Rick Davidson and Bill Thompson are photographing New Hampshire cemeteries and gravesites for "Buried New Hampshire, Historical Graves of New Hampshire's Famous, Infamous and the Odd and Unusual".
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Author of thrillers and mysteries that take place in the North Woods of New Hampshire and historical stories
Link to: Visit Buried New Hampshire on YouTube for Rick and Bill's visits to some of the gravesites featured in their up- coming book, Buried New Hampshire"
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Rick Davidson and Bill Thompson are now working on
"Buried New Hampshire" Stories of New Hampshire’s Dead, (America Through Time Series, Fonthill Media)
From the colonial seacoast to the White Mountains to the Great North Woods, New Hampshire burial grounds vary from urban park-like cemeteries to simple family plots. One might find a single lonely marker hidden deep in the back woods with nothing to suggest that anyone ever lived nearby. Each tombstone has its own story. All tell of the past and may speak of heroic deeds, heartfelt emotions, or great tragedies. Personal histories often become forgotten, but some survive in local lore, and some are reputed to be haunted. To create "Buried New Hampshire, Historical Graves of New Hampshire's Famous, Infamous and the Odd and Unusual," authors and photographers Rick Davidson and Bill Thompson spent a year investigating fascinating legends, following clues, and photographing granite state cemeteries. What they found is contained in this intriguing book. For example, Hemmingway's Paris wife and actor Claude Rains are buried in cemeteries near Rick's and Bill's homes. Original white settlers, black people both respected as citizens and enslaved people, native Americans, heroes, murder victims, murderers, and famous historical personage can be found in New Hampshire's final resting places. Veterans of every war going as far back as the earliest colonial conflicts with Native Americans, the French and Indian War, and the Revolutionary War are among those lying beneath New Hampshire's soil. Engraved names, epitaphs, artistic cryptology on tombstones, and memorial monuments can't help but pique one's imagination. These things trigger a desire to learn more about those remembered in stone. This book is the product of extensive research and evocative location photography throughout New Hampshire. Well-known personalities in New Hampshire folklore and some who lie in their final resting place shrouded in mystery come alive in this book. Rick and Bill have a long history of roaming New Hampshire together, fly-fishing for native fish, exploring, and photographing historic and natural beauty. During their travels, they have been exposed to and developed insights into the legends and history of New Hampshire. Cemeteries and gravestones often point the way to the weird, the unusual, the sad, the affectionate, the courageous, the fortunate, the unfortunate, the criminal, and even the humorous. "Buried New Hampshire, Historical Graves of New Hampshire's Famous, Infamous and the Odd and Unusual" is not only for those who love New Hampshire but those who love good stories.
"Don't start reading one of Rick Davidson"s books late in the day or you will be up all night."
"All three of Rick's books are 4 star books."
"His books should be made into movies"
"I have all three, I can't wait for the next one."
"I love local writers. Rick Davidson is one of the best I have found"
Mountain Lion Sightings- Interview in the "Conway Dail Sun" January 25, 2025
"The Silencing" By Rick Davidson
Free
A Short Story that takes off where "Catamount Unleashed" ends.
It might or might not turn out to be the start of my next book. In any case it is free and it will introduce you to new locales and to some of the characters from all three of my books.
Get your free copy. Just send me your email address and I will send you your copy of "The Silencing".
Support your local booksellers. My books are available at all bookstores: "White Birch Books", "North Country Angler" and
"Country Bookseller" in the Mt. Washington Valley, NH area.
