We will be hosting an author talk with true crime author, Mara Leveritt, on Tuesday, November 2^nd at 7:00 PM at the Benton Event Center.  

This will be Leveritt’s first appearance in Saline County since publishing her book, Boys on the Tracks: Death, Denial, and a Mother’s Crusade to Bring Her Son’s Killers to Justice about the events surrounding the deaths of Saline County teenagers Kevin Ives and Don Henry.  

Leveritt is a true crime author who has been awarded two Worthen prizes, a Laman Fellowship, a Porter Prize, and has been inducted into the Arkansas Writers’ Hall of Fame.  

At the event, Leveritt will be discussing her newest book, All Quiet at Mena, which is a timely examination of one of the drug war’s most secretive battles. The synopsis from the official press release is as follows: 

“Barry Seal, the infamous cocaine smuggler, once called laundering money—in ‘sums of up to $10 million to $20 million at a time’—an integral part of his organization. At the height of his drug-running career, Seal hid his aircraft at the remote airport in Mena, Arkansas. When he was finally caught and “turned,” he became one of the most valuable informants in DEA history. But by then, the U.S. attorney for western Arkansas had already begun an investigation into how Seal’s money was being laundered. The move was smart, a valuable way of attacking drug dealers—but it became a problem. All Quiet at Mena examines the long-buried investigations in Arkansas.”

Leveritt will also be answering questions, submitted beforehand, about Boys on the Tracks along with her book about the West Memphis Three, Devil’s Knot. Questions can be submitted here. Following her author talk, Leveritt will be signing copies of her books. All Quiet at Mena will be available for purchase at the event. We will also have a limited number of copies available for checkout at both of our locations.  

True crime fans also have the opportunity to join our first-ever True Crime Book Club!

Beginning in November, the Book Club will meet on the first Saturday of every month at 1:00 PM at the Bryant branch. Their first meeting will center around A Murder in Searcy by Deana Hamby Nall and Mike Allen. This book recounts the 1974 murder of Fern Cowen Rodgers, wife of Dr. Porter Rodgers, which shocked the state and made headlines nationwide. Nall will be in attendance at this meeting.  

For the December meeting of the True Crime Book Club, Leveritt will be there to discuss her books with the club.  

Saline County Library-hosted events do not necessarily constitute or imply an endorsement.