A Wilderness of Tigers: A Novel of the Harpe Brothers and Frontier ViolenceWith the cessation of the Indian Wars, Silas Magby believed that Western Kentucky would be safe for his wife and children. But then the Harpes came—two mysterious brothers, Micajah and Wiley, with three devoted women followers, leaving a wake of ghoulish and seemingly motiveless murders—men, women, children, infants, bludgeoned, stabbed, shot, or set on fire. Earlier Magby had participated in a fruitless attempt to capture the brothers, but word comes that they are seeking him to enact retaliation. Now Magby must somehow stop the brothers before they can kill his wife and children. Although fiction, A Wilderness of Tigers based upon one of the earliest recorded serial killer rampages. In the 1790’s roughly 35 persons were murdered by the Harpe brothers. Kenneth Tucker has woven a haunting story whose characters linger beyond a final page of history or text."- Katherine C. Kurk, Kentucky Philological Review "Tucker tells a fascinating story of these evil doers... It's an interesting part of our history..."- Jesse Stuart Foundation. "Tucker effectively uses dialogue and and clear, graphic details to bring to light a sad chapter in Kentucky's history." - Steve Flairty, Kentucky Monthly |
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Common terms and phrases
afternoon amid Aunt Sophie Ballenger Ballenger’s began beneath Betsey body Brother Rice Burton cabin Cave-in-Rock Christian chuckled cried damned Danville dark devil door Emma eyes face father fear feel feet fella felt fingers fire forest God’s Grissom hair hand Harpe brothers Harpe’s He’s head heard heart Henderson County horses Illinois country James Tompkins Kentucky kill knew Knoxville Langford later Leiper Lindsey lips live looked Magby Magby’s man’s Mason Micajah and Wiley Micajah Harpe mind morning Moses moved murder nearly night nodded Old George Paca Perhaps pistol reckon returned ride rifle road Roberts Sally Rice seemed sense shirt shoulder shouted side slowly smile somehow soul Squire stared Stegall Stegall’s stepped strange Susan talk tell Tennessee there’s they’re thought Tiel told Tompkins Trabue trees turned Unwin voice whiskey Whitestar Wiley Harpe Wiley’s woman women words Young Silas
Popular passages
Page v - I curse the fiddling finders-out of music; With envy I do hate the lofty mountains, And with despite despise the humble valleys; I do detest night, evening, day, and morning.