Local Mystery Authors Gail Lukasik and Frances McNamara Participate in an Author Panel at Cook Park Library

The Cook Memorial Public Library District welcomes two popular mystery authors for a panel discussion regarding their respective books on Wednesday, November 14 at 7PM at the Cook Park Library. This free event is open to the public but registration is required. Call (847) 362-2330 or visit webres.cooklib.org to register.

Gail Lukasik is a local mystery author known for her popular Leigh Girard series. Her debut stand-alone mystery, The Lost Artist, is a fast-paced mystery thriller that shatters the very foundation of American history. The secret to finding one of the greatest lost art treasures of sixteenth-century America is hidden in four murals buried under layers of wallpaper and paint in an old farmhouse in southern Illinois. Beneath the layers of time lurks a truth worth killing for.

Besides writing novels, Lukasik continues to teach creative writing as an occasional guest lecturer at Roosevelt University in Chicago and at various venues throughout the Chicago area. She lives in Libertville with her husband. Anyone who purchases a copy of The Lost Artist receives a free copy of Death's Door while quantities last.

Frances McNamara, author of the Emily Cabot series, is described as a "mild mannered librarian by day, and a cold-blooded killer by night." Listen to her speak about her latest book, Death at Woods Hole. Exhausted after the tumult of the Pullman Strike of 1894, Emily Cabot is looking forward to a restful summer visit to Cape Cod. She has plans to collect "beasties" for the Marine Biological Laboratory, alongside other visiting scientists from the University of Chicago. But her summer takes a dramatic turn when she finds a dead man floating in a fish tank. In order to solve his murder she must first deal with dueling scientists, a testy local sheriff, the theft of a fortune, and uncooperative weather. This fourth book in the Emily Cabot Mysteries series will continue to delight history buffs and mystery lovers alike. Frances McNamara is a librarian at the University of Chicago. It was this job that led to the creation of Emily Cabot. In each story fictional characters mix with some real people from the turn of the century, demonstrating the rich history and culture of the thriving young American metropolis that Chicago was. When not tending the computers that run the library system or writing, McNamara can be found racing a Rhodes 19 sailboat on Lake Michigan.

Hear these local authors tell their stories including what motivated them to become writers. Books for signing will be available for purchase.