On the fifth anniversary of his wife's death, birthday balloons snag Slater Watts 15th-story office window, freed when a killer knifes a mother in an alley. Watts can't save her, and a woman dies in his arms yet again on July 2. Watts, a journalist, who's sick of Atlanta, crime, his job, and memories of his wife's death, sees the balloons as a wake-up call and decides to quit his job. But his editor, a treacherous paraplegic gives him the most exciting assignment he's ever had, literally changing his life. Watts's mission? Go to lawless, wild Forbidden Island off the Georgia-South Carolina coast and profile a murderous voodoo priest who rules the island like a god. Watts, accepts the assignment and embarks on a suicide mission. A haunted man, Watts sees the assignment as a chance to get the voodoo priest to break his dying daughter's coma. Fate intervenes when Watts meets Tyler Hill, a woman with dark secrets who believes her runaway daughter lives on Forbidden Island. Hill convinces Watts to take her to the island, and her mission supplants his, threatening his last chance to save his daughter. And then Watts and Hill make a horrifying discovery that threatens everything and redemption or destruction for all-even the island-hangs in the balance. Love, dark secrets, carnage, unrivaled beauty, and a do-or-die mission to save what's left of family await readers of Forbidden Island whose phosphorescent sea, majestic dunes, green marshes, and star-filled heavens will long haunt them.

From the Appalachians to the Atlantic, South Carolina's awe-inspiring beauty is revealed in this visually stirring and heart-warming tribute to one of America's favorite vacation destinations. Rich with more than 250 stunning photographs, this second volume of Reflections of South Carolina uncovers the geological, natural, and cultural grandeur the Palmetto State packs into 32,000 square miles. A foreword by New York Times best-selling author Mary Alice Monroe complements the photographs and text.

In a landscape abundant with waterfalls, rivers, lakes, and surf, South Carolina overflows with flora and fauna, as well as astonishing vistas. On their new journey, photographer Robert C. Clark and writer Tom Poland set out on a path of discovery that reveals charming country stores, water-powered gristmills, enchanting meadows, and extraordinary people and places. From angles high and low, this keepsake book illuminates the state's summits, swamps, shores, and islands that brim with life, beauty, and culture. Turn the pages and explore the mountain majesties, fruited plain, and shining sea--South Carolina holds so much of what makes this country "America the Beautiful."

Reflections of South Carolina, Volume 2 documents the state's surprising variety as well. You can stand atop Sassafras Mountain in August and yet feel fall's chill or walk Charleston's cobblestone streets in shorts in the middle of February. Clark and Poland advise visitors and residents alike to take their time exploring South Carolina and whenever possible to take the road less traveled--for the next turn might reveal an antebellum-era slave chapel, a farmer peddling honey and tomatoes, a mountain's reflection in a sparkling lake, or a peach orchard exploding pink. What could be next? A praise house? An unforgettable character? Art on an abandoned boat? Discovery makes a great companion.

On the fifth anniversary of his wife's death, birthday balloons snag Slater Watts 15th-story office window, freed when a killer knifes a mother in an alley. Watts can't save her, and a woman dies in his arms yet again on July 2. Watts, a journalist, who's sick of Atlanta, crime, his job, and memories of his wife's death, sees the balloons as a wake-up call and decides to quit his job. But his editor, a treacherous paraplegic gives him the most exciting assignment he's ever had, literally changing his life. Watts's mission? Go to lawless, wild Forbidden Island off the Georgia-South Carolina coast and profile a murderous voodoo priest who rules the island like a god. Watts, accepts the assignment and embarks on a suicide mission. A haunted man, Watts sees the assignment as a chance to get the voodoo priest to break his dying daughter's coma. Fate intervenes when Watts meets Tyler Hill, a woman with dark secrets who believes her runaway daughter lives on Forbidden Island. Hill convinces Watts to take her to the island, and her mission supplants his, threatening his last chance to save his daughter. And then Watts and Hill make a horrifying discovery that threatens everything and redemption or destruction for all-even the island-hangs in the balance. Love, dark secrets, carnage, unrivaled beauty, and a do-or-die mission to save what's left of family await readers of Forbidden Island whose phosphorescent sea, majestic dunes, green marshes, and star-filled heavens will long haunt them.