Join us for an evening with bestselling thriller author Charlie Donlea, in a special multi-library event.

This in-person live presentation will be held at McHenry County College's Luecht Auditorium, on Wednesday, April 10 from 7 to 8 p.m. Registration is required. Donlea will discuss his work, including his 2023 release, Those Empty Eyes, published by Kensington. The story of a legal investigator who survived the murder of her family as a teen, Publisher's Weekly calls Those Empty Eyes "Excellent...Engrossing. This searing look at the legal system, entitlement, and exploitation is not to be missed." 

Books will be available for purchase and signing following the presentation, courtesy of Read Between The Lynes bookstore in Woodstock.

On April 8, join local thriller fans to discuss Those Empty Eyes, from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. Register to hold your copy of the book.

A late bloomer, Donlea was twenty years old when he read his first novel, John Grisham's The Firm, and decided that he too, would write thrillers. Since his debut novel was published in 2016, Donlea's work has been published across forty countries, translated into twenty languages, and optioned for film and television. His books include Summit Lake, The Girl Who Was Taken, Don't Believe It, Some Choose Darkness, The Suicide House, and Twenty Years Later. His eighth thriller, a Long Time Gone, comes out this June.

This event is sponsored by AAPLD, Cary Area, Crystal Lake, Harvard-Diggins, and Huntley Area Public Libraries.

Algonquin Area Public Library is excited to celebrate the success of local author Nick Medina, whose debut thriller Sisters of  the Lost Nation, has  garnered both critical acclaim, and commercial success, with two events this fall.

On Tuesday, October 24, at 7:00 p.m., the library will hold an online discussion about the novel with patrons from other local libraries. Register here, and we'll reserve a copy of the novel for you to pick up.

On Monday, November 6, at 7:00 p.m., we'll welcome Nick for "Behind The Book," a live presentation at the Lake In The Hills Village Hall, where he'll discuss his novel, his writing, and take questions from the audience. Space is limited, so save the date! Registration opens Sept. 20.

Published earlier this year by Random House, the novel tells the story of Anna Horn, a young Native girl driven to find  answers about the women mysteriously disappearing from her tribe’s reservation. Anna's quest leads her to delve into the myths and stories of her people, all while being haunted herself.

“Sisters of the Lost Nation weaves Native folklore with truths that we feel in our bones to create a story that is as beautiful as it is sad, as powerful as it is frightening, as familiar as it is otherworldly.”
—Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor and The Hunger

“Who’s responsible for the disappearance of members of Louisiana’s Takoda tribe? That question, inspired by the real-life epidemic of disappearances of Native Americans in both the U.S. and Canada, drives the plot of Medina’s pulse-pounding debut….Medina resolves the plot well and gracefully weaves real-life concerns about disappearing Native people into the whodunit plot. This author is off to a strong start.”
—Publishers Weekly

Medina, who was born in Chicago has a long fascination with local legends and folklore, and has gone in search of Resurrection Mary, the “Italian Bride,” the “Devil Baby,” and other Windy City ghosts. He was inspired to write the novel after reading a Chicago Tribune article about the disappearance of a young Native woman. A member of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, Medina was also influenced by stories told by older family members, and the eerie atmosphere of the bayou. The novel features several supernatural myths and legends, while also shedding light on the epidemic of missing and murdered Native and Indigenous women and girls.

He has degrees in organizational and multicultural communication, has worked as a college instructor and enjoys playing guitar, when he's not writing or exploring haunted cemeteries.