MADISON COUN TY
MADISON
PUBLISHER
James E. Prince III
ASSOCIATE EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Michael Simmons
LAYOUT & DESIGN
Rachel Browning Truong
CON TRIBU TING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Chris Todd
CON TRIBU TING WRITERS
Duncan Dent,
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Ryan Matthews ryan@onlinemadison.com 601.853.4222
ADVE RTISING DES IGN
Godfrey Jones
Madison County Magazine is a bi-monthly supplement to the Madison County Journal designed to promote Madison County in an informative and positive manner. We welcome contributions of articles and photos; however, they will be subject to editing and availability of space and subject matter. Photographs, comments, questions, subscription requests and ad placement inquiries are invited! Return envelopes and postage must accompany all labeled materials submitted if a return is requested. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Madison County Magazine are those of the authors or columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products or services herein. We reserve the right to refuse any and all advertising.
Subscribe to the magazine by subscribing to the Journal, mymcj.com, or call the office at (601) 853-4222 © 2020 Madison County Publishing Company.
The Sip of the Season: Finding Cool Comfort in a Glass
There are certain signatures of a perfect summer day. It’s the scent of freshly cut grass hanging in the humid air, the distant hum of a lawnmower, the sizzle of something delicious on the grill. It’s the feeling of warm sun on your skin, followed by the blissful cool of a porch swing in the shade. And, if you’re doing it right, it’s the satisfying clink of ice cubes in a tall, condensation-beaded glass holding the season’s perfect drink.
This year, that drink is the Crimson Cooler. It’s more than just a cocktail; it’s summer captured in liquid form. Forget overly sweet, artificially flavored concoctions. The beauty of the Crimson Cooler lies in its elegant simplicity and its reliance on the freshest ingredients the season has to offer. At its heart is the quintessential summer fruit: watermelon. Freshly muddled or blended, its vibrant, hydrating sweetness forms a base that is both refreshing and nostalgic, instantly transporting you to sundrenched picnics and lazy afternoons.
What elevates this drink from a simple fruit cooler to a sophisticated sipper is the masterful balance of flavors. A handful of fresh mint provides a bright, aromatic lift that cuts through the sweetness and awakens the palate. A sharp, zesty squeeze of fresh lime juice adds a necessary tang, ensuring each sip is crisp and clean, never cloying. This flawless trio creates a foundation that’s spectacular on its own, but truly sings when paired with a quality spirit.
Whether you’re a fan of the botanical crispness of a good London Dry gin or the clean, smooth canvas of a premium vodka, the Crimson Cooler is wonderfully adaptable. The gin brings out the herbal notes of the mint and adds a complex, earthy undertone, while vodka allows the pure, unadulterated flavors of watermelon and lime to shine through. Topped with a splash of sparkling water, the drink comes alive with a gentle fizz that dances on the tongue, making it all the more refreshing.
It’s the kind of drink you’ll make by the pitcher for backyard barbecues, the one your friends will ask for the recipe to after their first taste. It’s effortlessly elegant for an evening gathering, yet perfectly at home by the poolside in a casual tumbler. This summer, as the days grow long and the heat sets in, embrace the simple joy of a well-made drink. The Crimson Cooler isn’t just a recipe; it’s an invitation to slow down, savor the moment, and toast to the sweet, fleeting perfection of summer.
your make own
The Crimson Cooler
Yields: 1 cocktail Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
2 oz gin or premium vodka
2 cups of fresh, seedless watermelon cubes
1 oz fresh lime juice
6-8 fresh mint leaves
1/2 oz simple syrup (optional, adjust to taste)
Sparkling water or club soda, to top
A small watermelon wedge & mint sprig to garnish
Instructions:
Prepare the Watermelon: In a blender, combine the watermelon cubes and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass or small pitcher to remove any pulp. You should have about 4 oz of fresh watermelon juice.
Muddle the Mint: In a cocktail shaker, gently muddle the fresh mint leaves with the lime juice. Don’t shred the leaves; just press firmly enough to release their fragrant oils.
Shake the Cocktail: Add the gin or vodka and 4 oz of the fresh watermelon juice to the shaker. If your watermelon isn’t very sweet, add the simple syrup. Fill the shaker with ice, secure the lid, and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds until well-chilled.
Serve: Strain the mixture into a tall glass (like a Collins glass) filled with fresh ice.
Finish and Garnish: Top with a splash of sparkling water. Give it a gentle stir and garnish with a small watermelon wedge and a sprig of fresh mint.
For Gracie Bassett, competing in the Miss Mississippi Pageant is a way to champion causes that are deeply personal, from supporting heart health to providing wigs for cancer patients.
As a contestant, Bassett is required to raise money for charitable causes, including the American Heart Association and the Miss America Scholarship fund. The causes are especially meaningful to her, as she has a family member in need of a heart transplant and hopes to benefit from the scholarship program herself.
“This kills two very big birds with one one stone,” Bassett said of her fundraising efforts.
Bassett said she quickly surpassed the $300 minimum requirement, and her online fundraiser has now raised more than $1,500.
