“The Bolito King 103,582 words” is a fictional account based on the life of Casper Holstein, millionaire, philanthropist, and father of the Harlem numbers racket. His policy game was established a good ten years before Madam Queen or Bumpy Johnson while his financial and humanitarian contributions to the Harlem Renaissance and the Virgin Islands have been lost in obscurity. I have inserted a sample clipping that I used for a reference and below is a mini-synopsis of my manuscript. I hope you find his story interesting because it has haunted me for many months. Synopsis Of Material Covered Casper Holstein was born December 7, 1876, in Christiansted, St. Croix, then the Danish West Indies, now the US Virgin Islands. He came to the states as a teenager, serving in the Navy, working as a bellhop, as well as working for a wealthy Jewish family. When they lost their money, Holstein supported them, even paying for their funerals. He also owned a gambling establishment called the Turf Club, and was active in black fraternal organizations and the New York Virgin Islands Association. Holstein entered serious gambling after WWI when he devised a new system for determining the daily winning number. The stock clearing houses released a daily total that was published in the newspapers. In Holstein’s system, the winner was certain digits of that number, a number truly random and unable to be fixed. For those who bet, the odds were 999 to 1, just enough to make enough numbers hit to keep hope alive. Holstein was active in public life, contributing generously to worthwhile causes. He supported the Vincent Sanitorium, the nationalist Garvey Movement, and it was he who provided prizes for Opportunity magazine’s literary awards – which discovered and recognized much of Harlem’s young talent. On September 23, 1928, Casper Holstein was kidnapped, allegedly by gangster Arthur Fleggenheimer “Dutch Schultz”. Holstein finally retired from the Harlem’s numbers racket after a one-year stint in prison in 1937 and it was eventually taken over by the mob. Holstein had enough money to continue working in real estate and mortgages. When he…

Eternal Beloved

by joycematula

Book / Historical Fiction

May 30, 2023

30 days reads: 9

Shelves: 1

Summary
Chapters

A candlemaker is all Lydia Wade wants to be, but in 1299 a woman can only be part of the artisan guild if her dead husband was a member. A woman can work beside her husband in the guild if he allows it. Lydia does not want a husband living or dead. Her father has betrothed her to his much abused apprentice, Jacob. Marriage is a fate she has no hope of escaping until a long kept secret propels her into a different life.

The Demon Boy

by SimianCity

Book / Historical Fiction

October 23, 2020

30 days reads: 8

Comments: 51

Shelves: 2

Summary
Chapters

Casper (formerly known as "John Doe" or simply "the boy") didn't ask to come to Glenholm. Nobody asked him if he wanted to be here either. For better or for worse, he's stuck living under the same roof as Glenholm's own notorious witch man. Balor's not a bad guy actually. It's Myr, the lunatic drunk who gets his kicks from threatening Casper on pain of death every now and again, that's giving him the most problems. Needless to say, Casper isn't leaving soon enough. - - - - - Updates sporadically. Possibly Friday... Eventually.

Wither He went

by William Crocker

Book / Historical Fiction

May 17, 2023

30 days reads: 6

Shelves: 1

Summary
Chapters

Just prior to the Birth of Christ. The people on the American continent anxiously awaited a sign. Nephi, a just retired church leader began a most intriguing journey back to Jerusalem where he was able to meet the Christ Child as one of the wise men.

The Glass Bottle

by MMCG

Book / Historical Fiction

February 03, 2023

30 days reads: 5

Comments: 1

Summary
Chapters

The idea for this story came from Robert Browning's poem called My Last Duchess. There is a very sinister, lurking undertone to the poem, a hint that things weren't quite right....

Dhanurana

by Orion and Opal

Book / Historical Fiction

May 17, 2023

30 days reads: 5

Summary
Chapters

Out of an unnaturally quiet night, a bedraggled woman in noble finery requests access to the southern capital. Who she is has been lost to time for most, but her continued existence will throw everything further out of balance. Janurana had barely survived her royal house's destruction at the hands of foreign invaders, surviving day by day in the scattered pocket forests and arid shrub lands, constantly escaping the ghosts of her past. The south has barely survived their recent Pyrrhic victory against the north immediately followed by a coup. The north is bloodied but unbowed, on the brink of civil war, but still ready to take up arms against the southern invaders. The leaders of the south cannot afford another obstacle. And Janurana is just that. Yet her chance meeting with a woman expelled from the warrior class named Dhanur gives them both a chance to avenge the ones they loved, finish what they failed to do, and return to a normal life. *** Set in a fantasized bronze age India featuring LGBT female leads. Told in an omniscient pov with glances into multiple characters.

