Photo by Elise Skalwold

Charles Fergus is a local author whose historical mystery A Stranger Here Below (Skyhorse Publishing, NY) is set in 1830s America. Its title is drawn from a shape-note hymn, a distinctive form of American music popular in the early nineteenth century. Fergus will read from the novel and explain why he set his story in central Pennsylvania’s ironmaking region during the Presidency of Andrew Jackson.

 Fergus believes that good mysteries should deal with important issues and timeless truths, and his talk will also explore the question: “Can mystery fiction be thoughtful, literary, and profound?”

 Copies of A Stranger Here Below  will be for sale by Boxcar & Caboose. Free and open to the public. Handicapped Accessible.