Charis welcomes Lily Charles for a celebration of Murder at the Book Fair at our Indies First Celebration! Libby and Charlene will chat with readers, take photos, and sign books in person at Charis Books and More. No reservation or ticket required.
When booksellers Molly O’Donnell and Emma Clarke set up at the Antiquarian Book Fair in St. Petersburg, Florida, the last thing they expect to find is a dead body. When respected book dealer Jasper Ross shows interest in Emma’s most valuable books, she is jubilant. But then, Jasper is found dead—and Emma’s books he borrowed have disappeared. Then booksellers at the book fair find many of their high-end illustrated volumes missing, then returned—with their color plates cut out. Who would do such a thing? Molly and Emma join forces with Stewart, a transgender print dealer, to get to the bottom of Jasper’s murder and the destruction of the books. Their investigation takes them from antique shops in Old Florida coastal towns to the home of Carmen, a flamboyant, small-time drug dealer and former flame of Molly’s. Are the book dealers all what they seem? As they investigate, Molly and Emma find their relationship developing into more than friendship. But will they live to enjoy it?
Lily Charles is the pen name of Charlene Ball and Libby Ware.
Charlene Ball is the author of DARK LADY: A NOVEL OF EMILIA BASSANO LANYER (She Writes Press, 2017), winner of the Sarton Award from Story Circle. She has published short stories and articles in academic and literary journals. She has worked as a college administrator and instructor. She is a member of the Atlanta Writers Club and the Georgia Writers Association. She is a fellow of the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences. She sells books with her wife Libby Ware. Charlene and Libby married in 2016 and live about a mile from each other in Atlanta.
Libby Ware’s debut novel LUM was an American Library Association Stonewall Honor Book, a gold winner of the IPPY award and was shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award. She is the owner of Toadlily Books, an antiquarian book business. She is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and is president of the Georgia Antiquarian Booksellers Association (GABA). She belongs to the Atlanta Writers Club and the Georgia Writers Association, and is a fellow of The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences. She lives in Atlanta and is married to Charlene Ball.
When booksellers Molly O'Donnell and Emma Clarke set up at the Antiquarian Book Fair in St. Petersburg, Florida, the last thing they expect to find is a dead body. When respected book dealer Jasper Ross shows interest in Emma's most valuable books, she is jubilant. But then, Jasper is found dead-and Emma's books he borrowed have disappeared.
Based in Atlanta, Georgia the world of antiquarian and collectible bookselling is exposed as a hotbed of collectors and booksellers who will do almost anything to score that perfect collectible book. Emma and Molly find themselves in the middle of both a murder, and an occult cult, as they pursue their work and each other in a delightfully twisted, intriguing puzzle.