I started right here in this room,” said John Briant, standing at the podium in the Old Forge Library wing on Tuesday, August 16, where he was giving a reading from his latest book, As Autumn Leaves Turn.
John Briant presents a signed copy of "As Autumn Leaves Turn," the latest book in his Adirondack Detective series, to Marguerite Kershaw following a reading and book talk at the Old Forge Library on Tuesday, August 17. In the background is Briant's wife Marge. Photo by Carol Hansen
“I would say it was almost 20 years ago. I had signed up for a writing workshop program. That’s where the (writing) seed was planted,” he said.
Briant, a retired New York State trooper published his first book, One Cop’s Story in 1995, then followed it with the Adirondack Detective series. His latest book is the seventh in the series.
In the current book, Briant’s main character Private Detective Jason Black, his wife Patty, and 10-year-old son Jay, are settled in their log home in Old Forge, where Jason continues to work on bad check cases, Patty is involved in knitting groups, and Jay attends school.
Jason becomes immersed in the case of a missing young woman and the theft of beehives. Both cases take him through the Adirondacks as he enlists the help of a retired guide and two pilots while investigating the girl’s mysterious disappearance and the strange case of the missing hives.
Sites and names woven into the story will be familiar to many readers.
Briant said he has already had fans call to tell him how much they enjoyed As Autumn Leaves Turn. Which begs the question, will there be another installment in the series?
“Yes, I’m going to be working on a new book over the winter,” he said, without giving a clue about the plot.
Briant will meet and greet fans and sign his latest book at the Old Forge Hardware on Saturday, September 3, from 1 to 3 p.m.