Her commitment to service began long before her pageant career. Since she was 3 years old, Bassett has donated her hair to make wigs for women who have lost their hair during cancer treatment.
In 2021, she founded her own initiative, Hair for Her, after a service she previously used closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For some patients, hair loss is particularly traumatic,” Bassett said. “A wig can be a great way to instill some confidence and restore a sense of control.”
Bassett, a recent graduate of Mississippi College with plans for medical school, said she was inspired as a young girl by Sarah-Beth James, Miss Mississippi 2010, also from Madison.
“I looked up to her,” Bassett said. “Talking to James made me feel like somebody. I wanted to be like Sarah Beth.”
In the 2024 Miss Mississippi pageant, she won the talent portion with a piano performance of “Mephisto Waltz No. 1” by Franz Liszt and finished in the Top 10.
She is the daughter of William and Barbie Bassett of Madison.
Nataleigh Nix (Miss Madison County, from Madison, MS), Anna Leah Jolly (Miss Capital City, from Brandon, MS), Lexie Harrison (Miss Metro Jackson Organization director, from Madison, MS), and Gracie Bassett (Miss Metro Jackson, from Madison, MS)
Pictured with Dr. Erin Norcross, who cut my hair for my 10th donation in Sept 2024
Photo credit: Kimber Smith, Next Studios
MADISON COUNTY REALTY SHOWCASE
NEW
New Waterfront Lots available in premier gated community of Caroline Pointe in Lake Caroline! Lake Caroline is a 3,000 acre community with resort style amenities that include an 11- acre park, boating, fishing on the second largest, private lake in Mississippi, and championship golf course. These lots are the last waterfront lots to be available in Caroline Pointe. Don’t miss this opportunity to build your dream home today!
OPEN AND INVITING
The concept behind Whittington is different than other developments in Madison. We would like to elevate the level of design unity, to establish a pattern language for the development and have a common theme running throughout. All of the plans are between 2500 – 3500 sq. ft. By using any plan we can customize a home for you that will be unique and the desired size. These guidelines enable us to economize both time and cost in producing plans while keeping our common theme throughout. Custom plans will be allowed, as long as they are prepared by a licensed Architect and have gone through our Architectural review process. But, we will insist on consistency of elevation through material and detail.
REUNION
$1,150,000 119 NORTHLAKE DRIVE
WATERFRONT
Stunning 4/5 Bedroom, 4.5 Bath Waterfront Home in Reunion!Northlake Drive | Breathtaking Sunsets | 3-Car Garage | New Sea Wall & SodWelcome to this stunning 4/5-bedroom, 4.5-bath waterfront home located on Northlake Drive in the prestigious Reunion neighborhood. This one-of-a-kind property offers breathtaking sunset views and elegant design throughout. As you enter through the front door, you’re greeted by a grand foyer featuring an antique wood-domed ceiling.The home showcases timeless details such as antique shutters and wood-burning fireplaces on both the main and upper levels.The main floor offers a spacious layout with a formal dining room, a well-appointed kitchen with a walk-in pantry and wet bar, and a cozy porch area--perfect for entertaining or relaxing by the water. A guest bedroom with its own en-suite bath features a private porch entrance and stunning lake views. The master suite is a true retreat, offering serene waterfront views that must be seen to be fully appreciated.Upstairs, you’ll find two additional bedrooms, each with private bathrooms, a large bonus room with a bar area ideal for a media room or ultimate man cave, and an extra room that can serve as a playroom, gym, or office. There’s also a children’s nook with a built-in desk and chalkboard wall, adding both functionality and fun for the family.Step outside to enjoy a large covered patio with a fireplace and outdoor kitchen. You’ll also have your own private boat slip with pier, offering daily access to the beautiful Reunion lake--perfect for boating, fishing, or simply soaking in the peaceful views. Additional features include a 3-car garage, a newly installed sea wall, fresh sod, and a charming front courtyard area.Don’t miss your chance to own this exceptional property in Reunion and enjoy all the amenities Reunion has to offer--schedule your private showing today!
POLLESPROPERTIES.COM
AMANDA POLLES | POLLES PROPERTIES 601-278-6871; 601-898-3364
AMANDA@POLLESPROPERTIES.COM
CAROLINE $798,500
WATERFRONT
Waterfront home located on the peninsula of Belle Pointe in Lake Caroline. Enjoy beautiful water views from nearly every room. This two-story home offers a spacious primary bedroom on the main level, heart of pine flooring, open-concept living and kitchen area with gas range and Viking appliances, built in sub zero refrigerator, wet bar, ice maker and wine cooler. There is a dedicated office, formal dining room, and a cozy keeping/breakfast room. Upstairs, two bedrooms, jack and jill bath, children’s den/ bonus room. Step out onto the huge screened porch--perfect for taking in the peaceful scenery. Home includes a private double boat slip.
Greg Harkins Chairs is where quality lasts a lifetime
By Jace Henderson
For over 50 years, Greg Harkins has turned hardwood into rocking chairs that have found their way into the homes of presidents and everyday people alike, all built with the same dedication to tradition and quality.
Harkins began chairmaking in Thomastown, an unincorporated community in Leake County, where he learned the craft from Tom Bell—a man who initially had no interest in mentoring anyone.
“He didn’t allow anybody to work with him,” Harkins said. “He wasn’t exactly a perfectionist, but he was perfect—when he turned parts, it was fluid like a ballet.”
After crafting his first few chairs, Harkins received orders for 75 full-sized rocking chairs, but set out to make a dozen at first, selling each for just $40.
“When I got through paying everybody off, I didn’t have enough money to buy lunch,” he said. “Tommy Bell could make them for that, because he played the game for so long.”
Later, after launching his own chairmaking business, Harkins made a chair that was gifted to President Jimmy Carter after Carter’s grandfather stopped by his shop en route to the president’s birthday celebration.
“My business was growing—every year was getting better,” Harkins said. “I had been in business for five years before Reagan came along.”
Top: Former President George W. Bush sits in a rocking chair with U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker beside him.
Left: Gov. Tate Reeves with Greg Harkins
Over the years, Harkins crafted chairs for six U.S. Presidents: Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump.
One of his most notable chairs was a double rocker for Reagan, presented at the Neshoba County Fair in 1980. Reagan and his wife, Nancy, were famously photographed sitting in it.
“I went from being five chairs behind, then in three weeks I was 186 chairs behind,” Harkins said. “All in all, from Reagan I made 300 chairs or more—I got tons of publicity here.”
Harkins prides himself on quality craftsmanship, a tradition he is passing down to 23-year-old Hodges Boland, who has apprenticed under him for more than three and a half years.
In addition to mentoring Boland, Harkins also teaches arts and crafts classes where he teaches old crafts and trades like his signature chair making
“I’ve always enjoyed arts of different forums and working with my hands,” Boland said. “It seemed like a fun intersection of the two, so I tried it. Overtime I started to really enjoy it—it’s a very rewarding process.”
As Harkins slows down with age, he hopes Boland will continue his legacy—not just as a chairmaker, but as someone committed to making chairs for a lifetime.
Harkins wants to be remembered for one thing above all: the quality of his work. Over the years, he has repeatedly reinvented himself and honed his craft.
“I may end up doing nothing more than building three chairs a month,” Harkins said. “I have no intention of fully retiring— I only have intentions of dying and going to Heaven.”
To young people, Harkins offers simple advice: don’t be afraid of hard work.
“My parents and grandparents didn’t stop working,” he said. “If they saw you getting too hot, they sent you to the shade and didn’t stop—that work ethic is hardly nonexistent anymore.”
“You got to work for whatever you want to do,” Boland said. “The saying ‘if you find something you like doing, you won’t work a day in your life’ applies—but you still have to work.”
Harkins said each of his chairs is built to last a century. With any luck, his legacy may last even longer.
Your Perfect Day on the Rez: A Summer Guide
The first true Mississippi heat has a way of turning our collective gaze toward one place: the water. In Madison County, that means the vast, shimmering expanse of the Ross Barnett Reservoir, a 33,000-acre playground that becomes the heart and soul of our community each summer. While a day on “the Rez” is always good, a perfect day is an art form. It’s a seamless blend of serene mornings, sun-drenched afternoons, and spectacular sunsets.
For those looking to master the craft, here is your guide to the ultimate day on the Reservoir.
The perfect day starts early, before the summer sun is high and hot in the sky. As dawn breaks, casting a soft pastel glow over the water, the Rez is at its most peaceful. This is the time for the quiet adventurers. Launching a kayak or paddleboard from the banks of Lakeshore Park offers a meditative start, the only sounds being the gentle lapping of water against your vessel and the call of a distant wading bird. For the anglers, this golden hour is prime time. It’s when you’ll find them casting lines for largemouth bass and crappie in the quiet coves, a thermos of coffee steaming beside them as they wait for that first tell-tale tug.
As the morning gives way to the bright, energetic pulse of midday, the Reservoir transforms. The hum of boat engines becomes the season’s soundtrack, and the water comes alive with activity. This is the time for sun and splash. Families flock to the sandy beaches at Lakeshore Park, setting up umbrellas and picnic blankets for a day of building sandcastles and swimming in the designated areas.
When the afternoon sun begins its slow descent, painting the sky in fiery oranges and deep purples, it’s time to transition from play to leisure. There’s no better way to witness the day’s grand finale than from the deck of a waterfront restaurant. Places like Shaggy’s on the Rez and Pelican Cove Grill become prime real estate, offering front-row seats to the spectacular sunset.
This is when you trade your swimsuit for a sundress, order a signature cocktail, and let the sounds of live music wash over you. The lively chatter, the clinking of glasses, and the shared awe as the last sliver of sun dips below the horizon create a perfect, memorable end to the day. It’s a moment that captures the magic of Madison County summers—a day of adventure, relaxation, and community, all centered around the water that connects us.
Insider’s Guide to the Rez
KNOW THE RULES:
Before heading out, familiarize yourself with the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District (PRVWSD) rules. Life jackets are essential, and there are specific regulations about speed and navigation.
