Customers reviews
Anne R. Marshall
A saga covering a family, a town, and a nation. Totally enthralling. Read More
Cookesville U.S.A. by S.C. Burns looked foreboding: 703 pages. In printed form it is nearly two inches thick. I settled in to read and found myself immediately in the middle of a saga. It started with the original Frank Cooke and his wife. Lily and their stories in 1850, but quickly proceeded to modern Cookesville in 1946 and beyond. The focus was on Lyndon (Lynnie) Wethers, originally an investigator who worked for the FBI and the IRS, but eventually became the in-house investigator for Sam Cooke's law firm. Lynnie spent six years in Las Vegas, investigating the skimming the mob was doing there. He became friends with Bugsy Siegel until Bugsy's untimely demise. When he returned to Cookesville, some things had changed, much had not. Lynnie fell in love with a woman whom he had know before he had left the area: Stella Garcia. She had been a child then and she was a woman now. She apparently had been as interested in him as he in her. Their affair lasted a year. They both moved on, not happily. Time did not stand still. Lynnie fell in love again and wrongdoing never stopped. His morals were questionable but he was always looking for justice. Very often he found it. The book followed his life and the lives and loves of many other Cookesville residents for years, until most of the originals lay in their graves. Cookesville U.S.A. was interspersed with local and national history. It covered the Gold Rush, then, skipped to the time after WWII. It saw racism rise and fall and rise gain. It told the story of people lives, some in detail, some on occasion. It is a wonderful example of storytelling. There were errors: some typos, some inconsistencies, which were minor, and rampant misuse of apostrophes in plurals. I noted these in passing, I was so enthralled with the story. The characters were sharp and well-defined. The plot(s) were intriguing and consistent with the time and place. The pacing was marvelous, as it would have to be in a book of this length. Don't be intimidated. It was worth the time to read this fascinating history of our country interwoven with many personal histories, just as life is. I recommend it. I was invited the read a free ARC of Cookesville U.S.A. by The Mystery Review Crew and Outskirts Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #mysteryreviewcrew #outskirtspress #scburns #cookesvilleusa
Patty Sahagun
Cooksville, wow what a roller coaster ride,you will love this book Read More
Cookeville,the best summer read in a very long time. I loved every word of this book! Author Sarah C Burns well done!
Debbie Meeks
Must read for Bakersfield natives Read More
The juicy and informative story is artistically woven throughout a backdrop of California history and the broader history of America from the 1850s on, as told by a narrator. This technique gives depth to the story of some pretty savory fellows who committed some unbelievably harrowing and gruesome underground crimes. Their identifies were protected by the use of pseudonyms, even though most of them have passed away by now. Having been born and raised in Bakersfield, I recognized many of the frequented places and knew of many of the characters. It was a real eye-opener and made for an interesting read. And, then my mom told me Dr. "Vonn" had delivered me! It was hard rooting for Lynnie, the protagonist, who was more like an antagonist, but near the end of the book I finally felt sorry for him. I will miss the characters. Thank you, Sarah, for writing this valuable history book, for teaching these lessons. PS: For anyone that needs a refresher course on the civil rights movement and the political machinations of the 1920s through the 1980s, this book could be very useful and has the best ever explanation of the Viet Nam war.
Thrifty LoCo
Great story plus lots of history Read More
I was a little intimidated when I first saw the size of this book....just over 700 pages! But as soon as I started reading, I found myself wishing it was even longer. It's interesting and exciting....so much so that you won't even notice you're learning things in the process! It follows the Cook family from around the 1850s through the post-World War 2 era. There is a lot of excitement, and the characters live through some pretty pivotal moments in history. I enjoyed learning about these major events, as well as what life was like for everyday people during these times. Let me stress that, despite everything I learned, this NEVER felt like I was reading a history book. Every page felt like reading a fascinating fictional story. I came away feeling both satisfied with the story itself, and pleased with how much smarter I felt. I truly hope the author writes some spin-offs to delve more deeply into other time periods and events. Definitely a 5-star historical fiction book!
Chelsie S.
Interesting read about the Wild West and history of Cookesville! Read More
This novel is quite the Wild West ride – don’t let the heft of this book scare you off. It reads very fast and I really enjoyed how the author wrote the different time lines. This story starts out with a literal bang, and Lennie is called in to fix things. All must be well within Cookesville and Lennie’s your man. The novel then switches to Frank Cooke’s arrival into the West with two others who often are given a second look. It’s every many for himself and it doesn’t take Frank long to get his camp set up and soon plans for a settlement. Following Frank and Lennie’s storylines you learn the history of Cookesville- the good, the bad, the ugly and its secrets many hoped stayed buried. I’ve always been intrigued by these mining towns so I enjoyed reading the history of Cookesville and how the author took you through its history. Anyone looking to read more about the Wild West- I highly suggest this novel. Thank you to Cozy Mystery Review for the invite and S.C Burns for the free novel.
K.J.
A Really Great Book Read More
If you are looking at the reviews for this book, it must mean you are thinking about reading it. To that I say do it! This book is a novel with a history lesson that is snuck in and it's 100% interesting The only con to this book in my opinion is it is too heavy! I wish the author would have made this into a two book series. I received an arc of this book and am voluntarily leaving my review.
ConniW
A profound look into a family as fortunes and reputations are made or lost. Read More
S.C. Burns did an incredible job blending histories from the 1850’s of the “original” Cooke family of our story to the early 2000’s where in my opinion most of the focus was on Lyndon “Lynnie” Wethers. The depth of the characters and the nuance of the settings all draw you into the story until you are so immersed it is a shock to realize you have finished reading the book. Please don’t let the 713 pages deter you from reading this phenomenal story because the pages fly by and there is never a dull moment. This isn’t my normal genre these days, but I absolutely enjoyed reading this.
Dianne Davega
This is a multi-layered, in-depth and fascinating generational history of a single family. Read More
This book, written in such a deliberate and enticing style that it is difficult - if not impossible - to put down. When finished, the generations of the family explored throughout the pages became part and parcel of my own cadre of acquaintances and friends. The underlying fact that it is all true (with names modified and changed) makes turning the pages and absorbing the history even more compelling. An excellent read with the hope of more books to come from this skilled author.
Horselady46
Background of activities in Kern County where I reside Read More
Kern County history with fictional names.
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