Agents of the Cardinal

by Ehtaniel

Book / Historical Fiction

April 26, 2015

30 days reads: 4

Comments: 9

Shelves: 1

Summary
Chapters

A swashbucking story about agents of the Cardinal and how they try to work against every enemies of the Cardinal, including the famous musketeers.

Bertha's Holocaust

by Celeste Valentina

Book / Historical Fiction

May 01, 2016

30 days reads: 4

Summary
Chapters

I based this off of the life of a girl who was in the holocaust. Her name is Bertha Adler. This is a fictional diary, but she was a real person. Her biograpghy: https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/idcard.php?ModuleId=10006524

Liberty Calling

by Madison B.

Book / Historical Fiction

December 01, 2020

30 days reads: 3

Comments: 1

Summary
Chapters

As the war for America's freedom stretches on, Emmeline Reed is sure that she knows exactly what she stands for. Her brothers fight in the British Royal Army. Her father is a British Major. In every way, she is the ideal example of what a Loyalist young lady ought to be. But when a soldier pushes her to discover her own beliefs, she begins to question all she knows. Now she must decide who she will trust, how she will fight for what she believes in, and what she is willing to sacrifice.

The People of Dewbrook

by hopefuldreamer

Book / Historical Fiction

May 31, 2023

30 days reads: 3

Summary
Chapters

Caroline Proust's husband may have died, but her immorality never did. The resident adulteress of her small town called Dewbrook, she began to hatch a plot that involved the seduction of a wealthy neighbour, Harold Wells, after the threat of losing everything she had came to her door. Although he had always been against the idea of marriage, she believed that she could seduce anyone, and he was even kind enough to welcome her into his home with no questions. The plan was supposed to be easy, but the arrival of Stephen Rochester, who had just made a fortune through gambling, into her neighbourhood, changed it completely. Trying to avoid the suspicion of Harold's sister, Rosemary, having to deal with the righteousness of Stephen's wife, Mildred, as well as working hard to protect her reputation from falling apart at the seams, she starts to realise that her life will never be what it once was and that her lies may swallow her whole.

Ineki Inkhosi

by Phiwokuhle M. Manana

Book / Historical Fiction

August 09, 2017

30 days reads: 2

Shelves: 1

Summary
Chapters

This is the story of a man who his father, a king who was killed by his brother. That man was taken when he was a young baby after his dads death. He grew up away from his mother. The man come back to his country when he was a young man of 18 years. He did not know that he belongs here. He escape with his friend from their country because the king of that country, wants to marry her. When they lived for one year in Ineki, the people of that country realized that Phiwo is the son of the former king Nsimbi. Phiwo and Milo, his best friend get married. Phiwo was chosen to be the new king. Milo becomes a queen. The two love each other very well. The country become well again, all the people are happy again. There was peace again.

The Great Civil War: A Kaiserreich Story 1

by Picklenator

Book / Historical Fiction

October 04, 2018

30 days reads: 2

Shelves: 2

Summary
Chapters

This is a story of a young man who goes through the Second American Civil War. This takes place in the timeline of Kaiserreich: Legacy of the Weltkrieg, an alternative history mod for Hearts of Iron: Darkest Hour and Hearts of Iron IV.

Antonius: Son of Rome

by Brook Allen

Book / Historical Fiction

May 30, 2019

30 days reads: 2

Chapters

The Adventures of Jacqueline de Belleville

by Rachael Jane

Book / Historical Fiction

January 03, 2022

30 days reads: 2

Comments: 1

Shelves: 2

Summary
Chapters

The bawdy adventures and misadventures of a young woman making her way through life during the Napoleonic Wars (1802-1815). Life hasn't been kind to Jacqueline, but her friendly personality and courage make up for her constant lack of money. Of course, having a body men are willing to die for certainly helps. Jacqueline has time to reflect on her adventures now that she's held captive in a sheik's harem.

