Hamburger Dreams Book Spotlight

Within the mists of time lie buried uncoverable answers to history's most compelling questions. 

What really happened to the lost continent of Atlantis? 

How did ancient Greeks possess the technology to create the Antikythera mechanism and what did they use it for? 

Why did hundreds of people suddenly start dancing in the streets of Strasbourg during July 1518 and then, just as suddenly, die? 

Who was Jack the Ripper? 

And, finally, where did Amelia Earhart end up? 

These questions pale to the ultimate mystery. 

It's the mystery behind something that has touched us all and will continue to touch generations into the future. It's the mystery behind a trillion-dollar industry. It's the mystery behind something so simple, so common, so obvious, that no one bothered to write it down. It is, the birth of the world's first hamburger. 

Did the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis really inaugurate the "hamburg sandwich" as purportedly described in a New York Tribune article that same year and as said to be taught by McDonald's famous Hamburger University? 

Or was the first hamburger served in 1900 at Louis Lunch, a diner in New Haven, Connecticut as reported by the New York Times and recognized as such by the Library of Congress? 

Or did Fletcher "Old Dave" Davis first place a ground beef patty on bread in "the late 1880's" as suggested by the Dallas Morning News? 

And, if the hamburger really was first invented in 1885 either by Charles Nagreen at the Outagamie County Fair in Seymour, Wisconsin, or by Charles and Frank Menches at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York, which fair occurred first? 

Cynics will tell you we can never discover who really sold the first hamburger just because there is no smoking gun proof. By coincidence, literature's most famous detective appeared at the same time the first hamburger was sold. Would he have conceded just because the case lacked a credible eye witness? Would he say it's impossible to know who among the usual suspects most likely sold the first hamburger? No. Sherlock Holmes didn't rely on the existence of a smoking gun. He used something more convincing: the power of deduction. 

Award-winning academic researcher and writer Christopher Carosa uses these classic crime solving techniques and other investigative tools to crack the mystery behind who sold the world's first hamburger. In Hamburger Dreams, Carosa submits his findings in much the same way a DA might present a final summation to the jury. 

Available to buy from the following sites...

Kindle   Amazon Paperback   Barnes and Noble 

""It gives me delight to report Hamburger Dreams is both scrupulously researched and written with graceful style. I could not put it down and finished it in a single sitting." Craig Shelton, James Beard Award Winning Chef, Shelton Hospitality Group

"In Hamburger Dreams Chris Carosa has created the most savory of culinary whodunnits, using the techniques of modern crime solving to examine the four major 'suspects' who claim to have created the World's most famous sandwich." Simon Majumdar, Author (Eat My Globe), Foodand Travel Writer, Broadcaster, Podcaster 

"Hamburger Dreams is a fascinating and well-researched account of the origin of the hamburger. Part culinary-mystery and part documentary, I thoroughly enjoyed both Chris Carosa's investigation and the delightful way in which it was presented." Liz Petty, Creator - culinarymysteries.net

Enjoy an excerpt

Hiram P. Hopkins woke up Friday morning to threatening skies. The skies didn’t bother him. After the last nine months, nothing more could bother him. It was the last day of the annual Erie County Fair. He had accomplished much, despite his apparent youth. Why should that have surprised anyone?

He inhaled a deep satisfying breath of the moist morning air. For a moment, Hiram’s mind drifted back to another morning nine months earlier. “The Erie County Agricultural Society held its annual meeting at Kopp’s Hotel, Abbott’s Corners, Wednesday, Jan. 21st. H.P. Hopkins of Buffalo was elected president.” He remembered reading that in The Buffalo Commercial the previous January. He was but twenty-nine years old when the Society tapped him to replace long-time president John Kraus...

Walking the fairgrounds under darkening skies before the gates opened that Friday morning, Hiram surveyed the vast expanse of his accomplishment. All around the grounds he saw happy faces beneath the many vendor tents and booths that dotted the landscape. As a result of Thursday’s dense crowds, they were no doubt flush with cash. If they were worried about the chance of rain, they didn’t show it.

As Hiram neared the now-finished grandstand, he did spy upon two dour faces. These were the Ohio brothers. A few years younger than he was, Hiram took a natural liking to them. He wandered over to their tent to see what troubled them.

“Mr. Hopkins,” began the older brother, “we’ve sold out of sausage for our sandwiches. Do you know where we could buy more?”