RESPECT THE NO-WAKE ZONES:
Be sure to slow to an idle speed in all marked no-wake zones, typically found around marinas, bridges, and launch areas.
STAY HYDRATED:
The Mississippi sun is intense. Pack more water than you think you’ll need for a day of fun.
FUEL UP:
If you’re taking your own boat, be aware of where the on-the-water gas stations are located, like Main Harbor Store, so you don’t get stranded.
A Night to Celebrate Wonderland
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School hosted Celebrate Wonderland in April. It was a wonderful evening of community, connection, and vision. Guests took a nostalgic trip down memory lane through the halls of the Lower School, danced the night away in the gym, and caught an exciting glimpse of the architectural and educational wonderland that will sustain our legacy for years to come.
The evening began with a special cocktail hour for alumni and faculty, giving them a chance to reconnect, share stories, and reflect on what has always made this place feel like home. Afterwards, the full community gathered for the main event, where the highlight of the evening was a first look at the future campus plan and facilities.
From left to right: Leah Hendrix, Sara Jane McCrary and Theresa Davis.
From left to right: Alexander and Christina McRae, Anna and Justin Peterson, Barbara, Jamie and Andrew Mallinson, Bethany and Robert Farr, Brad and Leslie Baskin, Ed and Shae Egger, Joaquin and Samantha Hidalgo, Nora-Frances and Vaughan McRae.
From left to right: Haily and Jack Allin, Jay and Emily Philpott; Jay and Jackie Losset with Lynn Davis; JR and Jessica Patel, Poonam and Uday Patel; Kathryn Lee Ware, Harya Tarekegn, Amber Morrison and Morgan Norman; Maxwell and Chelsea James; Leah Hendrix and Taylor Davis; Madeleine and Will Nichols.
DUCK TRYPTIC
I’ve always had an affinity for plates that present the same ingredient in multiple forms, using various cooking techniques. In this example, we see duck three ways
DUCK DEBRIS
1 quart Crimini Mushrooms, quartered
2 ½ cups Carrot, diced
2 cups Celery, diced
1 cup Onion, diced
2-3 Bay Leaves
3-4 sprigs fresh Thyme
3 quarts Chicken Stock
1 cup Tomato Paste
1 quart red wine
Lay 10 duck leg quarters on sheet trays with a parchment liner. Refrigerate overnight. Rinse the duck legs and pat dry. Place skin side down in the tilt skillet on a lower setting to render the fat from the skin. When the skin starts to brown and become a little crisp (20-30 minutes) remove the legs and add your vegetables. Sauté on medium heat for 5 or 6 minutes or until the veggies get a little color and start to soften. Remove the veggies (Still leaving behind the fat) and “fry” the tomato paste in the duck fat. Whisk the tomato paste around and try to break it up for about 5 minutes Add the red wine, whisk to get the tomato paste incorporated. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Put everything back to the pot, veggies first then duck (skin side up) Add Simmer with the lid on for 2 hours and check to see if the meat is falling apart yet. Remove the tender legs from the sauce and allow to cool. Strain the sauce to separate the veggies. Blitz the veggies in batches using a food processor. Push the veggies through a chinois and discard what won’t go through the mesh. Skim the fat off of the cooking liquid and return it to the pot. Carefully remove the skin from the duck and reserve for other uses. Shredd the meat, discarding the bones. Add the sieved veggies and meat back to the pot with the cooking liquid. Simmer until the sauce thickens and reduces by half. (20 minutes maybe) Stirring often
IN THE KITCHEN
With International Chef David Raines
The Flora Butcher & Dave’s Triple B Restaurant
Michelin-trained Chef David Raines created The Flora Supper Club as an exclusive culinary experience offering the familiar and extraordinary dishes with an international flair derived from Chef Raines’s years cooking in Italy, Denmark, Japan and Australia. He has been called “the greatest trained chef” by Chef Rick Tramonto of the popular cooking IRON CHEF television series. As a certified sommelier, Raines pairs each dish with the finest wines from around the world. The Flora Supper Club is the perfect compliment to Chef David’s popular Flora Butcher and the adjacent Raines Cellars fine wines and rare spirits. For information on upcoming Supper Clubs visit the Raines Cellars Facebook page.
GRIT CAKES
I think all of the grit cakes on New Orleans menus were created out of necessity. Leftover grits from Saturday Night’s dinner service were poured into a pan and then set in the refrigerator. The next day for brunch, we would turn them out on the counter, cut the desired shape and then they were breaded to be fried to order. Please take advantage of this concept if you do make grits and have leftovers. So good! If you make them just for making grit cakes, this recipe will give you a batch that is firm enough to use the same way.
FOR THE GRITS
(If you don’t have Delta Grind grits then it will work with another brand. It just won’t be as tasty)
1 Pound Delta Grind Grits
1 Quart Whole Milk
3 cups Water
4 Ounces Unsalted Butter
4 ounces Cream Cheese, room temp and cubed 8 ounces Sharp Cheddar, grated
1 Tablespoon Ground White Pepper
1 ½ Tablespoon Kosher salt
Bring the milk and water to a boil and add the grits. Turn the heat to low and stir often until the grits are tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients and continue to stir off the heat until they are incorporated and smooth. Pour into a greased casserole dish and allow them to cool and then place them in the refrigerator to get cold.