The Pillars Of The Earth: Jack's Story

by KiiaX

Book / Historical Fiction

June 23, 2015

30 days reads: 1

Summary
Chapters

Jack is the only child of his mother Ellen. He does not speak to strangers and has been through some hard times. he meets Tom Builder and his family, Martha and Alfred. Then he meets Aliena, the gorgeous daughter of the Earl of Shiring, but then her farther is sentenced to death. Jack falls in love with her the second he lays his eyes on her. But they must battle through many hardships, the cathedral that is in the progress of being built crumbles and Tom Builder dies. Alfred also takes to Aliena and trouble brews.

Showdown at Chaperito

by Michael Young

Book / Historical Fiction

February 19, 2013

30 days reads: 1

Comments: 1

Summary
Chapters

In the rush to settle the lands that the United States took from Mexico after the Treaty of Hidalgo, the Anglo settlers traveled into the area that made up the New Mexican territories. The new movement of American settlers was spurred on by the Country’s belief in Manifest Destiny. This belief in a God given right to take the land, created opportunities for many Americans who were willing to invest in materials and manpower so they could travel west and settle the lands by farming, ranching and mining the natural resources of the country. The movement fed on itself and continued to create more and more opportunities for adventurous men and women as the new frontier expanded. Needs for the new settlers had to be met and small settlements sprung up around junctions and trails where the settlers could be refitted and re-supplied on their way west. Many people made their fortunes by supplying these settlers. The new settlers were not without their troubles as the current inhabitants, the American Indians resisted the onslaught of civilization into their lands. The Anglo settlers did not have the same mindset as did the Spanish settlers that had come into the lands earlier under the flag of Mexico. They had an unspoken agreement with the Indians and took into account the Indians harvesting some of their crops or taking a few sheep or cattle as the Indians passed through the land. It was just part of the cost of doing business. The Spanish also considered the land public domain and did not fence it. Therefore they were able to get along well with the Indians. The Anglo ranchers however viewed the Indian actions as theft and demanded the service of the United States Army to protect the settlements from Indian depredation. Some men were less than honest in their endeavors to convince the U.S. Army to move into their areas. Many of the ranchers found that a sizable company of army troops in their area could result in an instant market where the ranchers and farmers could make a profit by trading with…

Land of Etoria

by Yong Rong

Book / Historical Fiction

January 11, 2014

30 days reads: 1

Summary
Chapters

The hands of the throne lies in the hands of young Queen Alicia. But when will she know that a deadly massacre will kill most of the people in her empire?

Broken Realm

by crazywitchme

Book / Historical Fiction

July 31, 2014

30 days reads: 1

Summary
Chapters

Based on Ramsey Sinclair of Julie Garwood's Ransom. A woman who had everything and then - one day she had nothing. Once the queen of her own realm, Signehilde lived a protected life, believing she was thought an equal to men. Between the aftershocks of a rebellion and running for her life, the only thing she can rely on is a Highland inheritance through her mother's lineage which makes her an unwitting object of leverage. Her trust is betrayed by a temperamental uncle who erroneously has her wed to a madman. Just at the point that she reconciles herself to a painful, horrific death, she finds herself remarried to Ramsey Sinclair

The Curse of the Golden Coins Chapter 1 preview

by Kaye Pascal

Book / Historical Fiction

February 22, 2015

30 days reads: 1

Summary
Chapters

The Curse of the Golden Coins is a 161 page e-book. It is a fast paced fantasy adventure story that is perfect for a quick read. The setting is rural America 1865. The protagonist Del, is a 23 year old who had served the Union Army during the Civil War. During the spring of 1865 as the war is coming to a close, Del stumbles onto a cave. He finds a chest of golden coins. He believes this is a lost treasure that will make him a fortune. This long lost treasure is not what it seems to be. Del discovers that what he thinks is a treasure is a curse. He is faced with a sinister presence of sorts. His treasure reveals a world of magic that leads him on a fast paced adventure. His ultimate goal is to defeat this sinister presence and save his life. Del is joined on his adventure by his friend Sawyer who is an ex-slave. He is also joined by new friend Willow. Beneath the layer of a fast paced adventure is the story of friendship. As magic and myth unfold, the three friends work together to save Del from the curse of the golden coins. If you like a good adventure without the romance, this is a good read. It is not the predictable story of a lost treasure that has been tried over and over again. This is a unique historical fantasy adventure that has twists and turns until the end and is still relevant to today’s audiences. A good mixture of historical adventure with a dash of supernatural elements and a sprinkle of fantasy makes for an exciting read.