John Grisham to headline Manatee County library fundraiser

Legal thriller novelist John Grisham soon will make headlines in Manatee County.

The Manatee Library Foundation today announced Grisham will headline the organization’s marquee fundraiser Jan. 19, at State College of Florida’s Neel Performing Arts Center.

Stephen King, last year’s foundation speaker, will be part of the event and will interview Grisham on stage. Grisham is known for novels such as “The Firm,” “A Time to Kill” and “The Pelican Brief.”

Organizers hope to sell out the event, called “Book-Ends: An Evening with Two Literary Giants,” and raise $175,000 for the library system.

Last  year’s event with King raised more than $100,000 for the library system and went toward the purchase of a new integrated library system that launches Oct. 1.