Author Mary Miley Theobald will discuss historical myths at annual Peple Lecture March 30

Mary Miley Theobald, mystery writer, researcher and author of fiction and nonfiction books, will deliver the 2014 Peple Lecture March 30, 3 p.m., at the University of Richmond’s Jepson Alumni Center, Robins Pavilion.

She will speak about “Death by Petticoat: The Whole Truth about American History Myths You’ve Heard at Museums.” The talk is free and open to the public. A reception and book signing will follow the talk, and books will be for sale.

Theobald has written 10 nonfiction books and more than 200 articles. Her mystery series, written under the name Mary Miley, is set in the Roaring Twenties. Her latest book, “The Impersonator,” takes place in 1924 and follows a young vaudeville performer who is persuaded to impersonate a missing heiress and gets caught up in a scam involving bootleggers, gangsters and murder.

Her nonfiction includes books about the Virginia governor’s mansion, Jamestown and Christmas in Williamsburg. She is researching a new book about 18th-century travel.

The Edward C. and Mary S. Peple Library Lectureship annually brings to the university nationally recognized authors and scholars. The lectureship honors the Peples, who began Friends of the Boatwright Memorial Library in the late 1970s.

For more information, contact Bianca Spurlock at 804-289-8454 or bianca.spurlock@richmond.edu.

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