Novelist Owen Laukkanen had a storied start to his writing career. He answered an ad on Craigslist and became a reporter for pokerlistings.com. He spent three years traveling the world from one glamorous, high-stakes poker tournament to another. Laukkanen eventually left that position (to be honest, we’re still not sure why — celebrities, exotic locales, big-money gambling — what’s not to love?) and became a novelist. His first title, The Professionals, established Laukkanen as a gifted writer. That was three books ago.
Laukkanen’s latest thriller, The Stolen Ones, ventures into the dangerous and deadly world of human trafficking. Investigative team Kirk Stevens and Carla Windermere get called in when a Minnesota sheriff’s deputy is killed. A hysterical woman holding the deputy’s gun is found standing over the body. She speaks no English and, at first glance, seems to be guilty of murdering the deputy. As Stevens and Windermere investigate, they find nothing is what it seems.
Laukkanen is in town for a group discussion and signing session with Where All Light Tends to Go author David Joy. Novelists Bryon Quertermous and Duane Swierczynski also will be on hand to discuss and sign their latest books, Murder Boy and Canary respectively.
6:30 p.m. Murder by the Book, 2342 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-524-8597 or visit murderbooks.com. Free.
Fri., March 20, 6:30 p.m., 2015
This article appears in Mar 19-25, 2015.