In March of 2020 Amy Engel’s murder mystery, The Familiar Dark, was published by Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The story, set in the mythic Missouri Ozarks small town of Barren Springs, is about the bonds of family — women doing the best they can for their daughters in dire circumstances — as well as a story about how even the darkest and most terrifying places can provide the comfort of home. 

Please join us online via Zoom on Tuesday evening at 7:00 on March 30, 2021 for an hour of lively conversation with the author. Ms. Engel, who lives in the Kansas City metropolitan area, will discuss her career as a criminal trial lawyer, her path to creative writing, and her works. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers.

According to the author’s website: “Amy was born in Kansas and spent the first few years of her life living in a small commune among the wheat fields. When she was three, Amy and her parents moved to Iran. Although she was very young when she lived there, Amy has incredibly fond memories of Iran, both the people and the country. After Iran, her family settled in Kansas City, Missouri, where Amy attended the local elementary school and often gave the teacher hand-written notes correcting her spelling (this did not endear Amy to the teacher).

After high school, Amy attended the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!) where she spent four blissful years alternating between reading (B.A. in English) and staying out way too late with friends. Immediately upon graduation, she moved to Washington, DC to begin law school at Georgetown University.”

This event is free and open to the public. It will be recorded and archived for future viewing, too.