Local mystery writer to speak at Community Center

On Tuesday, Jan. 8 mystery writer Diane Gilbert Madsen, who resides in Cape Haze, will be presenting a lecture at 4 p.m. at the Boca Grande Community Center auditorium.

A reception will follow in the Woman’s Club Room, with a book signing and refreshments.

This lecture is part of the Friends of the Boca Grande Community Center’s Scholarly Pursuits series.

Award-winning author Diane Gilbert Madsen continues her successful mystery series with lead character, DD McGil. Madsen’s upcoming title, “Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Notes: The Secret of Jack the Ripper” is planned for a February release.

The story will feature Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and his longstanding relationship with Scotland Yard. In the story, DD McGil, an insurance investigator, comes upon information that she believes confirms the identity of Jack the Ripper. Madsen and her husband, Tom, now live in Florida at Twin Ponds, a five-acre wildlife sanctuary on Cape Haze.  

Diane has written several articles for “Mystery Scene” Magazine, and is a member of the Chicago Writers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the International Association of Crime Writers.

She also belongs to the St. Andrews Society of Sarasota, the Caledonian Club of Florida West, the Robert Burns World Federation, the Robert Burns Association of North America, the Scottish American Society and the Scottish Heritage Society of Sarasota Inc.

Diane Gilbert Madsen grew up enjoying Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and John Dickson Carr. Born and raised in Chicago, Diane attended the University of Chicago and did post-graduate work at Roosevelt University. A political “Who’s Who”, Diane has worked in Illinois government positions from deputy village clerk to the prestigious position of director of economic development for the State of Illinois, running the Department of Tourism and the Illinois Film Office among others.  She has been cited in both the “World Who’s Who of Women” and the “Who’s Who in Finance and Industry.”

She and her husband Tom currently share their home with their two Japanese Chin dogs in Cape Haze, Florida. For more information about Diane Gilbert Madsen, check out her website, DianeGilbertMadsen.com.