‘Web of Deceit’ untangled in Ohio detective novel | Book Talk
Cuyahoga Falls resident Laura Freeman’s 2014 Civil War-era “Impending Love and War,” set in the fictional Darrow Falls but easily recognizable by its classic architecture and abolition-minded residents, was followed by four sequels, and then in 2023 by a contemporary detective story. Her latest, “Tangling a Web of Deceit,” is also set in Darrow Falls.
Emily Stevenson is running on a canal towpath when she stops to clean her shoe and sees what appears to be a human hand in the water. She dials 911 and the county medical examiner’s office.
Emily has just finished a degree in criminal justice and an internship with the medical examiner, where she hopes to land a full-time job as a forensic investigator, and Officer Travis O’Toole is one of several candidates for a promotion to detective, so they both have incentive to work on the case. They also have hormones in overdrive.
After an initial confrontation, Emily and Travis team up, exchanging clues and saucy dialogue. She’s working nights at the hospital, backing up the computer system. Her co-worker, Doreen, relieves Emily for the third shift. Doreen talks constantly about her stormy marriage and her philandering husband Roger.
The dead woman, Christina, is dressed in skimpy clothes and the detective assumes that she was a prostitute. When her husband Ken is questioned, it’s clear that he’s hiding something.
He’s not hiding that he is more disturbed about the jewelry his wife might have been wearing than about her death.
The “web of deceit” of the title grows increasingly tangled as Emily and Travis learn about the sordid lives of the two couples. Emily goes undercover to a beauty salon and a sleazy motel, and her new relationship with Travis gets steamier. It isn’t explicit, but it’s definitely R-rated.
“Tangling a Web of Deceit” (286 pages, softcover) costs $17.99 from online retailers.
‘Northern Ohio Cold Cases’
A cold case is not a closed case. In “Northern Ohio Cold Cases,” journalist Jane Ann Turzillo profiles 11 mysterious murders and disappearances that continue to perplex investigators.
A handful of the cases involve people who simply disappeared, like a Kent State University student in 1978 and the Hinckley police chief in 1985. Some murders have plausible suspects who were never charged, especially frustrating because evidence has been lost or destroyed. All are from the second half of the 20th century.
One mystery has a personal significance: In 1980, an executive at Turzillo’s family’s contracting company in Richfield was murdered in his Lakewood apartment. She notes: “Those of us who knew him had no idea of his life outside the office.”
The book exhibits Turzillo’s customary thorough research. In several of the cases, she gives tip line numbers for people to call with information, showing that there is always hope.
“Northern Ohio Cold Cases” (112 pages, softcover) costs $24.99 from History Press. Turzillo also is the author of “Unsolved Murders and Mysteries and Disappearances in Northeast Ohio” and “Wicked Women of Ohio,” which were nominated for Agatha Awards. She is among about 60 authors who will appear Saturday at the second annual Akron Book Fest; see event listings.
Events
Hower House (60 Fir Hill): The Hower House Musings Book Club features William Zink, author of “North Hill” and its sequel “The Bagger,” 6 p.m. Monday. Admission $6 for nonmembers. Reservations encouraged at 330-972-6909.
Stark Library (715 Market Ave. N., Canton): Novelist Janis Robinson Daly (“The Unlocked Path”) presents “An Examination of Family History,” 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday. Register at starklibrary.org.
Suburban Temple – Kol Ami (22401 Chagrin Blvd., Beachwood): The Cleveland Jewish Book Festival continues with Peter Blauner, author of the historical suspense novel “Picture in the Sand,” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Free, but tickets are required; go to mandeljcc.org/bookfest.
Hudson Library & Historical Society: In a virtual event, art historian Noah Charney talks about “The Thefts of Mona Lisa: The Complete Story of the World’s Most Famous Artwork,” 10 a.m. Wednesday. Register at hudsonlibrary.org.
Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg (“Dinner with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships”) joins the Online Author Talk Series, 4 p.m. Wednesday. Register at smfpl.org.
Ashland Public Library (220 Claremont Ave.): Mark Strecker talks about “Hidden History of Northeast Ohio,” 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Register at ashland.lib.oh.us.
Walls of Books (7783 W. Ridgewood Drive, Parma): Terry Pluto talks about his sports books and his newest, “The Guy with the Sign: And Other Thoughts on Faith in Everyday Life,” 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Green branch, 4046 Massillon Road): Ralph N. Paulk discusses “Follis: Greatness Transcends,” about the former Wooster resident who was the first Black pro football player in America, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Lakewood Public Library (15425 Detroit Ave.): A Meet the Authors panel features Emilia Rosa, Wendy Fedan, P.J. Grondin, Darlene Kuncytes, Breshea Anglin, R.J. Norgard and Andi Lawrencova, 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library: Kira Peikoff talks about her thriller “Baby X” in a Zoom session from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Westlake Porter Public Library (27333 Center Ridge Road): Paul Landis talks about “The Final Witness: A Kennedy Secret Service Agent Breaks His Silence after 50 Years,” 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Mac’s Backs (1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights): Gabrielle Jarrett, author of “Blood Draw & Operation Rockwell,” reads with journalist Doug Guth, 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Park Synagogue (27500 Shaker Blvd., Pepper Pike): The Cleveland Jewish Book Festival continues with Marjorie Ingall, author of “Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies,” 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Free, but tickets are required; go to mandeljcc.org/bookfest.
Canton Palace Theatre (605 Market Ave. N.): Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams talks about “Checking In: How Getting Real About Depression Saved My Life and Can Save Yours,” 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Register at starklibrary.org.
Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library (Coventry Village branch, 1925 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights): Cleveland artist and author Fern Haught talks to illustrator Kate Atherton about their graphic novel “The Baker and the Bard,” 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at heightslibrary.org.
Maltz Performing Arts Center (1855 Ansel Road, Cleveland): The William N. Skirball Writers Center Stage Series continues with Hernan Diaz, whose novel “Trust” won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday. Admission is $35; go to cuyahogalibrary.org.
Cleveland Public Library (325 Superior Ave.): Lisa Unger joins the Writers Unplugged series to talk about “The New Couple in 5B,” 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday. Register at cpl.org.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (60 S. High St.): The second annual Akron Book Fest workshops including “Writing the Rust Belt Memoir” and “The Many Faces of Love,” and authors including Anastasia Hastings, David Giffels, Jess Everlee, Joyce Dyer, Julie Drew and Tameka Ellington, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Go to akronlibrary.org./akron-book-fest.
Barnes & Noble (4015 Medina Road, Bath): Mark Dawidziak talks about “A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe,” 2 p.m. Saturday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch, 1876 S. Green Road, South Euclid): Rachel Scott discusses “Taking the 5 Leaps: Experiencing God’s Faithfulness As You Respond to His Call,” 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.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: ‘Tangling a Web of Deceit’ is new novel from Laura Freeman