Hiram reflected for a moment. He felt a raindrop touch him. He knew exactly who the boys should go to.

It may have seemed inconsequential at the time, but, in that instant, Hiram P. Hopkins’ answer would forever change mankind in a way that continues to touch nearly every man, woman, and child in the world today… 

More books by the author

About Christopher Carosa

Christopher Carosa was born on the third floor of Mercy Hospital in Buffalo, New York on a hot summer morning in mid-July, 1960. Barely a Kindergartner, he and his younger brother produced a daily newspaper (for just one day, and mainly as an excuse to type on their mother's vintage typewriter). He conducted his first public reading in first grade at the age of six, where he read a story he wrote about "Herbie the Helicopter" (sort of like "the little train that could" except with rotors instead of wheels). 

Later, as a teenage rebel who detested all things literature and English class, he once joined with a small band of classmates in tenth grade who refused a class assignment to read a novel and write an analysis of it. The teacher gave each of the renegade students a stern choice: "either do the assignment or write your own novel." While all his friends bowed to their instructor and did the assignment, Mr. Carosa held firm. He wrote his first novel "Armageddon" (a geo-political sci-fi epic set in the not-so-distant future). His teacher gave him an "A" and went so far as to suggest the budding scientist might have a dual career as a writer a la Isaac Asimov. 

The young Carosa laughed at the suggestion, but remained a closet author, coming out rarely and when it was least expected. He agreed to serve as treasurer of his high school literary magazine Equinox, but only if the editors agreed to publish his sophomoric send-up of Star Trek. They reluctantly acceded to his demands. He went on to oversee a then record-breaking sale of the flimsy carbon-copy annual, mostly by offering to personally autograph every copy sold ("You never know," he told unsuspecting buyers, "I might be famous some day.") 

Despite his best efforts, such as organizing a union of AP English Students (U.A.P.E.S.) and leading a "strike" where the entire class skipped one day, he passed his English classes. He found his antics fared no better in college, where his mocking essays failed to incite the professor, who instead enjoyed them for their "change of pace." 

Now a full-fledged adult, Carosa began writing in earnest the last few weeks of his college career. With hours of computer time left in his account and his senior thesis complete, he spent his remaining time using an archaic word processor to create entertaining tidbits for his friends. 

And that was it. 

The author within him went into hiding. He still wrote, but no one knew. He accumulated pages and pages, then floppy disks and floppy disks and then finally hard drives full of creative content. Some of it will never see the light of day (and probably shouldn't). Some of it you see here and will continue to see. 

Follow the author on the following sites...

Website   Facebook   Twitter   Goodreads   Amazon

Follow the tour

I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own.

NOW FOR THE AUTHOR'S GIVEAWAY !!

Win a SIGNED BOOK!!!
Ending on Sunday 9th June at 11.59pm EST

Open Worldwide

Enter Below & Good Luck !!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you a book reviewer or book blogger? Join our book tours reviewers team - Apply Here x

Current book tours open for sign ups HERE

The Resurrection of Hannah Book Spotlight

'An unforgettable story of self-discovery, friendship, love beyond time and the resiliency of the human spirit.'

Samantha Clark is fast approaching a crossroads in her life, she just doesn't know it yet. In her late thirties, single, and caught up in the hustle of everyday life, she is disenchanted with her predictable lifestyle as a psychotherapist on the west coast of Florida. Sammi begins to experience troubling physical symptoms and turns to alternative medicine in her quest for answers. Through experimentation and curiosity, startling events begin to unfold, revealing a dream world where she becomes transfixed by an overpowering spiritual connection. This unlikely teacher shows Sammi how to move beyond her physical self, to be open to other levels of existence, to break free from the emotional bonds that hold her back. 

As an exciting relationship blossoms in her present life, Sammi stumbles upon a centuries-old past, forcing her to examine personal beliefs as she struggles to stay adrift in both worlds. Held spellbound by her extraordinary history, she retraces her past life, discovering that it holds the key to her current dilemmas. She soon becomes entangled in a mysterious murder from which there is no turning back. Sammi must now solve the crime in order to cut the cord that binds her to a long-ago past, freeing her at last to live fully in the present. 

