Jan. 31, Wednesday -- John Lescroart, the New York Times best-selling author of 17 novels, will speak on campus about his career as a writer and being part of today's publishing world. Lescroart is known best for his Dismas Hardy/Abe Glitsky series of crime novels set in San Francisco. At the Jan. 31 talk, he will also talk about his newest book, "The Suspect." "It's the first time I've written a female protagonist, and that experience was interesting and fun," says Lescroart, who lives in El Macero near the UC Davis campus. Sponsored by the College of Letters and Science, Lescroart's talk is free and open to the public. The event will be held beginning at 4:10 p.m. in the AGR Hall of the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center on the UC Davis campus.