"The Mystery Novel as a Reflection of Its Time" with Mark Schenker.

Start the new year with the Friends of Scranton Library in conjunction with the Connecticut Humanities Council, who have invited professor Mark Schenker to lead book discussions for a popular series entitled: "The Mystery Novel as a Reflection of its Time." The series covers mysteries written between 1868 and 1997 and includes a variety of authors: two men and two women, two Brits and Two Americans.

The series if free and open to the public. Come to one or come to all four.
Registration is suggested: call the Scranton Library at203-245-7365 or register online.

Wednesday, January 20: 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
The Moonstone (1868) by Wilkie Collins
Generally considered the first detective novel in the English language, this 19th-century British epistolary novel developes the story through intimate letters written by the characters.

Wednesday, February 3: 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Red Harvest (1920) by Dashiell Hammett
Hammett based this story on his own experiences in Butte, Montana as a Pinkerton agent. Time Magazine included Red Harvest in its TIME 100 Best English Language Novels form 1923-2005.

Wednesday, February 17: 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
The Nine Tailors (1934) by Dorothy L. Sayers
Lord Peter not only rings one of eight church bells in a record-setting series of sound patterns called "changes," but also uses his knowledge of bell-ringing to solve a 20-year-old mystery involving a stolen emerald necklace.

Wednesday, March 3: 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Unnatural Exposure (1997) by Patricia Cornwell
Exposing the luridly fascinating world of Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Cornwell delivers the goods her fans love best. Moving from serial dismemberment to a high-tech virus that threatens a pox-like epidemic, this eighth appearance of the compulsive forensics pathologist who is Virginia's Medical Examiner and a consultant to the FBI takes readers from Dublin to Richmond, Va.