Whether true crime stories, literary fiction, or cozy mysteries, if you’re interested in the subject of murder in Wisconsin then you might be interested in the new books by five of the authors coming to the Fox Cities Book Festival this October 8-14.
Death in a Pink Cadillac: The Door County Special. The latest Rhiannon Nolan mystery by Kathy Buchen Beson who is the author of eight novels in this cozy mystery series. Kathy Buchen Beson is a native of the Fox Valley and is the Supervising Librarian in the Children’s Room at Elisha D. Smith Public Library in Menasha, where she has worked for the past 26 years. In her new book, the Lucy and Ethel of crime fighters, Rhi and Didi work to solve the murder of Frantastic Fran, the owner of a cosmetics empire who ends up dead in her pink Cadillac. Meet Kathy Buchen Beson on October 10, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Neenah Public Library or October 11 at 10 am at the Neenah Public Library. “Booked for Murder!”
Eleven Miles to Oshkosh by Jim Guhl is a novel set in 1970s Wisconsin where a teenage boy comes of age as he deals with the unsolved murder of his father. The book will be released from University of Wisconsin Press on October 2. Minnow Fenick’s small world in Wisconsin blows up when his father, a deputy sheriff, is murdered by the “Highway 41 Killer” and Larry Buskin beats him up behind Neenah High. When the sheriff is in no hurry to solve the murder, Minnow seeks justice and discovers his own courage and allies to find justice. Jim Guhl grew up in the Fox Valley in the 1960s and 70s and now lives in Hudson, Wisconsin. He will be at the Neenah Public Library on October 10, 2018 at 1:30 pm.
Murder in Wisconsin: The Clara Olson Case by Larry Scheckel is a recent release about a 1926 case love, betrayal, and murder. A pretty devout Norwegian Lutheran farm girl who met Erdman Olson, a smooth-talking college lad at a church picnic. When she finds herself in the family way, Olson proposes and they plan to elope but she disappears. Well documented yet with a suspenseful storyline, Scheckel will focus on his forthcoming book, the second in a series, I Wondered About That, Too: 111 Questions and Answers about Science and Stuff. He will be presenting to elementary schools during the Fox Cities Book Festival and generating enthusiasm for science because it’s fun. Larry is a retired science teacher from Tomah, Wisconsin.
Gavin Schmitt is another Fox Cities author who is also a librarian like Kathy Buchen. Gavin Schmitt is the go-to expert on organized crime in Wisconsin. His latest book, Murder Capital, chronicles the history of Madison during the roaring Twenties and Prohibition. Rumrunners, speakeasies, and makeshift stills. Thousands of Ku Klux Klansmen marched in the streets, chanting and burning crosses. The murder rate in Madison was the highest in the country. Come hear him speak on October 11, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Kaukauna Public Library.
Reclaiming Lives: Pursuing Justice for Six Innocent Men by Joan Treppa is a social justice advocate for the wrongfully convicted and lives in Minnesota. Some may recall the 1992 death of paper mill worker Tom Monfils at the James River paper mill in Green Bay submerged in a pulp vat. Six men were wrongly convicted for his death. Joan Treppa will be speaking on October 11, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Neenah Public Library. “A Matter of Facts, The Tom Monfils Case Revisited.”
