Historical romance novel next for ASU Book Group

The ASU Book Group will discuss "A Discreet Gentleman of Discovery" by Glendale, Arizona writer Kris Tualla from noon to 1 p.m., Oct. 29, in room 165 of the Durham Language and Literature Building. Tualla will be in attendance.

The book, part of Tualla’s “The Discreet Gentleman” series, is a historical romance about Brander Hansen, a deaf private investigator in 1700s Norway.

Brander Hansen lost his hearing at age 7, his inheritance at 23. Furious at his father's betrayal, Brander bolts to Christiania and sets himself up as a “discreet gentleman of discovery” – he solves crimes for money.

Up to this point, he has been recovering bad debts and stolen property ­– until he stumbles upon a serial killer. Escorting the Baroness of a bankrupt estate for an arranged marriage to his estranged younger brother, Brander realizes he is following the killer’s deadly path across southern Norway.

Tualla started writing in 2006 with “nothing but a nugget of a character in mind.” She now has two series completed – The Hansen Series The Discreet Gentleman. She is an active member of Romance Writers of America, the Historical Novel Society, and Sisters in Crime.

"A Discreet Gentleman of Discovery" is available from booksellers, and in e-book format from www.desertbreezepublishing.com.

The ASU Book Group, sponsored by the Department of English, is open to all ASU faculty, staff and students, and the public. For more information, contact Judith Smith, jps@asu.edu.

The next Book Group meeting will be Dec. 3, to discuss “A World Apart,” by ASU staff member Camelia Skiba, assistant to the director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration. The book, a romance novel, is set in Romania, which is Skiba’s native country.