Kathryne Arnold has interweaved themes of the paranormal with the current realities of everyday life, creating a complexly rich psychological tale. The Resurrection of Hannah is an unforgettable story of self-discovery, friendship, love beyond time and the resiliency of the human spirit.

Available to buy from...

Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Nook   Kobo   GPlay   Paperback   Hardback

Also available in the Samantha Clark Mystery Series

The Fear of Things to Come

'Their mission to unravel the mystery behind the kidnapping plunges them into a terrifying maze of danger, deception, and madness.

The DSM. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. A voluminous, invaluable tool used by psychotherapists the world over to diagnose individuals with mental illness. Referenced by Samantha Clark countless times throughout her career, never suspecting that one day it would save her life. 

Samantha receives a seemingly innocent but anonymous letter, and overnight her world changes forever. She becomes a victim in a frightening game of cat-and-mouse, a nightmare that begins when her boyfriend, Todd, fails to return to the wellness retreat they own in the woods of Florida. Working closely with police, Samantha and two trusted friends discover that Todd’s disappearance is linked to a series of murders occurring in a nearby county. They soon find themselves prey to a mentally ill patient from Samantha’s past, bent on revenge. With time bearing down, they must weave together the clues found in a succession of ominous letters and the DSM to save Todd. Their mission to unravel the mystery behind the kidnapping plunges them into a terrifying maze of danger, deception, and madness.

ebook 0.99 for a limited time!

Available to buy from...

Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Paperback 

Free on Kindle Unlimited

About the author

I was raised in the northeastern United States, in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and resided in a half-dozen homes or towns throughout my growing up years. My father was a reverend with a flourishing career, moving the family to various parishes as his calling dictated, which I view in a positive light as I was exposed to different communities and lifestyles. After graduating from high school at the age of seventeen, I shook off my less worldly roots when I moved with my father to Massachusetts, a seemingly more sophisticated and progressive state. It was there that I embarked on a learning journey, thrilled at living so close to the sea in the artsy and historic fishing village of Gloucester, the hex signs and covered bridges soon a fond memory. 

Thrilled to begin college in New England, I jumped in with both feet and managed to excel in biological and psychological studies, despite majoring in dating. Throughout my school years, I dabbled in poetry and short stories, purely for personal self-expression. I experimented with a couple of creative writing classes, but never pursued my secret desire of a writing career, feeling the vocation was too self-indulgent, not sensible enough for my German blood. I remained focused on psychology and received a Bachelor of Arts degree, upon which I secured my very first “real” job as a Senior Psychiatric Counselor at a group home for adults with mental illness. Wanting to further my learning, I attended Suffolk University in Beacon Hill in Boston, and graduated two years later, obtaining a Masters degree in Counseling and Human Relations. 

Soon afterward, feeling weighed down by too many sunless days and frigid winters, I decided to move to a much lighter state, and settled in bustling Pinellas County in southwestern Florida. Over the next twenty years I concentrated further on my work in counseling and social services and became a licensed practitioner. During these years, my career included being a social services director for a nursing center, program manager for a rehabilitation agency, social services consultant for nursing centers, program director of an Alzheimer’s unit, and a hospice counselor. 

Several years ago, due to a deep longing to express my feelings in an alternative manner, I literally sat down one day and began writing my first novel. The resultant book, The Resurrection of Hannah, (published in 2011) had been born out of a series of powerful dreams, along with compelling and coexisting experiences that inspired me to create a story that would capture the strength of my emotions. I had a yearning to shape a tale based around individuals in my life that I believed would make engaging characters. I had a strong desire to experience a higher level of creativity, to literally produce something out of nothing– a fascinating and challenging endeavor I could not ignore. It was during this time that I moved to Houston for three years, where I started a private practice as a psychotherapist and became a certified clinical hypnotherapist. 

But I grew “antsy” as my father used to say and decided to move back to friends and family in Florida and worked again at the local Hospice, then more recently in community and private mental health. Once bitten by the writing bug, I could not help but pen my second work of fiction, The Fear of Things to Come, published in the summer of 2012. I am now in the process of writing another novel in what I consider a unique collection of adventure stories, the third in the Samantha Clark Mystery Series.

 

Follow the author on the following sites...

Facebook   Twitter   Pinterest   Goodreads   Amazon  

Follow the tour

Are you a book reviewer or book blogger? Join our book tours reviewers team - Apply Here x

Current book tours open for sign ups HERE