The Raven's Bride: A Novel of Eliza Allen and Sam Houston

Elizabeth Crook. Southern Methodist University Press, $12.95 (418pp) ISBN 978-0-87074-348-1

Crook's intricate first novel engagingly details the abrupt dissolution of Sam Houston's 11-week marriage to Eliza Allen in 1829, an event that caused lingering scandal and speculation. (Apr.)

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