The Slave Stealer

From the flaps of the Weybright first edition: "It took courage and it took cunning. To be a slave stealer during the years before the Civil War was to court the quick kiss of a Southern bullet or the tight embrace of a Southern noose. But for Solomon Villaricca it promised, suddenly and unexpectedly, the means by which he might achieve his greatest dream. In 1858, Cincinnati was a young city in which a man rightly situated could prosper. Solomon Villaricca saw clearly where a certain purchase of land would lead to wealth and substance, but he lacked the cash. And then, one day, a rich and outspoken Irishman approached him and made him a offer: two thousand dollars, free and clear, if Solomon would bring back a young slave girl from Georgia. For Dixon Kelly had fallen in love with the girl called Melinda, and he was determined to save her from the horrors of the 'breeding pens.' Solomon was used to traveling the Southern Appalachian highlands each year in his mule-drawn wagon, dealing in fabrics, hardware, household utensils - and sometimes runaway slaves. He had helped transport slaves North through the Quakers' Underground Railway. Now, with Kelly's extraordinary offer, he could count on making his last trip South. It would be the most perilous journey of them all, but he accepted with alacrity... Here is a completely absorbing novel by a new and talented young author. Filled with the sights and sounds of a place and a time, it tells of an unconventional liaison between and intelligent and resourceful peddlar and a young slave girl as they flee North from the savage hatred of white Southerners. Compellingly told, packed with incident and adventure, The Slave Stealer is an unforgettable tale set against the turbulent background of the pre-Civil War South."