Read
the Reviews on Spiral
"With a plot ripped straight from the headlines, Spiral, by Denise Turney
evokes the issue of missing children in the 1940s, an issue still prevalent
today. Despite the fact that clues seem to point to the powerful Jack
Robinson, the police raid the homes and harass all the men of Greasy Plank…Ms.
Turney does a wonderful job. She gives a realistic edge to this highly
dramatic story. Taut and engaging, Denise Turney dishes up loads of
twists and turns and suspense. Bravo to Ms. Turney for not being shy
about giving readers a tale that will not soon be forgotten."
-- QBR (Quarterly Review of Black Books)
"I was born in Shelby County. I love this story! I want more
of Spiral!" - Jacqueline, Texas
"You really know how to spin a story! I am halfway through Spiral and have
yet to figure out the little girl mystery. I am loving it! Thanks for bringing
your books to my attention. I won't know for sure the whole story until the
last page. Now that is a book!" - *Reba Walker, Baltimore, MD
"Spiral was a very emotional ride. It also provokes plenty of anger when
in my view justice was not served. Man to man is so unjust as Bob Marley said.
I was so angry when Ramsey got to live out his old age on the beaches of
Florida. When all his dirty deed made others go to an early broken hearted
grave. I know life is like this. The good guys finish last at times. I know one
can say his tragic life lead to him not having a conscious and as you said
being a psychopath but I wanted him to suffer even more. A far as Ramsey is
concerned I suppose one could argue when one is a coward he dies a thousand
deaths as opposed to heroes dying only once. We all hope people like this do
indeed die every single day and never have a moment of peace. I so love the
strong roots theory. It brings back family memories especially of those that
have passed on. As I said it was an emotional ride for me but after the read I
can say I was enriched by the whole experience. One in a small way gets to see
what they are made of themselves by putting themselves in the characters place.
So much came to me from this." - Arlene
"Spiral has been selected as a Book-of-the-Month by Fresh Literary
Magazine!" --
Editor, Fresh! - Somerville, MA
"Spiral will be spotlighted as the November/December Book in Next Movement
Magazine!" -- Editor, Next Movement Magazine
"Denise Turney is both an outstanding writer and a socialist. In Spiral,
Turney addresses the American criminal injustice, that has torn apart lives,
families and communities. While Spiral is a fictional narrative, it addresses a
very realistic problem, and gives a voice to the many who have been victims of
a far from perfect legal system. At the beginning of the narrative, Turney
introduces a young girl whose murder results in a massive search for her
killer. The girl's neighbors say they saw a man pick her up in a truck. Readers
who like realistic fiction with substance, will find Spiral very interesting.
It will open your eyes to the fact that not all who are behind bars deserve to
be there. You might just be provoked to action as you read what is arguably one
of the most underrated books of the year." --
-Anthony Stokes, Editor Black Ink Online
"Denise Turney has written a masterpiece! Her latest novel, Spiral is set
in a small town called, Greasy Plank, Tennessee. Set in the 1940s, this family
saga introduces the reader to Tammy Tilson, a gutsy lady who tries to spare her
four children and her grandchildren, some of the pain she suffered as a product
of the South. Tammy and her husband Philip own a grocery store and are
considered quite prosperous.
But things changed in Greasy Plank, with the disappearances of little girls.
The family relationship becomes strained when Tammy's eldest son becomes
engaged to the daughter of the man whom she suspects has something to do with
the cases. Accused by some of the authorities of being meddlesome, Tammy tries
to get to the bottom of the strange occurrences. Meanwhile, her own daughter
and her daughter's family are murdered.
Later, Tammy's grandson is implicated in the disappearances, and his own mother
(Margaret) refuses to help clear him. Margaret is well aware that her father is
guilty, but feels that he wouldn't survive in jail. This book will keep the
reader captivated until the very last sentence! -- Delores Thornton, Book
Reviewer, The Refer
UPDATE (2/4/04): Recently a law organization based out of Canada has
requested Spiral to present to the attorneys they work with.
Hopefully Spiral will bring attention to wrongful convictions and play a
role in helping to correct deficiencies in the justice system.
Read FREE excerpts from Spiral online at - http://www.chistell.com
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SPIRAL SYNOPSIS
Spiral - http://www.chistell.com
How can a seemingly insignificant choice a teenager made in 1941 help put
his oldest son in jail 20 years later?
Set in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee's Shelby County in the 1940s, Spiral
opens with a news broadcast that alerts a small town to the chilling fact that
a little girl is missing. At the heart of the story are the Tilsons, a strong,
unmovable family with power. It is their son who finds himself faced with a
choice that leaves the entire town changed forever.
