Sara Paretsky

This crime-fiction author has earned her nut -- many times over -- with her V.I. Warshawski series (which, as few of you will recall, was turned into a stink bomb of a movie starring Kathleen Turner in 1991). Paretsky's taken an odd, but welcome, turn in the last few years, first with her excellent essay collection Writing in an Age of Silence and now with Bleeding Kansas, a hard-hitting novel set in her hometown of Lawrence and crawling with touchy subjects such as civil rights, gay rights, and religious freedom. No detectives in heels here, just a fine, tough read. She'll sign copies of Kansas at this appearance.
Thu., Jan. 3, 7 p.m., 2008