Black to speak to Friends of the Pine Island Library
Southwest Florida author Lisa Black will speak at the Pine Island Elks Lodge, Thursday, April 16, as part of the Friends of the Pine Island Library meet the author luncheon. Lunch will be served at noon and conclude at 2 p.m.
Black said she spent the happiest five years of her life in a morgue. After 10 years as a secretary, she went back to school to get a bachelor’s degree in biology from Cleveland State University. In her job as a forensic scientist at the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office in Cleveland, Ohio, she analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes.
Black had her life sorted out just the way she liked it until her husband got fed up with Cleveland snow and moved them to Florida, 1,400 miles away from her family and her career. Not that she’s bitter or anything. Now she works as a latent print examiner for the city of Cape Coral Police Department, working mostly with fingerprints and crime scenes.
Black has lectured at writers’ conventions and appeared on panels. In her life as a writer, she’s a member of Sisters In Crime, Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. In her life as a forensic specialist, she’s a member of the American Academy of Forensic Scientists, the International Association for Identification, the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts and is certified by the American Board of Criminalistics. She has had over 741 hours of instruction in forensic topics and has testified in over 50 trials.
Her latest book, “Close to the Bone,” hits forensic scientist Theresa MacLean where it hurts, bringing death and destruction to the one place where she should feel the most safe ? the medical examiner’s office in Cleveland, Ohio, where she has worked for the past 15 years of her life. Theresa returns in the wee hours after working a routine crime scene, only to find the body of one of her deskmen slowly cooling with the word “Confess” written in his blood. His partner is missing and presumed guilty, but Theresa isn’t so sure. The body count begins to rise but for once these victims aren’t strangers ? they are Theresa’s friends and colleagues, and everyone in the building, herself included, has a place on the hit list.
The cost for lunch and the meeting is $12 per person. Lunch is provided by Little Lily’s Island Deli. You may also attend without lunch for $5.
If you are interested in attending this luncheon/lecture, contact Joy Veatch at 239-989-1840 or joy-veatch@gmail.com Check out Black’s website at www.lisa-black.com