FOR THE GRIT CAKES
In a food processor, blitz up half of a loaf of poboy bread. You want relatively fine breadcrumbs. These “fresh” breadcrumbs will give you a lighter, fluffier crust. Put them in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, mix all-purpose flour with some salt and pepper. In a third bowl, whisk 5 or 6 eggs together with a splash of water. Turn your cold grits out on the counter and cut any shape you like. I like to make them the size and shape of whatever is going on top. Line your bowls up like this: Flour-Egg wash-Breadcrumbs and then a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently coat your cakes, one at a time, in flour, shaking of the excess. Then roll them in the egg wash to coat and then roll them in the breadcrumbs. Finally put the breaded grit cakes on the cookie sheet. After you’re done, put them back in the refrigerator until it’s time to fry them
DUCK CONFIT
SEARED DUCK BREAST
Rinse the breasts and then pat them dry. Score the skin with a sharp knife and season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. In a nonstick skillet over medium low heat, place the duck breasts, skin side down and allow them to render for around 20 minutes or until the skin begins to crisp. Finish them, skin side up in a 350 degree oven until they reach 135-140 internal temp.
RED ONION AGRODOLCE
4 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Large Red Onions, sliced ¼ cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 cup Red Wine
2 Calabrian Chilies, jarred
2 tablespoons Calabrian Chili liquid Gently sauté the onions with the olive oil, stirring often, until they because soft and opaque. Add the sugar and stir in to incorporate. After a few minutes, add the wine and chilies. Continue to stir as it the wine reduces to a loose syrup. Add the liquid from the jarred chilies and stir until the onions are almost dry and the liquids have cooked out. Salt and pepper to taste
Duck Leg Quarters
Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Bay Leaves
Whole Black Peppercorns
Garlic Cloves, peeled and smashed
Kosher Salt
Duck Fat
In this process, the method is more important than the increments. Duck Confit is a wonderfully rich, salty, tender and satisfying food. To “confit” something is to preserve something in it’s own fat. This comes from the days before refrigeration, so it may not be necessary, but the end result is just too good to stop using the technique.
In the appropriate sized container, put a thick layer of salt on the bottom and decorate it with the different ingredients listed above. Feel free to experiment with this part depending on what’s available. Place the leg quarters, skin side up. I usually don’t but feel free to decorate the skin side with herbs as well. Apply another layer of salt until the duck is completely covered. Repeat the layers depending on how many legs you have. Duch Confit obviously lasts a long time in the refrigerator so more is better.
After 24-36 hours, remove the duck and rinse off the salt. Submerge them in a pot with duck fat, cover, and bake in the oven no higher than 250 degrees. Cook until the meat pulls up the leg bone and the it is so tender that it is easily pieced with a spoon. Set on the counter and allow it to cool.
Once cooled, carefully remove the duck leg quarters and save the fat for another round. ( I never throw away duck fat)
PLATING
Have fun with the plating and try to mix it up. In this dish, we fried a grit cake square and topped it with duck debris. The seared duck breast was sliced and laid over a bed of red onion agrodolce and then topped with a sweet and spicy ghost pepper infused maple syrup. The duck confit was shredded and placed on a bed of baby bibb lettuce leaves and topped with a fig balsamic reduction. We also baked the skin from the duck debris recipe and make rich, crunchy, duck cracklings to add another texture.
StrategicDistribution
Madison County Magazine is published six times a year and distributed to key locations, organizations, and directly mailed to subscribers. Below is a list of locations where the magazine is available.
DIRECT MAIL (This is only a partial list)
• Journal Subscribers
• Lake Caroline
• Reunion
• Ingleside
• Ashbrooke
• Over 55,000 High-Income Readers!
