Southport Memorial Library is pleased to welcome he highly acclaimed, award-winning author of  the Mainely Mystery series, Matt Cost as its next author/speaker on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m.

Maine-based author Matt Cost was a history major at Trinity College, has owned a mystery bookstore, a video store, and a gym. He was a junior high school teacher for 10 years. In 2014 he began writing ... and he’s never stopped. Eleven histories and mysteries, almost one a year!  “I Am Cuba” was his first traditionally published novel. He had another historical book released in 2021, “Love in a Time of Hate,” and in 2022, Encircle re-released his originally self-published novel, “At Every Hazard: Joshua  Chamberlain and the Civil War.” Cost’s love of histories and mysteries is combined in his new series featuring private eye, 8 Ballo.

Cost returns to the Southport promoting his latest novel, “City Gone Askew."  The award-winning author brings us back to Brooklyn in the Roaring ’20s and Hungarian private eye, 8 Ballo, who is hired by Theda Lazar Voaagel to prove that her husband was murdered. His colorful cast of friends returns, as well as legendary figures such as Dorothy Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Bugsy Siegel, and Lucky Luciano. 8 discovers that a priceless Aquila-an ancient eagle Roman standard carried into battle 2,000 years ago-was stolen from Karl Vogel when he was killed. This provides ties to a secret German organization known as the Batavi. But Vogel was also involved in the eugenics movement centered in Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island, as well as being involved with the Ku Klux Klan. As 8 peels back layers of the underbelly of 1920s Brooklyn, the more complicated and dangerous it becomes for him and those who are important to him.