Intrigue, mystery, and questions of sanity arise in Ten Small Beds, fiction writer Kate Kasten’s newest novel.

Kasten will read from the book today at 7 p.m. at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque today.

The Iowa City native’s novel tells the story of Davida Grayson, a middle-aged psychotherapist who must return to her suffocating hometown of Still Water, Kansas, to deal with death of her father. While there, Grayson is shaken by the events that follow her around Still Water including her interactions with a high school boyfriend.

As her life is turned upside down, Grayson continues to try to help her patients back in Oakland, California. Their stories mix with Grayson’s to examine the characters mental states.

Kasten is the author of an earlier novel, The De-Conversion of Kit Lamb. She also writes short stories, which have appeared in numerous publications including Glimmer Train, Northwest Review, and American Literary Review. The author also co-wrote The Clue in the Old BirdBath, a musical theatre production that parodies the Nancy Drew mystery series.

— by Julia Jessen