"I write about the issues I care about, and I know it's a luxury to have an audience for that," said author Richard North Patterson.
Patterson, 61, a former trial lawyer, has been a best-selling novelist for 28 years. His new (and 16th) book, "Eclipse" (Henry Holt, $26, 384 pages; on sale today), is The Bee Book Club's choice for January. On this outing, Patterson takes on the sociological, political and environmental catastrophes that oil wealth has brought down on Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa.
In his body of work, his forte has been addressing major issues of national and/or global concern through a cast of characters who end up in courtrooms, one way or another.
Patterson visited Nigeria as part of the research for his new novel. In it, his plot recounts his own edgy, first-person experiences in Nigeria, one of the world's most dangerous spots.
Patterson will give a talk, answer questions and autograph copies of "Eclipse" for The Bee Book Club at 6 p.m. Jan. 15 at Borders Books, 2339 Fair Oaks Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 564-0168.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information: (916) 321-1128.
These bookstores will offer a 30 percent discount on "Eclipse" through Jan. 15: Borders, Barnes & Noble, Avid Reader at the Tower in Sacramento, Avid Reader in Davis, Time Tested Books, Underground Books, Hornet Bookstore at CSUS, UC Davis Bookstore, East-West Bookstore and the Bookseller in Grass Valley
Call The Bee's Allen Pierleoni, (916) 321-1128.
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.