On Tuesday, July 12th, at 6:00 p.m. central, the LaSalle Public Library will virtually host author and historian William Hazelgrove for a discussion about his book, “Greed in the Gilded Age: The Brilliant Con of Cassie Chadwick.”

Greed in the Gilded Age is a Gatsby-esque tale of mystery, money, sex and scandal. The word – millionaire – had just entered the American lexicon and Cassie Chadwick was front page news, becoming a media sensation before mass media, even eclipsing President Roosevelt’s inauguration. Combining the sexuality and helplessness her gender implied, Chadwick conned at least two million dollars, simply by claiming to be the illegitimate daughter and heir of steel titan, Andrew Carnegie. Using newspaper articles, Hazelgrove will tell the story of one of the greatest cons in American history in this virtual program.

William Hazelgrove is a bestselling author and historian. His books have hit the National Bestseller List, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and have been included in Book of the Month Selections, Literary Guild Selections, Junior Library Guild Selections, and ALA Editor's Choice Awards. He has been the subject of interviews in NPR's All Things Considered along with features in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Richmond Times Dispatch, USA Today, People, Channel 11, NBC, WBEZ, and WGN.

This program is free and open to all. Register by going to – https://bit.ly/3y9Mnpp. For more information, please contact the LaSalle Public Library at 815-223-2341.