Jane Simon Ammeson

Ever since she started her own newspaper at age eight, selling it to neighbors who had no choice but to subscribe, Jane Simon Ammeson has loved to write. She’s now upped her game writing about travel, food, historic true crimes (yes, murders), and history for newspapers, magazines, and web sites.

She is the author of 15 books including the recently released How to Murder Your Wealthy Lovers and Get Away with It, a 19th century true crime story and Lincoln Road Trip: The Back-Roads Guide to America’s Favorite President  that was the Bronze award winner in the Travel Book category for the Lowell Thomas Journalism Competition.  

Ms. Ammeson writes a weekly food column for the Herald Palladium, the largest newspaper in Southwest Michigan and "Shelf Life," her weekly book column for The Times of Northwest Indiana, the second largest paper in the state with several south suburban Chicago editions.

Her home base is on the shores of Lake Michigan in Southwest Michigan.

Book Reviews by Jane Simon Ammeson

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“And I didn’t ask any questions,” the narrator of Nicola Solvinic’s debut mystery-thriller The Hunter’s Daughter, says in her first-person account of what it’s like having been raised by a

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Serious foodies have always raved about Tokyo’s fabulous food finds in a city where no matter the time of the place, there’s always a treat ready to be had.

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“the definitive book on Spanish cookery.”

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“For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.”

—Rudyard Kipling, from the poem “The Female of the Species.”

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a fascinating journey, and the recipes included help connect readers even more with the foods that Lohman chronicles . . .”

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“most importantly, Twitty reminds us that you don’t have to be Black or Jewish to love koshersoul.”

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“I tell other people's stories for a living.

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Always fascinated by photos, Lucy is eager to see her colleague’s snapshots from her honeymoon in the Maldives.

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Jane Dunn says she’s loved baking ever since she was young, watching in awe everything her grandmother did in the kitchen.

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Theodora “Teddy” Angstrom, a high school teacher dealing with the mysterious vanishing of her sister, Angie, ten years ago, is dealt another blow when her father drives his car off of a bridge on t

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“Whatever you cook or don’t cook, this book is a trip to the islands or islas of the world.”

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“This is Ashley Elston’s debut adult novel and it’s a real page turner, so good you hate to turn the last page.”

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Zero Days is a fast-paced book in which nothing is as it seems, and you never know who to trust.”

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Jane Dunn says she’s loved baking ever since she was young, watching in awe everything her grandmother did in the kitchen.

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Beautiful photos, pantry item suggestions, notes on language including the authors’ decision to use Iranian versus Persian, abbreviations noting whether a dish is vegetarian, vegan, and/or gluten-f

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this book works on many levels—as an entry into different cultures and kitchens and as a way to bring those foods into our home, making them our own.”

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“Peináo means ‘I’m hungry’ in Greek,” write Helena Moursellas and Vikki Moursellas, identical twins from Adelaide, South Australia, whose culinary passion goes back to the when their godmother spen

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“Smirnoff, who lives in Sweden, has done an excellent job, one that should reassure Larsson’s fans that the series is in good hands.”

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Two fraternity brothers taking a drunken joyride after too much Captain Morgan Spiced Rum crash their Jeep in the mountains of New Mexico on a freezing winter night.

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This is a pleasure of a cookbook full of great recipes . . .”

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more than just ingredients, it is an accumulation of knowledge, sourcing, collaboration, farms, orchards, fields, and artistry.”

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opens the door to what American cookery is—the coming together of cultures, identities, flavors, and tastes that celebrate what is probably one of the most diverse cuisine

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“Throughout these pages, I’m going to (politely) refute the claim that Southern food is all bad for you and hopefully breathe new life into some tired, worn-out notions,” writes Lauren McDuffie in

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A beautiful woman with a sordid past, Arabella Yarrington began her ascent into the highest levels of society from the depths of a ramshackle cabin in Alabama where she lived with her widowed mothe

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“This book is a compelling read as Angus is a clear, concise, and talented writer who makes even small facets of long ago lives fascinating.”

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Field’s Crossing in Northern Indiana is farm country, and in the winter, with the snow drifting across the open flat lands, a body lies hidden under a 15-foot pile of ice and snow.

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“The Green Book was more than just a road trip guide but a way of survival. Hall hopes that it’s history will live on.”

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“This lush book is beautiful to look at but also very easy to use.”

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Tapas—delicious tidbits served on tiny dishes that originally served as lids for glasses of wine or sherry—are meant to be just two mouthfuls and were until recently free for those ordering spirits

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For home chefs, this book can be enjoyed just for the recipes or, even for those who make reservations for dinner, as a travel guide and an entry into the food customs, in

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“the Oliviers’ recipes are easily accessible for home chefs wanting to recreate the foods South African cuisine without much fuss or difficulty . . .”

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Lisa Kingsley quotes the French gastronome Jean Antheime Brillat-Savarin who famously wrote “Just tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are,” in the introduction to her new book that cul

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“even if we never make these dishes of ancient times, Miller’s book is a fascinating read.”

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For those who love to dig deep into Tudor history, scandal, and intrigue, the Dudleys make a fascinating study of a family whose interactions from the first Tudor, Henry VII to the last, Elizabeth

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“Accompanied by color photos, many of her recipes are simple to make, elegant to look at, and flavorful.”

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A perfect ten, Bea is a woman who knows her own worth and is willing to employ her beauty to achieve her ultimate goal—marrying not just a rich man, but a mega-millionaire.

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“If you love to cook, are undaunted with unique ingredients, and want to capture the flavors of another land, accept the challenge and get cooking.”

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His mother-in-law has moved in with him, his young daughter has been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, his son’s school wants an ADD diagnosis, and his wife’s promotion to Chief Medical Ex

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With the grit and determination to overcome very similar hardscrabble backgrounds, Truman Capote and Ann Woodward both rose to pinnacles in New York’s glittering mid-century high society.

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“Noir land is always smoke and mirrors, and for those who like entering that world, be assured that Murphy is already at work on his next book.”

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Far from the marshland where her family grew up and that claimed her father’s life, Loni Mae Murrow has found a quiet niche where she creates intricate life-like drawings of birds for the Smithsoni

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True crime podcaster Rachel Krall arrives in Neapolis, a small resort town on the Atlantic Ocean, to cover the trial of Scott Blair—a local hero—a swimming star who may be destined for Olympic glor

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Returning to the flavors of his very earliest years, chef Peter Serpico was born in Seoul, Korea, and adopted when he was two.

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Can true Southern cuisine—think fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, and fried okra—be transformed into healthier fare without losing the flavors and tastes that make this

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A gifted linguistics professor who is fascinated by such extinct languages as Old Norse and Old Danish, Val Chesterfield is so frightened of the world that she has immured herself at the university

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Unless you’re deeply committed to a life of vegetables, phrases like plant-based can be a turnoff when it comes to menus and cookbooks.

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Twin sisters, once extremely close when growing up in an eccentric household with a demeaning and scolding mother, alcoholic grandfather, and absent father, are now separated by thousands of miles