JACKSON
Baptist Hospital
Baptist East
The Belhaven
Paul Moak Honda and Subaru
Pizza Shack
MS Sports Clinic and PT Clinic
Brent’s Drugs
Corner Market- Fondren
Newks
Broadstreet Bakery
Beagle Bagel- Highland Village
St. Dominic’s -Cups
St. Dominic’s Plaza Cafe
Cups-Fondren
Big Apple Inn
Scrooges
Hickory Pit
The Westin
Chevron-HV
Sal and Mookies
Saltene
Whole Foods
Watercolor Salon
Corner Market-Maywood Mart
McDades Wine and Spirits
Iron Horse Grill
Jackson Academy Adm Bldg
First Commercial Bank
River Hills
Dr. Quon
Dr Danny Story
Dr. Eugene Brown
Dr. Ware
Dr. Snell
Sal and Phills
LAKELAND/FLOWOOD
Primos
Cups
The Quarter Wine and Spirits
GI Associates
River Oaks Hospital
MADISON
The Suites
Woman’s Hospital
New South Neurospine
Face Body and Spa
Surgical Center
MS Rheumatology
MS ENT
Message Envy and Spa
Professional Eye Care Ass
Jackson Healthcare for Women
Runnels and North Clinic
Capitol Ortho Clinic and
Rehab Clinic
Table 100
Georgia Blue
Ichiban
Newks
MS Sports Medicine Clinic and PR Clinic
RIDGELAND
Joe T’s Liquor
Gloss Salon
Kroger
Newks- Lake Harbour
Newks- Highland Colony
Juice Bar
Primos
The Club- Lake Harbour
CC’s Coffee
Alzheimer’s Office
Ridgeland Library
City of Ridgeland
Cups- Lake Harbour
Wasabi Sushi
Sombra
Ridgeland Visitors Center
Fusion
Room Service
Butler Snow Bldg
Prickly Hippie
El Cazadores
Another Broken Egg
Whimsey Cookie
MS Craft Center
Ridgeland Chamber
Everyday Gourmet
Urgent Care
Gamblin Ortho
Krilakis
Vape Shop
Buffalo Wild Wings
Eats
The Club- Highland Colony
Full Stop Burger and Custard
The Face Clinic
Trace Cleaners
Bulldog Burger
Cinco De Mayo
Fat Tuesdays
Carter Sledge Dental
Madison Airport
Pette’s Antiques
ACH Hotel
MADISON
Madison County Tax Ass Office
Hamils
Madison Library
Madison City Hall
Persnickety
UPS Store
Primos
Madison Healthplex and Sports Clinic
Madison Dr Office Bldg
Madison Chamber
Beagle Bagel
Kristin
Capitol Ortho
GI Ass
Family Medicine
St. Dom Clinic
Dermatology Clinic
Madison Medical Imaging
Oral and Maxiofacial Clinic
Cups
Strawberry Cafe
Georgia Blue
Burger and Blues
Sal and Mookies
Donut Palace
Gators BBQ
Exxon
Ichiban
Schlotskys
Dickeys BBQ
Walgreens- Hwy 51
Full Moon BBQ
The Winning Smile
Skin Asthetics
Madison Dental Studio
Eye Works
CSpire
Ovation Wellness Clinic
Best Nails
Palm Beach Tan
Key Dental Group
MS Vein Institute
Pain Management Clinic
GLUCKSTADT
Shell
Germantown Market Cafe
Your Pie
Madison Chamber
Barleys Barn
Steak Escape
Texaco
Angelo’s Pizza
Bambo Express
Kebab and Curry
Sullivans Grocery
Parkway Perk
St Dom Dr Office
Kinkaid Dental
MED Spa
Gluckstadt Barbour and Style
Boos BBQ
A-1 Nails
Gluckstadt Dentistry
Trustcare Kids
Baptist Clinic
The Clinic
Ricks Pro Truck
Barnetts Body Shop
BOOKS
BEARTOOTH
Two brothers in dire straits, living on the edge of Yellowstone, agree to a desperate act of survival in this taut, propulsive novel reminiscent of the works of Peter Heller and Donald Ray Pollock.
In an aging, timber house hand-built into the Absaroka-Beartooth mountains, two brothers are struggling to keep up with their debts. They live off the grid, on the fringe of Yellowstone, surviving off the wild after the death of their father. Thad, the elder, is more capable of engaging with things like the truck registration, or the medical bills they can’t afford from their father’s fatal illness, or the tax lien on the cabin their grandfather built, while Hazen is . . . different, more instinctual, deeply in tune with the natural world. Desperate for money, they are approached by a shadowy out-of-towner with a dangerous proposition that will change both of their lives forever.
PRESUMED GUILTY
Rusty is a retired judge attempting a third act in life with a loving soon-to-be wife, Bea, with whom he shares both a restful home on an idyllic lake in the rural Midwest and a plaintive hope that this marriage will be his best, and his last. But the peace that’s taken Rusty so long to find evaporates when Bea’s young adult son, Aaron, living under their supervision while on probation for drug possession, disappears. If Aaron doesn’t return soon, he will be sent back to jail.
Aaron eventually turns up with a vague story about a camping trip with his troubled girlfriend, Mae, that ended in a fight and a long hitchhike home. Days later, when she still hasn’t returned, suspicion falls on Aaron, and when Mae is subsequently discovered dead, Aaron is arrested and set for trial on charges of first-degree murder.
Faced with few choices and even fewer hopes, Bea begs Rusty to return to court
Beartooth is a fast-paced tale with moments of surprising poignancy set in the grandeur of the American West. Evoking the timeless voices of American pastoral storytelling, this is a bracing, masterful novel about survival, revenge, and the bond between brothers.
CALLAN WINK has been awarded fellowships by the National Endowment for the Arts and Stanford University, where he was a Wallace Stegner Fellow. His stories and essays have been published in the New Yorker, Granta, Playboy, Men’s Journal, and The Best American Short Stories. He is the author of a novel, August, and a collection of short stories, Dog Run Moon. He lives in Livingston, Montana, where he is a fly-fishing guide on the Yellowstone River.
one last time, to defend her son and to save their last best hope for happiness. For Rusty, the question is not whether to defend Aaron, or whether the boy is in fact innocent—it’s whether the system to which he has devoted his life can ever provide true justice for those who are presumed guilty.
