Familiar characters from Andrews's previous mysteries, Stealing History and Breaking Ground, return in this latest whodunit featuring a local sleuth who won't stop until she gets the job done.

Julie Williamson is embroiled yet again in another mystery set at the Ryland Historical Society in western Maine. This time, a well-known benefactor is murdered on the morning of the ceremony to celebrate construction of an important new building. As she did in "Stealing History", Julie, the historical society's puzzle-loving director, can't help but want to solve the murder, much to the dismay of those around her. From the familiar board of trustees, to the tireless town police chief, to Julie's professor boyfriend, Andrew's presents another suspenseful novel filled with Maine characters and history.

Foster homes and out-of-home placement have been portrayed as two of the best things that have happened for the welfare of children. This is only true, however, if the system is used by those who direct it correctly. Most parents would be upset if they knew that their children were being abused both physically and sexually inside the system. Violence, racism, alcohol, and drugs are common within the foster care and out-of-home placement systems; even so, a wall of protection and silence has been built around the human resource system. This has allowed the unspeakable to occur inside the system-things that would put those on the outside into prison for life. Most of us would generally be shocked to find out there is very little external oversight of these agencies in many instances. It has been a shocking thirty-year experience for author William Andrews, working in counseling and with out-of-home people. Over 60 percent of the children removed from homes in some states are listed as unwarranted removals. This means that the removal of children from a home is usually not justified. See America's future by looking at its past and present; change is urgently needed.

Children: Hostages of the State is based upon thirty-four years of working with children both inside and outside the non-juvenile system in several states. Including an inside look at foster care, adoptions, and out-of-home placement of children, it shows a pattern of a county, state, and local government control of children-a system that seems to be out of control, operating outside constitutional law. This message speaks to every parent with a child in foster care or in county, city, state, or government custody. The removals of many children from their homes are in violation of the constitutional and civil rights of both the children and parents. Civil rights violations carry a mandatory investigation. Author William D. Andrews lists a few of the most often violated areas he has seen, pointing to the adoption practice, which often appears to be open fraud. The adopting families, social workers, and judges often appear to be in a tailor-made adoption partnership. Andrews vows that the practice of removing children from homes without proper application of the law will be stopped. The total rejection of both child and parental rights granted by the US Constitution is a tragedy.

Just a few days into her new job as director of a busy historical society and museum nestled in the mountains of quaint Ryland, Maine, flatlander Julie Williamson discovers all is not as it should be. Her dream job is more of a nightmare. She expected to find an eccentric board of trustees, a cool reception from the assistant director who had wanted her job, and a necessary adjustment to small-town life, but she didn't expect that some of the museum's most valuable artifacts, including a letter from Abraham Lincoln to Hannibal Hamlin, would quickly turn up missing. And when a murder hits especially close to home for Julie, she becomes embroiled in an ever-widening and complex mystery. Stealing History is sure to enthrall readers who love to curl up with a good mystery, especially one that weaves details of small-town life, delightful characters and history into a suspenseful tale that keeps them guessing up until the last page.