Harry Bennett Branch Local Author Series: Elise Hart Kipness in Conversation with Wendy Walker

Elise Hart Kipness will discuss her debut novel Lights Out, a fast-paced thriller that follows a sports reporter’s journey off the court and into a world of murder and deception. The conversation will be moderated by bestselling author Wendy Walker. 

In Lights Out, former Olympic athlete and sports reporter Kate Green isn’t sure how much more tumultuous her life can get. Just when she’s been put on temporary leave from her job, NBA superstar Kurt Robbins is killed, and the prime suspect in his murder is none other than his wife, Kate’s best friend. Kate knows that Yvette’s marriage wasn’t exactly stable, but her friend is no murderer, and Kate is determined to prove it with her own investigation. While she tries to salvage Yvette’s life, Kate’s own continues to unravel. Her career is in limbo. Gossip columns speculate about her future. Her children are battling their own demons. And her estranged father suddenly re-enters her life as a detective assigned to Kurt’s homicide case. As Kate's worlds collide―exposing secrets, lies and ulterior motives―she may have to choose between the games she can play and the one she might lose.

Book sale and signing of Lights Out by Elm Street Books.

Registration required.

Elise Hart Kipness is a former TV sports reporter turned crime writer. Her debut mystery, Lights Out, the first in a series, is based on Kipness's experience in the high-pressure, adrenaline-pumping world of live TV. Like her protagonist, she chased marquee athletes through the tunnels of Madison Square Garden and stood before glaring lights reporting to national audiences. 

In addition to reporting for Fox Sports Network, Kipness was a reporter at New York’s WNBC-TV, News 12 Long Island and the Associated Press. She is currently co-president of the newly formed Sisters in Crime Connecticut (SinC-CT). A graduate of Brown University, Kipness has two college-age sons and lives on a hobby farm in Stamford with her husband, three labradoodles, chickens, ducks and one very cantankerous turkey.

Wendy Walker is the author of the psychological suspense novels What Remains, All Is Not Forgotten, Emma In the Night, The Night Before, Don’t Look For Me and American Girl. Her novels have been translated into 23 languages, topped bestseller lists both nationally and abroad, and have been optioned for both TV and film. As a former family law attorney with training in child advocacy, Walker draws from her knowledge of trauma and psychology to write compelling and complex characters and stories. Her latest book, What Remains, came out June 13.