‘Cleveland Noir’ offers sordid stories of greed and revenge | Book Talk

Dirty streets, dirty cops and the friends you need to help you dispose of a body. Desperate people and double-crosses are the meat of the 15 essays in “Cleveland Noir,” a new collection by some of Northeast Ohio’s best storytellers.

All the tales are stellar, but standouts include “Bus Stop” by Dana McSwain, author of the 2020 horror novel “Roseneath.” It’s a chilling piece about an obsessive journalist whose interviews with the ghosts of Cleveland’s murdered girls on the anniversary of their deaths lead him to an unconscionable realization.

Each story is related to a Cleveland neighborhood or suburb: “Settler’s Landing” by Paula McLain (“The Paris Wife”) tells of two teen girls whose attempt at helping a drunken dowager goes south. Susan Petrone’s (“The Heebie-Jeebie Girl”) “Downtown” finds a new angle on an old sports legend.

Alcohol and opiates play their part: “Tremonster” by D.M. Pulley (“The Dead Key”) is about a constantly hungover woman in Tremont who gets too involved in the lives of her neighbors. Former Beacon Journal writer Thrity Umrigar contributes “The Fallen,” in which a domestic dispute twists into murder. “Lenny, But Not Corky” by Edgar Award-winning Daniel Stashower ends in an eye-opening confession.

These sordid stories of greed and revenge are delicious. Some of the narrators tell their sorry tales from beyond the grave.

Editors are Shaker Heights native Michael Ruhlman (“The Book of Cocktail Ratios: The Surprising Simplicity of Classic Cocktails”) and journalist Miesha Wilson Headen, former mayor of Richmond Heights.

“Cleveland Noir” (288 pages, softcover) costs $16.95 from Akashic Books, which has published more than 120 volumes in its Noir series, including “Columbus Noir.”

Contributors to “Cleveland Noir” will sign the book at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Loganberry Books, 13015 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland Heights, and at 7 p.m. Thursday at Music Box Supper Club, 118 Main Ave., Cleveland, as part of the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party Series; dinner is $25; the author appearance is free. Go to musicboxcle.com.

‘Not Your Average Joe’

In just a week, former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas will be enshrined at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. “Joe Thomas: Not Your Average Joe – The Authorized Biography from Wisconsin to Cleveland to the Hall of Fame” by Marc Bona and Dan Murphy is a comprehensive look at the nice-guy athlete.

Calling on childhood friends, teachers and coaches, the authors describe an oversized, uncoordinated kid who became a star at multiple sports; he excelled at shot put and discus and continued to participate in hammer throw even after he was on the starting line for Wisconsin. One disappointed college aggressively courted him for its basketball team.

Thomas recalls his time with the Browns in a first-person account that takes up about a third of the book. The authors depict a man of humility, “too nice to push people around” despite his size and even his superior bone density. The worst thing anyone says about him comes from Thomas himself when he admits trying to steal internet from a neighbor. Otherwise, his intensity, competitiveness and attitude are what brings him to the Hall of Fame.

The book mentions his brother only in passing, and there is little about his wife and children.

“Joe Thomas” (240 pages, softcover) costs $16.95 from Gray & Co. Bona is a features writer for cleveland.com and author of “The Reason We Play: American Sports Figures and What Inspires Them.” Murphy is director of football communications for the Browns.

“Joe Thomas: Not Your Average Joe” will be launched from 1 to 6 p.m. at Centennial Plaza, 330 Court Avenue Northwest, Canton; Marc Bona will sign books from 4 to 6 p.m. In addition, former Beacon Journal sportswriter David Lee Morgan Jr. will sign “Breaking Through the Lines: The Marion Motley Story” from 1 to 6 p.m.

‘Football Freddie’

Besides the Pro Football Hall of Fame, what else is there to do in Canton? Ask Football Freddie, the narrator of “Football Freddie & Fumble the Dog: Gameday in Canton,” ninth in a series of children’s books by Marnie Schneider and Susan T. Spencer. They’re about a girl who travels to visit cities with NFL teams.

Freddie and her dog are met in Canton by local boy Marion and Goldy the G.O.A.T., who is a sort of mascot.

The group first visits the First Ladies National Historic Site, the Frank T. Bow Building, site of the founding of the NFL in 1920, the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum and several other sites of interest. They proceed to the Hall of Fame, where they admire the exhibits, and then watch the Hall of Fame Game and attend the enshrinement of new members.

“Gameday in Canton” is the first in the series not devoted to a specific team, and is in association with the Hall of Fame. The books are recommended for readers 6-8 years old.

Schneider will sign “Football Freddie & Fumble the Dog” from 11 a.m. to noon Thursday at Stark County Public Library, 715 Market Ave. N., Canton. Register at starklibrary.org.

Events

Rodman Library (215 E. Broadway St., Alliance): James Willis talks about “Weird Ohio: Your Travel Guide to Ohio’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets,” 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday. Register at rodmanlibrary.com.

Canal Fulton Library (154 Market St. NE): Cat Russell conducts a “Found Poetry” workshop, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Register at canalfultonlibrary.org.

Don Shula’s American Kitchen (Hall of Fame Village, 2101 Hall of Fame Way NW, Canton): Football Hall of Fame member and Stow native Larry Csonka signs his memoir “Head On,” 6 to 7 p.m. and 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Admission, $30, includes a copy of the book. Register at starklibrary.org.

Warren-Trumbull County Public Library (Warren branch, 444 Mahoning Ave. NW): NASA Eclipse Ambassador Deborah Skapik talks about “Look UP, Below!,” an educator’s guide to the 2024 solar eclipse, with activities for students, 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday Teachers from Title 1 eligible schools receive a free copy of the book. Register at wtcpl.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Berea branch, 7 Berea Commons): Jack Marschall talks about his inspirational “The Other Side of the Tracks,” 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday.

Barberton Public Library (602 W. Park Ave.): Barberton native Kathryn Long signs her books, including “Blooming with Murder,” third in her Sierra Pines mystery series, 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Register at barbertonlibrary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Parma-Snow branch, 2121 Snow Road): Kathy Reichs talks about “The Bone Hacker,” 22nd in the Temperance Brennan mystery series about a forensic anthropologist, 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch, 1876 South Green Road, South Euclid): A Self-Publishing Roundtable features authors Nancy Christie (“Reinventing Rita”), Eryka Parker (“Beauty Beheld”) and S.A. Schneider (“Town Magician 1: Embracing the Magic”), 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson): Akron author Jess Everlee signs “A Rulebook for Restless Rogues,” second in her Lucky Lovers of London queer historical romance series, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Upcoming notice for an event sure to sell out: David Baldacci will headline the annual Author Event fundraiser on Sept. 21 at Youngstown and Mahoning County Library. The $150 admission includes a reception with Baldacci, dinner and a signed copy of the book. Register at libraryvisit.org.

Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘Cleveland Noir’ book offers sordid tales of greed and revenge