Chaucer’s Books will host Paul Levine for a book talk and signing of his newest novel “Midnight Burning (An Einstein-Chaplin Thriller),” 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21 at 3321 State St., Santa Barbara.
In the book, it’s 1937 and clouds of war gather over Europe, and American fascists march at home. While the FBI chases suspected communists, Nazi agents plot an armed insurrection.
When two of the world’s two most famous men — Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin — uncover the scheme, which includes the assassination of Hollywood’s biggest stars, they fight back with nothing but their ingenuity, raw courage, and the fierce resolve of Georgia Ann Robinson, Los Angeles Police Department’s first Black female officer.
A dangerous chase takes the heroes into the heart of darkness, a fascist encampment in the San Gabriel Mountains north of L.A., where a militia armed with machine guns plans its attack.
“Batten the hatches: it’s brains versus brawn in an explosive, unforgettable finale,” Chaucer’s said.
Levine, who divides his time between Santa Barbara and Miami, is the author of 23 novels.
He won the John D. MacDonald Fiction Award and has been nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, International Thriller, Shamus, and James Thurber prizes.
A former trial lawyer, Levine also wrote 20 episodes of the CBS military drama JAG.
His first novel, the international bestseller “To Speak for the Dead,” introduced readers to linebacker-turned lawyer Jake Lassiter.

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