Book Talk: Novelist Bob Adamov spins web of intrigue with ‘White Spider Night’
The Russian drug cartel took Emerson Moore to Detroit and Key West in “Sunset Blues,” 14th in Wooster author Bob Adamov’s series about a journalist based in Put-in-Bay. “White Spider Night,” 15th in the series, keeps the action close to home, with a local bed-and-breakfast the setting.
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In “Sunset Blues,” Moore’s aunt was kidnapped and her house blown up; Moore gathered a crew to rescue her. It likely has one of the highest body counts in the series. Here, Moore and Aunt Anne return to South Bass Island, where Anne plans to meet with an architect to rebuild her home. She will be staying at a friend’s bed-and-breakfast, and Moore will bunk with a friend in exchange for some light yardwork.
Anne’s friend Ada runs the Doorbell Inn. She’s kind and generous but an incurable gossip, and tells Anne all about the next-door drama at the Spider’s Web B&B. It’s owned by the stunning blonde Elke White; like Ada, she is kind and generous, loved by all, but her husband Spider is abusive and controlling. Tourists flock to Ada’s for her warm hospitality and avoid the Spider’s Web, where Spider is constantly berating and sometimes hitting his wife. Ada’s sheepish husband looks for ways to spy on Elke as she sunbathes topless.
The police chief has asked Moore to serve as a reserve officer, working “on cases that come up from time to time.” As an investigative reporter, Moore knows how to ask questions. He’s caught off balance, though, by his first assignment: setting a speed trap for golf carts as members leave the Old Women’s Literary Society meeting. He’s paired with the chief’s nephew A.C., whose self-importance is matched only by his incompetence.
After a particularly vicious fight, Elka runs out on Spider and doesn’t come back. Moore follows the gossip, questioning Spider, his neighbors, bartenders and a homeless man to help put together what might have happened to Elka – as well as several other people whose disappearances follow.
Contrasted with most of Adamov’s ultraviolent action-adventures, “White Spider Nights” takes the form of a detective story. “White Spider Night” (200 pages, hardcover) costs $28 from Adamov’s Packard Island Publishing.
‘No Man Knows This Country Better’
In 2019’s “The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West,” David McCullough wrote about little-known Manesseh Cutler, a member of the Ohio Company, organizers of the Northwest Territory. McCullough, who died August 7, credits Cutler with forbidding slavery in Ohio.
Another little-known figure is John Gibson, whose life is studied in “No Man Knows This Country Better: The Frontier Life of John Gibson” by Gary S. Williams.
Gibson was born in 1840 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. By his late teens he was an officer at the new Fort Pitt, his progress advanced by his knowledge of Delaware, Shawnee and Seneca; he later learned Miami. At only twenty he became a Deputy Indian Commissioner, and in 1763 was captured by Lenape, with whom he lived for several years.
The book follows Gibson’s life into Ohio, where he served as commander of Fort Laurens in Bolivar during the Revolutionary War. Williams reports that Gibson “developed such a reputation for honesty that tribes requested to deal with him.” He may be best remembered for translating a famous speech of the Mingo chief Logan.
The book’s title comes from a statement by General William Irvine, commander of the Western Department of the Continental Army.
“No Man Knows This Country Better” (222 pages, hardcover) costs $59.95 from University of Akron Press. Gary Williams grew up in Dover and lives in Steubenville. He earned a master’s degree in library science from Kent State University and is the author of “Hiking Ohio” and several other books about Ohio history.
He will talk about “No Man Knows This Country Better” from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Dover Public Library, 525 N. Walnut St. Register at doverlibrary.org.
Events
There are major book events coming in the next weeks. Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Writing Conference begins with online panels Sept, 6-8, and then in-person events Sept. 9-10 to coincide with the beginning of Cleveland Book Week, occupying 10 days from September 9-18. Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards will take place Sept. 14-16, with the ceremony to be held Sept. 15. The final event will be the Great Lakes African American Writers Conference on Sept. 17, with Walter Mosley as the keynote speaker. Barberton Public Library expects about a dozen authors at its author fair Sept. 10.
Fireside Books (29 N. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls): Brandy Gleason will sign “100 Things to Do in Amish Country Before You Die” from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Michele Harper talks about “The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir,” about her experiences as a Black female emergency room physician, in a virtual presentation at 9 p.m. Monday. Register at smfpl.org.
Hudson Library & Historical Society: Linda Castillo, author of the Holmes County-set Kate Burkholder series about a police chief in a small town with a large Amish population, will talk about “The Hidden One,” featured in Book Talk on July 10, in a virtual event at 7 p.m. Tuesday. At 7 p.m. Thursday, CNN host Chris Wallace will discuss “Countdown bin Laden: The Untold Story of the 247-Day Hunt to Bring the Mastermind of 9/11 to Justice.” This event was rescheduled from a previous date. Register at hudsonlibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Beachwood branch, 25501 Shaker Blvd.): Ann and Jane Esselstyn talk about their cookbook “Be a Plant-Based Woman Warrior,” 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Parma-Snow branch, 2121 Snow Road): Sandra Brown talks about her thriller “Overkill,” about a former NFL star whose ex-wife is on life support, 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Bay Village branch, 27400 Wolf Road): Terry Pluto talks about Cleveland sports and signs his many books, including “Vintage Browns,” 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Deanna Adams gives an interactive presentation based on “Cleveland’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Music Venues.” Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Loganberry Books: Eric Garcia joins the Peculiar Book Club to talk about “We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation” in a virtual appearance at 7 p.m. Thursday. Register at loganberrybooks.com.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch, 1876 South Green Road, South Euclid): Karin Slaughter talks about her thriller “Girl, Forgotten,” about a U.S. Marshall trying to solve a cold case, 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson): Janice Litterst signs “Set This Butterfly Free: Transforming Your Relationship with Energy, Money and Life,” 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
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: Put-in-Bay novelist Bob Adamov returns with ‘White Spider Night’
