Carol Baxter

This is a true story of adventure, danger and romance. Jessie "Chubbie" Miller from Australia was a 1920s housewife who became an aviator, a thriller-seeker and a heartbreaker. During the golden age of aviation she became a record-breaker by winner races, even beating out Amelia Earhart. She also became the world's first female test pilot. This book was a very fascinating read for me as I have read 3 other books about early female aviators. The book was well-researched by the author and very well-written. The characters were believable and I loved reading about all the timed races and records that were broken. I will definitely be checking out some of the other books that Carol Baxter has written. I would highly suggest that you read this book if you are interested in early aviators and their passion for flying… (meer)

On New Year's Day 1845, a message is delivered via the telegraph wires laid beside the railway tracks between Slough and Paddington stations; "A murder has just been committed at Salt Hill and the suspected murderer was seen to take a first-class ticket for London by the train which left Slough at 7:42 p.m. He is in the garb of a kwaker" [Note: The two-needle telegraph contained no code for the letter 'q']. Soon, Quaker wannabe John Tawell is arrested on circumstantial evidence for the poisoning of Sarah Hart, who would turn out to be his mistress and mother to two of his children. As the story unfolds it turns out that Tawell was convicted of forgery years before. He served time on board the 'filthy, vermin-infested' prison hulk 'Retribution' at Woolwich [p. 89, the same hulk my 4th great grandfather spent time on in 1827], before being transported to Australia then returning to England 24 years later a wealthy man. A thoroughly researched book about the first person to be arrested as the result of telecommunications technology, a lying selfish murderer who didn't want his relationship with his mistress to become public and so poisoned her, leaving her to die painfully, and her children motherless. Hanging was probably too quick a death for him! Includes; Contents page, prologue, epilogue, author's note, bibliography and index.… (meer)

The Fabulous Flying Mrs. Miller is a fabulous story! Carol Baxter tells the story of Chubbie Miller in an engaging narrative that contains enough details to immerse the reader in this period of history without being overwhelming. I like how Baxter did not whitewash Miller's story. She is an inspiration for following dreams and overcoming obstacles, even if her personal life was imperfect. I had never heard of Miller and don't know why she isn't as well known as Amelia Earhart or Anne Morrow Lindbergh. This well-written book can change that.… (meer)