Mystery/thriller author Aaron Elkins will give a presentation, "The Art of Mystery (and Vice Versa)," on campus on Wednesday, April 13, at 6 p.m. in the University Library, Fifth Floor. The popular author from the Pacific Northwest has a book titled Where There's a Will coming out in April.

A former anthropologist, Elkins has been writing mysteries and thrillers since 1982, having won an Edgar for Old Bones, as well as a subsequent Agatha (with his wife Charlotte), and a Nero Wolfe Award. His major continuing series features forensic anthropologist-detective Gideon Oliver, "the skeleton detective."

A second series features art curator-sleuth Chris Norgren, and he and Charlotte have collaborated on several mysteries with female golfer Lee Ofsted. In addition, Elkins is the author of Loot, a massively researched, critically acclaimed novel dealing with modern-day consequences of Nazi art plunder in World War II, and Turncoat, which explores a similar subject.

Also, Elkins speaks often at professional conferences, is a frequent contributor to the New York Times' Sophisticated Traveler magazine, and is the author of several short stories and numerous articles on the mystery and on mystery-writing.

The Gideon Oliver books have been (roughly) translated into a major ABC-TV series and have been selections of the Book-of-the-Month Club, the Literary Guild, and the Readers Digest Condensed Mystery Series. Loot is currently under option in Hollywood. His work has been published in a dozen languages.

For more information on Elkins' appearance, call 562/985-4047.