Ex-reporter to sign copies of Augustine book

Former Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter turned true crime writer Glenn Puit will hold a book signing today to promote his latest book, which chronicles the life and death of former state Controller Kathy Augustine.

The signing will be from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, 8915 W. Charleston Blvd., near Rampart Boulevard.

Puit's fourth book, "In Her Prime," published by Berkley Books, tells the story of Augustine's rapid rise and fall on the Nevada political scene and her untimely slaying at the hands of her husband. Chaz Higgs was convicted of injecting her with a nearly untraceable paralyzing drug that stopped her breathing.

Puit was a cops and courts reporter with the Review-Journal for 12 years before leaving in 2007 to pursue a book writing career.

His books include "Witch," about Brookey Lee West, who was convicted of killing her elderly mother and sealing the body in a trash can, and "Fire in the Desert," about muscle-building couple Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan, who were convicted of killing their live-in assistant.