Clubs unravel mysteries at library
A murder on a cruise ship, a mysterious speckled band and a missing old clock added to an entertaining night at the Denham Springs-Walker Branch on May 3 as the Eclectic Book Club, Writers Circle and Young Writers Club presented a Cruise Ship Mystery Dinner Theater.
The program featured adaptations of “The Cruise Ship Mystery,” the Sherlock Holmes tale “The Speckled Band” and the Nancy Drew mystery “The Secret of the Old Clock.”
Performers included Derrick Dell, Adrianna Horne, Daniel Lockhart, Grace Lockhart, Hannah Lockhart, Martha Lockhart, Beverly Lucas, Keegan Mayeux, Libbee Mayeux, Caleb Pearson, Kellie Price, Lauren Price, Cassidy Storey, Sydney Storey, Victoria Varnado, Taylor Whitehead as well as library staff members Jessica Dell and Kathy Mayeux. Dell and Mayeux facilitate all three groups at the Denham Springs-Walker Branch.
“We put on this event because the Young Writers Club likes to touch basics with the classics and people love a good mystery,” Mayeux said. “This is a tribute to the mystery genre and mystery authors.”
The event also spotlighted former East Baton Rouge homicide detective Michael Verrett and Louisiana Search and Rescue dog team member Ann Dugas, who each talked about their roles in real homicide cases. Verrett shared stories from his career, explaining that what people see in the movies often does not reflect the reality of police work.
“We will go the extra step and conduct an investigation with integrity because you win or lose in court based on the facts,” he said. “You don’t engage in unethical behavior because the case gets thrown out and it revictimizes the victim all over again. If the wrong person goes to jail, not only have you made an enemy out of an ally, the real criminal is out there committing more crimes.”
The Denham Springs-Walker Branch Writers Circle is open to all published or unpublished adult authors of fiction or nonfiction for adults, young adults or children. The Young Writers Club is open to anyone between the ages of 10-17 and focuses on writing for publication and performance.
For more information about the Denham Springs-Walker Branch’s Eclectic Book Club, Writers Circle or Young Writers Club, call (225) 665-8118.