SCOTT TUROW, a writer and former practicing lawyer, is the author of thirteen bestselling works of fiction, including Presumed Innocent and most recently, Suspect. Mr. Turow has also published two nonfiction books, including One L, about his experience as a law student. His books have been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and have been adapted into movies and television projects. He has frequently contributed essays and op-ed pieces to publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, and the Atlantic.
THE BARN
A shocking and revelatory account of the murder of Emmett Till, laying bare the global forces that converged on the Mississippi Delta in the long lead-up to the crime, and how the truth was hidden for so long.
Wright Thompson’s family farm in Mississippi is twenty-three miles from the site of one of the most notorious and consequential killings in American history, yet he learned of it only when he left the state for college. To this day, fundamental truths about the crime are hidden and unknown, including where it took place and how many people were involved. This is no accident: the cover-up began at once, and it is ongoing.
In August 1955, two men, Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam, were charged with the torture and murder of the fourteen-year-old Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi. After their acquittal in a mockery of justice, they gave a false confession to a journalist, lying about where the long night of hell took place and who was involved. In fact, Wright Thompson reveals, at least eight people can be placed at the scene, which was inside the barn of one of the killers, on a plot of land within the thirty-six-squaremile grid whose official name is Township 22 North, Range 4 West, also home to the birth-
THE ANTITDOTE
From Pulitzer finalist, MacArthur Fellowship recipient, and bestselling author of Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove Karen Russell: a gripping dust bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town
The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing— not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the dust bowl drought but beneath its own violent histories. The Antidote follows a “Prairie Witch,” whose body serves as a bank vault for peoples’ memories and secrets; a Polish wheat farmer who learns how quickly a hoarded blessing can become a curse; his orphan niece, a basketball star and witch’s apprentice in furious flight from her grief; a voluble scarecrow; and a New Deal photographer whose time-traveling camera threatens to reveal both the town’s secrets and its fate.
Russell’s novel is above all a reckoning with a nation’s forgetting—enacting the settler amnesia and willful omissions passed down from generation to generation, and unearthing not
place of the blues on nearby Dockery Plantation.
Even in the context of the racist caste regime of the time, the four-hour torture and murder of a Black boy barely in his teens for whistling at a young white woman was acutely depraved. The decision by Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, to keep the casket open seared the crime indelibly into American consciousness. Thompson has a deep understanding of the world of the families of Emmett Till and of his killers, as well as the forces that aligned to place them together on that spot on the map. This is a story about property, money, power, and white supremacy that implicates all of us. In The Barn, Thompson brings to life the small group of dedicated people who have been engaged in the hard, fearful business of bringing the truth to light. Putting the killing floor of the barn on the map of Township 22 North, Range 4 West, and the Delta, and America is a way of mapping the road this country must travel if we are to heal our oldest, deepest wound.
WRIGHT THOMPSON is a senior writer for ESPN and the bestselling author of Pappyland and The Cost of These Dreams. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi with his family.
only horrors but shimmering possibilities. The Antidote echoes with urgent warnings for our own climate emergency, challenging readers with a vision of what might have been—and what still could be.
KAREN RUSSELL is the author of six books of fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove. She is a MacArthur Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She has received two National Magazine Awards for Fiction, the Shirley Jackson Award, the 2023 Bottari Lattes Grinzane prize, the 2024 Mary McCarthy Award, and was selected for the National Book Foundation’s “5 under 35” prize and The New Yorker’s “20 under 40” list (She is now decisively over 40). She has taught literature and creative writing at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the University of California-Irvine, Williams College, Columbia University, and Bryn Mawr College, and was the Endowed Chair of Texas State’s MFA program. She serves on the board of Street Books, a mobile-library for people living outdoors. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, she now lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, son, and daughter.
TRESPASSERS AT THE GOLDEN GATE
The sensational, forgotten true story of a woman who murdered her married lover in Gilded Age San Francisco and the trial that epitomized the city’s transformation from raucous frontier town into modern metropolis— from the New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Sin
Shortly before dusk on November 3, 1870, just as the ferryboat El Capitan was pulling away from its slip into San Francisco Bay, a woman clad in black emerged from the shadows and strode across the crowded deck. Reaching under her veil, she drew a small pistol and aimed it directly at a well-dressed man sitting quietly with his wife and children. The woman fired a single bullet into his chest. “I did it and I don’t deny it,” she said when arrested shortly thereafter. “He ruined both myself and my daughter.”
Though little remembered today, the trial of Laura D. Fair for the murder of her lover, A. P. Crittenden, made headlines nationwide. As bestselling author Gary Krist reveals, the operatic facts of the case—a woman strung along for years by a two-timing man, killing him in an alleged fit of madness—challenged an American populace still searching for moral consensus after the Civil War. The trial shone an early and uncomfortable spotlight on social issues like the role of women, the sanctity of the family, and the range of acceptable expressions of gender, while jolting the still-adolescent metropolis of 1870s San Francisco, a city eager to shed its rough-and-tumble Gold Rush-era reputation.