Politicians, attorneys, judges and community leaders have disdain for the
Tilsons. Bringing them down will increase the chance that the majority of the
population will remain subservient and continue to blindly obey economic,
cultural and socially unjust demands. Yet, the risk is high. The Tilsons are
widely respected. Everyone in the small town they live in supports their
business, a grocery store. Their children go to church and to school and
play with other children whose parents spend a lifetime working land they will
never own or earn a decent living from. The Tilsons are fearless leaders
in the community; for this their peers both admire and envy them.
The grandmother in the story, Tammy Tilson, is the daughter of a seer; Tammy is
the woman in the Tilson family who carries on the spiritual roots brought to
America's shores from the strength of Africa. When her inner vision is
stirred and keeps her from sleep, she works tirelessly to prevent the upcoming
marriage of her oldest son to the daughter of a man she suspects is directly
responsible for the missing girl's abduction. Her efforts fail. Four children
come from the unwanted union. One of the children is a seer; another is a
troubled boy. It is this boy born of this most unwanted union that the
story hinges around.
Spiral is a book about choices and perception. It tells the story of a powerful
Black family in the South in the 1940s and a young boy accused of a heinous
crime he appears certain to have committed.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rhonda Campbell
ChistellPR@aol.com
http://www.chistell.com
(609) 274-6005 or (215) 245-6222
Spiral Is A New Book That Focuses on
Protecting The Innocent
Chistell Publishing (http://www.chistell.com) announced its new rousing
"crime and justice" novel, Spiral by Denise Turney. Spiral
reveals hidden flaws and biases found in America's criminal justice
system. The book focuses on a string of crimes that lead to a wrongful
conviction, a subject the United States as a nation address in the modified
Innocence
Protection Act introduced on October 1, 2003.
"I want people to see that a rush to judgment increases the likelihood for
false convictions. Just because the DA, media, even eyewitnesses shout
'Guilty!' does not mean a person is indeed guilty. In fact, a large
number of wrongful convictions are due to inaccurate eyewitness
testimonies," states Spiral's author, Denise Turney, a writer with 30
years of experience to her credit.
Spiral opens with a kidnapping which later turns into a murder. It is
years before anyone is convicted. Choices a father makes after witnessing
what he thinks is the disposal of a young girl's body return to haunt a
prominent family. Set in the 1940s, Spiral revisits a time in America's
history when religion and secret jealousy carried enough weight to destroy an
entire town. Spiral exposes the many ways wrongful convictions interrupt
the future of not only the accused but also their entire family. The
author passionately exclaims, "We must focus on the fact that annually
thousands of innocent people serve time in prison. We cannot turn away
from this. The effects of wrongful convictions are felt not only by the
person who serves time, as Spiral demonstrates, but also by that person's
family, friends and loved ones. Its effects reverberate throughout the
entire community. It is time we did much more than simply sit back and
watch it happen time and again."
Title: Spiral
Author: Denise Turney
ISBN: 0-9663539-2-7
Publisher: Chistell Publishing
Available thru Chisel Publishing, Amazon.com, Cushcity.com, BarnesandNoble.com,
Baker & Taylor, Ingram Books, Culture Books Plus and bookstores everywhere
with special order
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Denise Turney is the recipient of numerous awards and two Navy Achievement
Medals. She is the author of Spiral, Portia and Love Has Many
Faces. She organizes an annual global writing contest and edits the
global literary newsletter, The Book Lover's Haven. She is also host of
the radio program "Off The Shelf". She is active in the
community and is a former volunteer in Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Saturday
Scholars (a tutoring program), and No Longer Bound (Bucks County Pennsylvania's
first Black owned and operated drug and alcohol prevention program). A
portion of the proceeds from her books goes to charity.
Turney's work has appeared in numerous publications among which include:
Essence, Parade, The Philadelphia Tribune and Indigo. She has gained
recognition for her ability to capture real life scenarios in a manner that
enthralls her audience and places them right in the shoes of her
characters. "It is nothing short of astounding what words and story
have done to the human landscape," shares Turney. "With Spiral,
I am honored to be able to contribute another thread to one of the world's
greatest and most deeply moving resources - story that causes readers to think
and decide to make changes in their lives and our communities - changes that
benefit us all."
To contact Turney for interviews, booksignings, or to speak at youth
empowerment and charity events, email Chistell PR at ChistellPR@aol.com.
Her work is featured online at http://www.chistell.com where readers can read
the first chapters of her books for free. Spiral is in bookstores now.
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