Ann Larabee, Ph.D.
Ann is
associate professor of American Studies at Michigan State University,
where she teaches courses in American literature, history, and culture.
Her book Decade
of Disaster, a study of major catastrophes of the
1980's, received praise for presenting sophisticated ideas in an
accessible, well-written way. Her new book is The
Dynamite Fiend: The Chilling Tale of a Confederate Spy, Con Artist, and
Mass Murderer (Palgrave/St. Martin's Press), a
historical true crime story about a former Confederate secret service
agent who later went on to terrorize the Atlantic shipping lanes and
caused one of the bloodiest catastrophes of the nineteenth century. Publishers
Weekly praises her "historical sleuthing" and says the book
"will appeal to those curious about the antecedents of modern
terrorism." Booklist says The Dynamite
Fiend is an "engrossing narrative... a high-quality
historical addition to the true-crime genre." The Columbus
Dispatch praises this "Gilded Age tale of greed, corruption
and the advent of modern terrorism" which the Globe
and Mail says has "all the intrigue, cliff-hangers
and name-dropping of any current popular historical thriller." Lansing
City Pulse calls it "a crackling, crisp narrative full of coldly
dissected deceit and delusion," while the Halifax
Herald's
review said it offers "mesmerizing history... during a
turbulent time" and
featured this interview
with Ann. The Winnipeg Free Press reviewed
it and the New
York Times calls it "one of the strangest, most
twisted tales of deceit and daring that the 19th century has to offer."
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