Elizabeth George, the Huntington Beach author whose...

Elizabeth George, the Huntington Beach author whose British mysteries are best-sellers on both sides of the Atlantic, will lead off the Voices for Libraries Series at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the University Club at UC Irvine.

“It’ll be kind of an interactive evening,” George says. “I prefer that the audience ask questions rather than have me drone on interminably.”

“Deception on His Mind,” George’s ninth novel featuring Det. Inspector Thomas Lynley and Det. Sgt. Barbara Havers, has shot to the No. 1 spot on the Los Angeles Times best-seller list.

The book is about the death of a Pakistani man who goes to England on an arranged marriage. The story takes place in the midst of racial conflict in a seaside town.

The lecture series, which includes a reception with light hors d’oeuvres, is a fund-raiser for the Orange County Public Library in conjunction with the Friends of the Library Foundation.

The series will continue Aug. 28 with Pat Broeske, co-author of a new Elvis Presley biography, “Down at the End of Lonely Street.”

The authors’ books will be for sale at each event, with a portion of the proceeds going to the foundation.

Admission is $35 per person for each lecture or $75 for the series. Tickets at the door are $45. Cheryl Pruett, (714) 566-3060.

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Scribner Book Store in Crystal Court in Costa Mesa will present a three-evening series introducing new summer titles beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Store manager Christopher Price will conduct a brief discussion of each book. Among the titles scheduled for Tuesday are “Letters From a Nut” by Ted L. Nancy, “Breaking the Ice With Anyone From Accountants to Zen Buddhists” by Leil Lowndes and “The Guide to Understanding Money & Investing” by the Wall Street Journal. Also on tap: Several poetry readings and a featured book reading of “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” by Jean-Dominique Bauby.

He asks those who plan to attend to RSVP by calling (714) 545-8189. The store is at 3333 Bear St.

Also this week:

* Gabriella Kolias, author of the historical novel “Irene: King and Autocrat,” will discuss the status of women during the Byzantine Empire and its contributions to the arts, literature, architecture and religion at 7 p.m. Friday at Borders Books and Music, 429 S. Associated Road, Brea.

* Carolyn Wheat, author of “Troubled Waters,” will sign at 1 p.m. Saturday at Book Carnival, 348 S. Tustin Ave., Orange.