Love a good thriller? Join acclaimed author Rick Mofina for an engaging evening of conversation and storytelling. In this special event, Mofina will sit down with fellow Ottawa author Katie Tallo to discuss what goes into creating page-turning thrillers. Known for his gripping crime and suspense novels, Mofina crafts emotionally charged stories filled with unexpected twists, high-stakes investigations, and ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances. Whether you're a devoted thriller fan or simply looking for your next great read, this is a unique opportunity to hear from one of Canada's leading writers in the genre.
This event is part of our Author Series.
About Rick Mofina
Rick Mofina is a former journalist who has interviewed murderers on death row, flown over Los Angeles with the LAPD and patrolled with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police near the Arctic. He's also reported from Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, the Caribbean, and Kuwait's border with Iraq. His true-crime freelance work has appeared in The New York Times, The Telegraph (London, U.K.), Reader’s Digest, Penthouse, Marie Claire, The Moscow Times and The South China Morning Post, (Hong Kong). He has written more than 30 crime fiction thrillers that have been published in nearly 30 countries, including an illegal translation produced in Iran.
As a two-time winner of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award and the Barry Award; a four-time Thriller Award finalist and a two-time Shamus Award finalist, the Library Journal calls him, “one of the best thriller writers in the business.”
Rick Mofina lives in Ottawa, Canada.
About Katie Tallo
Katie Tallo has more than three decades of experience as an award-winning screenwriter and director. After winning an international novel contest, she began writing mystery thrillers. In 2020, her debut thriller, Dark August, was an instant bestseller, earning acclaim as a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and an Apple Book of the Month. It also made the Globe 100 list. Since then, Katie has written two more novels in the critically acclaimed Gus Monet trilogy including Poison Lilies and Buried Road. Her first standalone crime thriller, Where Her Secrets Lie, comes out August 2026 and her next thriller, The Last Villa, comes out in June 2027. Katie lives with her husband in Ottawa where she is currently cooking up her next novel.
Practical Details
The event will end with a Q&A period, followed by a book signing.
Bring your own book by the authors or purchase one on site from local bookstore The Spaniel’s Tale.
The Spaniel's Tale Bookstore
Accessibility
Ottawa Public Library is committed to making its programs accessible to everyone. If you need specific accommodations, please fill out this form: https://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/accessible-services-request-form
We prefer at least three weeks' notice for accommodation requests.
Venue Details
The Chambers is located on the first floor of Ben Franklin Place close to the Nepean Centrepointe Branch of the Ottawa Public Library at 101 Centrepointe Drive in Ottawa’s west end. Parking is free and plentiful.
The venue is also a quick walk from OC Transpo’s Baseline Station.
The closest major intersection is Baseline Road and Woodroffe Avenue. From the Queensway (HWY 417) take the Woodroffe Avenue South exit. Turn right onto Baseline Road and then left onto Centrepointe Drive.