Registration is required.
\nThis year's A Novel Idea selection\, Murder By Degrees\, opens with a chase scene &ndash\; a mysterious woman flees from her aggre ssor and flings herself into the Schuylkill River rather than fight him. L earn some basics of self-defense in this seminar with instructor Thomas Be nge.
\n\;&ldquo\;Awareness of self\, surroundings and of others is critical when it comes to self-protection\,&rdquo\; says Benge. Benge believes that because protection principals are universal\, knowing them c an benefit everyone. &ldquo\;Big issues to consider when it comes to self- protection include what is the cost of not defending yourself\, who is the attacker\, what can I do legally and knowing where and when violence occu rs.&rdquo\; \;
\nSgt. Thomas Benge (retired) st arted his law enforcement career in 1991 as a probation/parole officer and corrections officer. He retired from full-time law enforcement work as a police supervisor in 2007 after 15 years of service. He is a law enforceme nt and military trainer\, and a Master Trainer for Cutting Edge Training L .L.C.\, based in Redmond\, Oregon. In addition to his law enforcement trai ning and tactical experience\, Benge is a certified fitness trainer and ha s delivered programs on exercise and physical fitness to audiences ranging from police officers to civilian homemakers. He is a CrossFit certified c oach and runs an affiliate in Redmond\, Oregon.
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\nRitu Muk erji's debut novel\, \;Murder by Degrees\,&n bsp\;is a thrillingly atmospheric tale of intrigue\, featuring a brilliant female doctor who&rsquo\;s ahead of her time. Set in Philadelphia\, 1875\ , Dr. Lydia Weston is preparing for the start of a new term at Woman&rsquo \;s Medical College of Pennsylvania\, when the body of a young woman is fi shed out of the Schuylkill River. The death is ruled a suicide\, but Lydia is suspicious. As the investigation unfolds\, Lydia puts to use all her d iagnostic skills and autopsy table acumen to pursue the killer. \;
\nRitu Mukerji \;was born in Kolkata\, India\, and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. From a young age\, she has been an avid reader of mysteries\, from Golden Age crime fiction to police procedu rals and the novels of PD James and Ruth Rendell. She received a BA in his tory from Columbia University and a medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medi cal College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She completed residency training at the University of California\, Davis and has been a practicing internist for fifteen years. She lives in Marin County\, Califo rnia\, with her husband and three children.
\nLearn more about \ ;A Novel Id ea \;here.
\nQuestions? Contact \;elsah@deschuteslibrary.org\, 541-312-1062
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