Chaucer’s Books, 3321 State St., Santa Barbara, will host local author Steven Gilbar for a book talk and signing of his book “Montecito Noir: True Tales of Murder & Mayhem in Paradise,” 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 8.

Gilbar has been writing about Santa Barbara since 1979. In 2022 he turned his focus to Montecito, where he has lived for 40 years, to celebrate the many authors who have resided there.

The following year he honored the actors who have called Montecito home. “Montecito Noir: True Tales of Murder & Mayhem in Paradise” is quite different from the others, as murder and other malicious misconduct do not call for celebration or honor, Gilbar said.

Yet, considering the popularity of “true crime” books and TV shows about homicide, Gilbar wondered what mayhem had occurred over the years in his own backyard. So, his latest book offers a chronological look at the seamy side of this paradise by the sea. 
 
In 1981, Gilbar decided to channel his love of reading into a book, titled “The. Book Book,” published by St. Martin’s press. It turned out to be the first of more than 20 such books Gilbar would see published.

He later turned to local literary history with “Literary Santa Barbara” (1998) and “Published & Perished: Santa Barbara Writers Remembered” (2021).

Gilbar founded Speaking of Stories, Santa Barbara’s “Page to Stage” theater and served on the board of directors of the Friends of the Santa Barbara Library.

In 2022 and 2023 the wrote “little books” about Montecito’s writers and actors.