Spotlight on Local Authors discussed on November 29th

A new Catherine McLeod mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of the Wind River mysteries. After a candidate for governor is murdered, and his estranged wife is arrested for first-degree homicide, journalist Catherine McLeod receives a call from an anonymous woman claiming she saw the real killer leave the scene of the crime but is afraid to confide in the police. To uncover the truth, Catherine must risk her career-and her life-to find the witness who can identify the candidate's murderer: Detective Ryan Beckman. About the Author Margaret Coel is the New York Times bestselling, award winning author of the acclaimed novels featuring Father John O'Malley and Vicky Holden, as well as several works of nonfiction. She is originally a historian by trade and lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Companies shirk taxes while padding profits. Firms foul the planet but keep raking in revenue. Reckless greed on Wall Street goes largely unpunished. More evidence that bad guys finish first in business? No. A different story is unfolding. Noted economist Laurie Bassi and her coauthors show that despite the dispiriting headlines, we are entering a more hopeful economic age. The authors call it the "Worthiness Era." And in it, the good guys are poised to win. Good Company explains how this new era results from a convergence of forces, ranging from the explosion of online information-sharing to the emergence of the ethical consumer and the arrival of civic-minded Millennials. Across the globe, people are choosing the companies in their lives in the same way they choose the guests they invite into their homes. They are demanding that companies be "good company." Proof is in the numbers. The authors created the Good Company Index to take a systematic look at Fortune 100 companies-- records as employers, sellers, and stewards of society and the planet. The results were clear: worthiness pays off. Companies in the same industry with higher scores on the index?that is, companies that have behaved better--outperformed their peers in the stock market. And this is not some academic exercise: the authors have used principles of the index at their own investment firm to deliver market-beating results. Using a host of real-world examples, Bassi and company explain each aspect of corporate worthiness, providing senior executives with the tools to adapt to the new road rules for business. The authors also describe how you can assess other companies with which you do business as a consumer, investor, or employee. This detailed guide will help you determine who the good guys are--those companies that are worthy of your time, your loyalty, and your money. Laurie Bassi is a "hard-headed economist with a soft heart".

Over the past several decades, the civil justice process has become alarmingly expensive, politicized, and lengthy. Though the court system lies at the heart of American democracy, it often does not meet the legitimate needs of the people, resulting in a rift between citizens and their own legal system. With a system that hasn't seen major reform since 1938, it's inevitable that there are shortcomings and misunderstandings. The situation is precarious, but not hopeless. In Rebuilding Justice, Rebecca Love Kourlis and Dirk Olin illuminate why the courts are critical and how they are being eroded, defaced, and undermined. While covering complex issues such as civil justice reform, judicial selection and performance evaluation, and domestic relations, Kourlis and Olin propose practical solutions to improve the efficiency, accessibility, and integrity of America's civil courts. An important portrait of the American judicial system, Rebuilding Justice is a call to action for all Americans to take the steps necessary to fix, support, and protect this crucial cornerstone of our democracy. Rebecca Love Kourlis is the founder and executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, a former justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, a former District Court Judge, and a former trial judge. She holds undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford University.

Sam Arnold, Ivy League Mountain Man, built and ran The Fort Restaurant. He had a passion for cooking and the history and culture of the old west, ebodied by his restaurant and shared with the entire country from 1968 to 1983 when he had a PBS cooking show called FRYING PANS WEST. The companion cookbook was originally published in 1968. Long out of print, it is now available again with an accompanying DVD of ten 30 minute FRYING PANS WEST shows.