Days of years gone by: those days of our grandparents or great grandparents will come alive to us in Jacquelyn Cook’s newest book River of Fire. A Sumter writer whose previous books include From Violence To Love, A History of Desoto, Georgia; The Image In The Looking Glass ( a novel set in Andersonville), Mrs. Cook with River of Fire, brings out the third book of a quartet which has won a readership all over the United States. The River Between, Wind Along the River, and now River of Fire are set along the Chattahochee River in the latter half of the nineteenth century. They bring back nostalgic stories told of those gentle days of ladies strolling along beneath their parasols, courtly gentlemen bending low over a lady s fingertips and young people never daring to socialize without the ever present, faithful chaperone.

In such a setting, Adrianna, the young and pretty granddaughter of a distinguished senator, meets two intriguing young men of the Deep South. Foy Edwards, the son of a "good" Bible-believing family, has returned from duty in the Confederate Navy to find his home and possessions in great disarray. Finding himself poor, he turns to his first love, the river, obtaining his license as a river pilot and planning to develop his own cotton business. Green Bethune, a distant cousin of the Edwards family, is a dashing young man from Charleston who "dabbles in insurance" and showers Adrianne with attention over dinner and theater evenings. He seems to have money. This is their story: a story of romance with all its ups and downs, its misunderstandings, its intrigue.

The author has a delightful cadence to her writings, and she carries you along in a feeling of southern charm as she describes the adventuresome trips down the river from Eufaula to Columbus to Apalachicola Bay, the exciting evening at the Springer Opera House, and the fun-filled days at the Volunteer Firemen’s Convention complete with a picnic, games of competition and a grand ball. You will absolutely delight in the telling of Adrianna’s adventure at the beach when she shocked the family with her appearance in the latest bathing suit from New York – "The skirt was daringly capped to her knees. ..black cotton stockings clung to the calves of her long, slim legs."