Publication Specifics

Blood River Rising’s publication date was October 1st, 2016. Online, it is available on the Barnes and Noble website, Amazon, and through Irisbooks.com. Or, contact the author directly through the contact a the top of the page. The cost is $24.00. The book is available as both an ebook as well as an audio book through Amazon. Contact that site for the current prices.

Libraries and bookstores may purchase the book from Irisbooks.com at a 40% discount. The advantage of doing this is that they will buy back any books in good shape from bookstores.  Contact irisbooks.com if you represent a bookstore or library.

Reviews:  

"The method of research and writing, in dispersed with reminiscences of living family members, is a credible way to tell a complicated story, where memories fail and time covers the truth." (Chautauqua reviewer choosing the book as a finalist for the 2017 Chautauqua Institute's literary prize.) 

2017 Readers' Favorite Book Award Contest -" Blood River Rising: The Thompson-Crimson Feud of the 1920s . . . is a historical, nonfiction narrative that considers one of the questions about the Ku Klux Klan that has never been properly considered by any author. Every time people read about the KKK, it is portrayed as an expression of disdain or contempt fort the black race or other races by whites. It is a book with a wonderful setting in post-World War I America, and with the KKK  becoming more and more notorious. When murders were committed in 1924, someone had to understand why. In this page-turner, the author explains how the Ku Klux Klan set up neighbors against each other, exploring a powerful feud between two families and portraying the KKK agenda as a game of power and not of color. Told in a captivating first person narrative by a rural historian, this book transports readers to the years after WWI and events that would alter the lives of two families. One immediately gets the impression that the story is well-researched and, apart from the excellent writing that brilliantly documents these events, the author provides ample photos and maps that are as significant as the narrative. Victoria Pope Hubbell is a great storyteller and knows how to make readers feel her story, pulling them irresistibly into the scenes through the power of her descriptive prose. She knows when to use words for dramatic effect and the paragraph breaks are impeccable. For instance, at the start of the narrative she describes an awkward moment in the following words: "The first time I met Hadley Thompson, he said 'Hello' and then nothing else for two hours." This statement had me intrigued and there were many such moments like this one that pushed me to keep on turning the pages. The characters are well-explored and developed to be interesting to readers. Blood River Rising is a wonderful story that appraises the Ku Klux Klan from a very unique angle, one that will interest both historians and sociologists, and readers looking for an emotionally charged and gripping historical read." Reviewer Divine Zape

"Hubbell presents an engaging, entertaining, and an earthly saga . . . . The author's skillful rendition in grappling with competing reminiscences, compared to primary sources, offers a literary model for other writers." Lynn Morrow, Historian, Missouri State Archives (retired)

"A gripping tale of betrayal and revenge, with deep resonances for today's world. Author and historian Victoria Hubbell has done a terrific job of bringing this story and its characters to life." Sean Murphy, Hemingway Award-winning author of One Bird, One Stone, and A Time of New Weather.

"Read Blood River Rising and take a journey back into the rural 1920s in the Missouri Ozarks. I promise that you will enjoy the trip!"  Gary R. Kremer, State Historical Society of Missouri, Executive Director