Bowdoin College Book Store
OrderNow
5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting page turner Reviewed in Germany on January 23, 2020 Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase Rick Davidson has surpassed himself with his latest saga. I was intrigued to see if he could spin a third gripping yarn around the Catamount. His website warns his books will keep you up late. Well, this one certainly did – I reluctantly put my down tablet at nearly 2 a.m. after romping straight through to Chapter 50, determined to save the remaining story to enjoy later that morning. The story centres on the now-familiar Stillwater Lodge in a vivid setting invoked by an author who clearly loves his native New Hampshire. Davidson breathes life into the locals – some of whom we know well – and two families on holiday, who after getting to know each other while starting to enjoy their holiday, find time during lulls in the action for some insightful discussions on relationships, society and life. When the catamount first strikes, local authorities are alerted. As the growing threat becomes apparent, the adults and children, separated due to their holiday activities, each team up to brave the elusive but seemingly ubiquitous catamount, enduring a number of adventures and setbacks and initially unaware of an even greater peril in the form of an ominous and ruthless troop of what appear to be government agents who are intent, inexplicably, on rounding them all up. As the page-turning pace ramps up, the author skillfully juggles several fast-developing story lines where the protagonists realise that since the catamount threat is more menacing and far-reaching than they could ever have imagined, ultimately posing an existential threat, they must pool their resourcefulness and cunning in a desperate bid to prevent its impact reaching far beyond the borders of picturesque New England to the very centre of government power itself… Being a Limey, I had to look up a couple of words and phrases - but I am certainly looking forward to the next one! |
It shouldn't be there but.......Near a remote lodge in northern New Hampshire,
an old Abenaki curse is reactivated and the terror of a man-killing catamount is released into the otherwise idyllic environs. A ruthless attempt to suppress all information about the mountain lion threatens the guides at the lodge and their guests, but help comes from an unlikely source. The Publisher 5.0 out of 5 stars Great read! Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2020 Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase A great book to spend an evening with next to the fire of on the front porch of fishing lodge. If you love the great north woods of New Hampshire or Maine you will want to read this book. |
Instagram: About the Author:
Rick Davidson is a retired public school teacher, and award winning professional photographer and sometime guitar player. For many years Rick wrote a popular photo tips newspaper column and operated Davidson Photography and Video along with his wife Jane. He holds a BA from Bowdoin College in philosophy with a minor in English Literature. Rick and his wife have traveled extensively throughout Europe and lived near Stuttgart Germany for over eight years. They now enjoy their rural home in Freedom New Hampshire. Rick's first novel "Catamount A North Country Thriller" ISBN 978-0-9793778-3-9 is a regional best seller that takes place in the author's home state. His second novel "Murder at Stillwater Lodge" ISBN 978-0-9839367-8-7 is a thrilling mystery story featuring the same locales and some of the characters who appeared in "Catamount". Just released, "Catamount Unleashed" ISBN 978-1-930149-42-7 reveals the unexplained appearance of catamounts in the north country of New Hampshire. Instagram: rickdavidsonbooks
Rick Davidson is a retired public school teacher, and award winning professional photographer and sometime guitar player. For many years Rick wrote a popular photo tips newspaper column and operated Davidson Photography and Video along with his wife Jane. He holds a BA from Bowdoin College in philosophy with a minor in English Literature. Rick and his wife have traveled extensively throughout Europe and lived near Stuttgart Germany for over eight years. They now enjoy their rural home in Freedom New Hampshire. Rick's first novel "Catamount A North Country Thriller" ISBN 978-0-9793778-3-9 is a regional best seller that takes place in the author's home state. His second novel "Murder at Stillwater Lodge" ISBN 978-0-9839367-8-7 is a thrilling mystery story featuring the same locales and some of the characters who appeared in "Catamount". Just released, "Catamount Unleashed" ISBN 978-1-930149-42-7 reveals the unexplained appearance of catamounts in the north country of New Hampshire. Instagram: rickdavidsonbooks
"A Real Page Turner" "Incredible read, could hardly put it down. Was late for work, as I couldn't stop reading it." Order Now Man's sacrilegious infringements on Nature's delicate balance calls down a forgotten Indian curse and releases a raging mountain lion, a catamount in the North Woods. This creature is not supposed to be there and is not supposed to prey on humans, but two young children and their dog pick up its trail behind an isolated summer camp not far from the Canadian border. The children do not return and a search and rescue party sets out after them, but the rampages of the malevolent ghostlike cat hinders their efforts and a violent storm sets off a serious forest fire in the tinder-dry forest. "The definition of a good all-night thriller"- New Hampshire Outdoor Gazatte "Just when you thought it was safe to go into the woods" -Rebecca Rule Review by Peter Sherman: "New Hampshire Sentinel Source" Listed in Laura Knoy's NHPR's 2008 Holiday Books Amazon Reviews: "Love a good tale. The NH setting was a draw and the characters were believable. Can't wait to read another Rick Davidson book." "Great outdoors thriller, along the lines of Peter Benchley's great summertime classic, "Jaws". Suspenseful, keeps you reading until late at night. I