The friendship between Marty Eberhardt and Ann Hedlund, two Silver City-based authors, goes way back. "We've been friends since we both attended Prescott College in Arizona during the early seventies," Marty said. On March 21, they will be reading from two very different books at Avalon Books and Music in downtown Silver City.
Marty's traditional mystery, Crime on the Coast, was released in late February and is the third in her botanical garden mystery series. Her two previous books in the Bea Rivers series won several awards, including the New Mexico/Arizona and the New Mexico Book Awards. In this latest novel, Bea Rivers travels from the desert to a small botanical garden conference at a seaside garden in exclusive La Jolla, California. The host director falls from 300-foot cliffs to the beach below, and the police declare the death to be either a suicide or a murder. The victim, Bea's college friend, Paige Pearson, had something urgent to tell Bea right before her death. Determined to find out what happened to her friend, Bea conducts interviews and not-so-legal evidence gathering. It seems that many of the people Bea had just been dining with had good reasons to wish Paige gone. The book is set in largely on the southern California coast, and the marine environment provides relief from the tension for both Bea and the reader.
Ann's latest book, Mac Schweitzer: A Southwest Maverick and her Art, is a richly illustrated biography of an artist who painted the deserts and canyons of the Southwest. Mac (Mary Alice Cox) Schweitzer (1921-1962) became a well-known wildlife and equine artist during the mid-fifties, but her legacy disappeared after she died unexpectedly. Sixty years later, Hedlund has rediscovered Mac's adventurous life and her brilliant contributions to the Southwest's art scene. The Pima County Library recently selected her book as its "Top Pick" in the art & photography category of the 2026 Southwest Books of the Year Awards. Albuquerque Journal's book critic, David Steinberg, called it one of his favorite reads of 2025.
"Our two books may initially appeal to different audiences, but we hope people will come to hear one and find that they enjoy both," Hedlund said. "It's all good story telling," she added, "and should be a fun afternoon."
The readings are hosted by Avalon Books and Music, 405 N. Bullard St. in Silver City, on March 21 at 1:00 pm. Books will be available for sale and personalized signings.