MOTHERS AND SONS
At forty, Peter, an asylum lawyer in New York City, is overworked and isolated. He spends his days immersed in the struggles of immigrants only to return to an empty apartment and occasional hook-ups with a man who wants more than Peter can give. But when the asylum case of a young gay man pierces Peter’s numbness, the event that he has avoided for twenty years returns to haunt him.
Ann, his mother, who runs a women’s retreat center she founded after leaving his father, is hurt by the estrangement from Peter but cherishes the world she has built. She long ago put behind her the decision that divided her from her son. But as Peter’s case plunges him further into the fraught memory of his first love and the night of violence that changed his life, he and his mother must confront the secret that tore them apart.
With unsurpassed emotional depth, Mothers and Sons reveals all that is lost by looking
Trespassers at the Golden Gate brings readers inside the untamed frontier town, a place where—for a brief period—otherwise marginalized communities found unique opportunities. Readers meet a secretly wealthy Black housekeeper, an enterprising Chinese brothel madam, and a French rabble-rouser who refused to dress in sufficiently “feminine” clothing—as well as familiar figures like Mark Twain and Susan B. Anthony, who become swept up in the drama of the Laura Fair affair.
Krist, who previously brought New Orleans to vivid life in Empire of Sin and Chicago in City of Scoundrels, recounts this astonishing story and its surprisingly modern echoes in a rollicking narrative that probes what it all meant—both for a nation still scarred by war and for a city eager for the world stage.
GARY KRIST is the author of four previous narrative nonfiction books: The White Cascade, City of Scoundrels, Empire of Sin, and The Mirage Factory. He has also written three novels and two short story collections. A widely published journalist and book reviewer, Krist has been the recipient of the Stephen Crane Award, the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Lowell Thomas gold medal for travel journalism, a fiction fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Public Scholar grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
away from the past and the love that might be restored by facing it. In his spellbinding new novel, Adam Haslett demonstrates yet again his mastery of “a rich assortment of literary gifts” (New York Times).
ADAM HASLETT is the author of the story collection You Are Not a Stranger Here and the novels Union Atlantic and Imagine Me Gone. He has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, as well as a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award and a winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the PEN/Malamud Award, the Berlin Prize, and the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He currently directs the MFA Program at Hunter College in New York.
THE LAST KILO
From true-crime legend T. J. English, the epic, behind-the-scenes saga of “Los Muchachos,” one of the most successful cocaine trafficking organizations in American history—a story of glitz, glamour, and organized crime set against 1980’s Miami.
Despite what Scarface might lead one to believe, violence was not the dominant characteristic of the cocaine business. It was corruption: the dirty cops, agents, lawyers, judges, and politicians who made the drug world go round. And no one managed that carousel of dangerous players better than Willy Falcon.
A Cuban exile whose family escaped Fidel Castro’s Cuba when he was eleven years old, Falcon, as a teenager, became active in the anti-Castro movement. He began smuggling cocaine into the U.S. as a way to raise money to buy arms for the Contras in Central America. This counter-revolutionary activity led directly to Willy’s genesis as a narco. He and his partners built an extraordinary international organization from the ground up. Los Muchachos, the syndicate founded by Falcon, thrived as a major cocaine distribution network in the U.S. from the late 1970’s into the early 1990’s. At their height, Los Muchachos made more than a hundred million dollars a year. At the same time, Willy, his brother Tavy Falcon,
WILD DARK SHORE
A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon.
Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers. But with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants, packing up the seeds before they are transported to safer ground. Despite the wild beauty, isolation has taken its toll on the Salts. Raff, eighteen and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, seventeen, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seals; nine-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can’t stop turning back toward the past, and the loss that drove the family to Shearwater in the first place.
Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes up on shore. As the Salts nurse the woman, Rowan, back to life, their suspicion gives way to affection,
and partner Sal Magluta became famous as championship powerboat racers.
Cocaine, used by everyone from A-list celebrities to lawyers and people in law enforcement, came to define an era, and for a time, Willy Falcon and those like him—major suppliers, of whom there were only a few— became stars in their own right. They were the deliverers of good times, at least until the downside of persistent cocaine use became apparent: delusions of grandeur, psychological addiction, financial ruin. Thus, the War on Drugs was born, and federal authorities came after Falcon and his crew with a vengeance. Willy found himself on the run, his marriage and family life in shambles, the halcyon days of boat races and lavish trips to Vegas and parties at the Mutiny night club seemingly a distant memory.
T. J. ENGLISH has been granted unprecedented access to the inner workings of Los Muchachos, sitting down with Willy Falcon and his associates for many lengthy interviews, and revealing never-before-understood details about drug trafficking. A classic of true-crime writing from a master of the genre, The Last Kilo traces the rise and fall of a true cocaine empire—and the lives left in its wake.
and they finally begin to feel like a family again. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting her heart, begins to fall for the Salts, too. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers the sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own dark secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, can they trust each other enough to protect one another—and the precious seeds in their care? And can they finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together?
A novel of heart-stopping twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us is ending.
CHARLOTTE MCCONAGHY is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Wild Dark Shore, Once There Were Wolves, and Migrations, which are being translated into more than twenty languages. She is based in Sydney, Australia.