enjoyed this book very much." "Fast-paced action, cast of fascinating, believable characters and more twists and turns than a North Country fishing stream. Davidson captures the feel of Northern New England like few writes I've encountered. Particularly like his keen ear for Yankee dialect. A real page-turner and fun read." "Awesome thriller that I couldn't put down! Rick's writing style, knowledge of the outdoors and the New Hampshire north country combine to make this a must read." "It is said that writers should write about what they know and love. Rick Davidson has clearly done this with his thriller set in northern New Hampshire. The opening chapters set the scene, develop characters - both North Country 'characters' and tourists - and evoke the atmosphere of rural New England. Slowly, the threat of the catamount is revealed - and the tension mounts. Once the action really gets going, the pace is relentless and the story takes many twists and turns. But Catamount is not just a thrilling story told so well it is unputdownable. On a deeper level, it questions the relationship between humankind and nature. The back matter says the author is working on a second novel. Can't wait!" "Although the last official mountain lion sighting in New Hampshire was a hundred years ago, every local hunter/fisherman in the North Woods has tales of seeing sinewy forms slipping through the evening shadows at a hunting camp or finding huge feline spoors in some remote creek bed. Author Davidson, a North Country 'local' according to his bio, has crafted a tightly woven thriller about a vacationing family suddenly trapped in nature gone berserk with a cast of supporting characters right out of the Granite State, an ancient Indian curse, a raging inferno and a huge cat out of place and time. It's great fun and a real page-turner." "There have been a lot of sightings of mountain lions (also known as catamounts in the northeastern United States) in northern New England, particularly in the White Mountains and along the Canadian border. There is prime habitat for this type of carnivore who requires a wide range and plenty of prey. Out West, big cats have attacked livestock and, occasionally, humans. Would the Fish and Game department be prepared to deal with a man-killer during the active tourist season? Davidson's plot presents an action-packed scenario that moves along quickly when such a chain of events is set in motion, including a dramatic forest fire, just to make things more interesting." "An Indian curse, two lost kids, a silent predator run amok, and a forest fire make this book an adrenaline rush. The Surgeon General would say, "If you are pregnant, or hope to become pregnant, or have back problems or heart problems reading this book could cause serious health risks." Read it, anyway, then wait for the movie. NOT a bedtime read for kids." "This is a fantastic book. Full of suspense, many interesting characters, and lots of local NH flavor woven into the story. Fast-paced and frightening! I highly recommend it." |
"The apparition itself could only see in black and white, but its vision of the unaware deer is sharp and precise. One doe, feeding only twenty feet away, does not appear spooked by the abnormal silence, nor is she cognizant of her impending fate. A muted purring replaces the silence. This sound is unknown to the doe. Frozen for a moment, her head lifted, the doe stares. With no reason to bolt, she resumes feeding. The silence returns and then the wind rustles the grass. It is too late. As the doe turns, a black tail lashes out and the dark apparition springs".
Photos by Rick Davidson |
Rick Davidson has also created a dynamic slide show on mountain lions sightings in New England. This presentation has been well received at many venues ranging from Trout Unlimited to public libraries, assisted living organizations, and bookstores.Book Now
"Murder At Stillwater Lodge" Roger Harris, a guest at Stillwater Lodge in northern New Hampshire, is violently killed at the start of a holiday weekend. Powerful spring storms wash out access roads and isolate the fly fishing enthusiasts and married alternative lifestyle couples gathered at the lodge. A flood of accidents and murders plunge them into murky waters, but the bold proprietors attempt to unravel the mystery and curb the violence. Retired Fish and Game Officer Rob Schurman and local curmudgeon Ike Roberts are at the heart of it all as this exciting story shifts gears from a whodunit to a thriller in fictional Clifford, New Hampshire (also the setting of Davidson’s “Catamount: A North Country Thriller”). Once again all is not as it seems in the peaceful, idyllic lakes and woods of the North Country. Order Now "The author knows the North Country of New Hampshire. Once you start, you can't put this book down." Stephen L. Smith author of "Ronin of the Sea" Amazon Reviews: "Great Read" "Loved the Book" "Swingers and fly fishing all in one book. It doesn't get any better than this. "Woman Fly fisher and swinger, I met on the river.
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Literally Speaking an Interview with author Rick Davidson conducted by Jennifer Spofford. Rick talks but writing.
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Published by Beech River Books Available through: Beech River Books Catamount Unleashed Murder at Stillwater Lodge Catamount A North Country Thriller Catamount A North Country Thriller on Amazon Murder At Stillwater Lodge on Amazon Catamount Unleashed on Amazon Available at bookstores including White Birch Books The Country Book Seller North Country Angler Bowdoin College Bookstore |
Contact Rick Davidson
[email protected] Rick Davidson has also created a dynamic slide show on mountain lions sightings in New England. This presentation has been well received at many venues ranging from Trout Unlimited to public libraries, assisted living organizations, and bookstores.Book Now Show Description "Catamount Unleashed"
The mystery of how catamounts appeared in the North Country of New Hampshire is revealed What shouldn't have been there, was. |
