Writer Josh Cohen at Bank Square Books

The Brooklyn writer Josh Cohen pens a cozy series where his fictional hero, a jolly retired librarian called Cap'n Danny, solves holiday-themed mysteries with the help of his pet Scottish Deerhound, Fuzzles.

Just kidding.

Cohen is actually a highly regarded essayist and author of literary fiction whose works are certainly imaginative and often border on surrealism. The novel "Witz," for example, is a dense chronicle about a fevered cult that rises in adulation of the last surviving Jew in the world.

Cohen's latest is "Four New Messages," a collection of short stories out Tuesday from Graywolf Press, and he appears Tuesday at an author luncheon in Mystic's Bank Square Books. Call in advance to reserve space for the event, which includes catered lunch, a signed copy of the book, and a discussion time with Cohen.

A press release describes "Messages" as "a quartet of audacious fictions that capture the pathos and absurdity of life in the age of the Internet."

- RICK KOSTER

Author Luncheon with Josh Cohen, noon Tuesday, Bank Square Books, 53 West Main St., Mystic; $14 includes signed paperback of "Four New Messages," catered lunch with wine and a Q&A/discussion time with the author; (860) 536-3795, banksquarebooks.com.