TIMBER BEASTS WINS!!

INDIE AWARD CERTIFICATE!

A secret operative in America's 1902 labor movement, leading a double life that balances precariously on the knife-edge of discovery, finds his mission entangled with the fate of a young man accused of murder.

Yamhill Press publishes the Sage Adair Historical Mystery Series by S. L. Stoner, as well as information and music related to the union movement and other progressive goals. We do not accept submissions at this time.

Once again, Stoner has nailed the history, the bad guys and Portland's not so sterling upper class, while weaving a great read. Stoner's accurate portrayal of the working folks whose dedication and fearlessness helped bring the heinous practice of shanghaiing to a stop hits very close to my own heart. My grandfather, after sailing around the Horn as a cabin boy, arrived in Astoria, Oregon. There he was told, in no uncertain terms, by the First Mate that he was to lock himself in his room and answer to no one. "They" were shanghaiing men to take to Australia to work in the mines.

This book, and Stoner's first Sage Adair mystery, Timber Beasts, should be required reading for all high school students. What a great way to learn history and enjoy a good read. If books of this ilk were on the required reading list, perhaps our children would become more willing readers. Sally F., Headstart, ret.

"I recommend that you buy and dive right into Timber Beasts, the series’ first, a fast-paced read that’ll bring you right up to speed. In this book, Stoner brings to life the famous turn of the 20th century Oregon land fraud scandal that in 1905 brought down U.S. senator John H. Mitchell. People portrayed therein are a multi-cultural cast spanning the spectrum from city folk to farmers, those working the woods to those scheming to achieve barony over the NW timber landscape. Stoner makes it clear that the working (and unemployed) wods workers are not the beasts of the cliche . . .  It’s those who plan to cheat honest laborers and the government by fraud and frequent violence." David Milholland, Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission

"We are not taught that our middle class came from the heroic lives and deaths of ordinary workers. Most authors ignore that historical fact. Stoner's Sage Adair mystery gives us back our history in a hard-to-put-down, deeply satisfying and entertaining adventure." Ross K. Rieder, President, Pacific Northwest Labor History Association

"Stoner has created a fast-paced Western tale of murder, corruption, and its exposure by an engaging hero.  All strata of society come to life from the rich to day laborers."  Joel Rosenblit, Union Lawyer and Labor Educator

Sage Adair leads us on a thrilling adventure through the seamy side of Portland's early days. A great read. P. Anna Johnson, Author, Australia Years: Life as a Nuclear Migrant

"A delightful and entertaining mystery that is fast-paced, realistic and serves as a lesson that money and power corrupted men a century ago as it does today. I found myself eager to read the next page, the next chapter. . ." Jason Reynolds, Executive Director Consumer Justice Alliance

"Stoner knowingly invokes early 20th century Portland through a detective story of murder, skillfully developed against a gripping (and true) background of class war and the Oregon Timber Fraud Ring."  Michael Munk, Author, the Portland Red Guide: Sites and Stories from Our Radical Past

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