| | Published January 21st, 2008
| Mysterious California: Book Discussion Series
| | By Sophie Braccini |  | | Photo courtesy of the authors
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Mystery books attract readers of all ages. The excitement of a well written mystery novel, the mind puzzle and the often colorful characters create a cocktail that's hard to resist. Lamorinda mystery fans are invited to step up to the bar; the Moraga library will offer the "Mysterious California book discussion series." The four month long program will feature 4 California authors who have set their mysteries in the Golden State.
The program starts on January 29th with the screening of a documentary introducing the writers and their work. The movie will be presented at both 1 p.m. and 7 p.m; it invites readers on a visual journey through the California landscapes of the four crime novels and on an exploration of universal themes: the love of land, the importance of knowing personal and social history, the desire for truth and justice, and the power of place to inspire story.
"The four mysteries chosen for this program represent a cross-section of crime fiction spawned by California's locales," says librarian Nancy Herrera, who is coordinating the program in Moraga, "the writers and novels in the new program cover a large terrain geographically, historically, and culturally."
The first featured author is a San Francisco favorite, Laurie King, and her selected mystery is "The Art of Detection."
Next up is Kirk Russell, author of "Shell Games," a mystery staged along the Northern Coast of California. "My novel, Shell Games, that's part of the library program is set largely along the north coast with an abalone poaching angle," says Russell, "I knew I wanted to write the land into the story and when I heard about Fish and Game's undercover team the idea of writing a fictional patrol lieutenant running that unit seemed a perfect fit." Russell grew up in Orinda and spent a lot of time outdoors. His other two novels also revolve around poaching plots; one is set in the Sierras and the other in the delta.
The third author featured at the library is Nina Revoyr, Southern California author for her novel "Southland." The Japanese-American author pictures love and murder in the 40, 60 and 90's in this riveting L.A. tale. The last author is Nadia Gordon, who situates her mystery "Sharpshooter" in the Napa Valley.
"We are not sure yet that all the authors will be able to come to our book discussions," says Herrera, "they will be featured the 3rd Thursday of the month, starting on February 19th with The Art of Detection." As with the introductory movie, the discussions will be held twice, in the afternoon at 1 p.m., and in the evening at 7 p.m.
Both Kirk Russell and Nadia Gordon confirmed that they would be coming for their book discussion. The library has already ordered many copies of the first novel and they will be available shortly.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA