Judge unravels ‘Akron’s Infamous Escort Case’ | Book Talk

In 1998, the Akron Vice Squad and CenTac, a unit composed of Summit County police officers and sheriff’s deputies, began a joint investigation into escort services in the county. What began as, as one lawyer said, “hookers with telephones,” turned into a complex and bewildering case. The best person to unravel it is the judge who presided over the whole thing, Jane Bond, author of “Akron’s Infamous Escort Case.”

Although a conviction for prostitution usually resulted in a brief jail sentence and a fine, this investigation began with an anonymous letter accusing a Vice Squad lieutenant of misconduct with prostitutes. This was serious enough, but with the idea that any assets of escort services could be confiscated, the attention turned to charging them as racketeering organizations.

When Bond learned that she had been assigned the case, it had 35 defendants. It later included a murder, special prosecutors and a list of supposed clients that included prominent names. The Beacon Journal covered the case extensively, and Bond adds some cutting editorial cartoons by Chip Bok.  Bizarrely, one of the Beacon Journal reporters who had covered the case was called to the jury. Neither the prosecution nor the defense objected to his service, and he was even elected foreman.

Though there’s certainly some lurid content, the focus of the book is on the legal contortions that arose from “hookers with telephones.”

“Akron’s Infamous Escort Case” (174 pages, softcover) costs $23.99 from the History Press. Bond earned a law degree from the University of Akron in 1976 and retired from Summit County Common Pleas Court in 2007.

Bond will talk about “Akron’s Infamous Escort Case” at 1 p.m. Saturday at the John Brown House, 550 Copley Road. Admission $10 for nonmembers. Register at summithistory.org.

‘Finding Cristina: A New Life’

Emilia Rosa of Huron has followed up her 2021 romantic mystery “Finding Cristina” with “Finding Cristina: A New Life.” Set in the 1920s, they’re about a woman who inherits a large house in Rio de Janeiro but has to pay off a substantial debt by working as a pianist.

In Book Two, Cristina is married, and she and her American husband Robert are traveling with their toddler from New York to Rio on a luxury steamer to visit her mother and enjoy the attractions. There are complications on the trip, as an unnamed man is seen telling another to deliver Robert to him. On the ship, Robert is poisoned and finds a snake in his cabin.

After their arrival in Rio, there is much about Brazilian culture and cuisine. Robert is abducted, and the pace picks up as the rest of the characters search for him while not knowing whom to trust.

“Finding Cristina: A New Life” (226 pages, softcover) costs $20 from online retailers. Rosa was born in the United States and raised in Brazil.

Rosa, joined by fellow Northern Ohio Authors Guild members Wendy Fedan (“Frida the Create-a-Way Fairy”), Lou Masterson (“Operation Cua Thu: The Last Mission in Vietnam”), Patrick O’Keefe (“Cold Air Return”) and Richard Norgard (“Trophy Kill”), will have a group signing at noon Saturday at Loganberry Books 13015 Larchmere Boulevard, Shaker Heights.

Events

Walls of Books (7783 Ridgewood Road, Parma): Chrissy McGregor, accompanied by her disabled mastiff Aslan, reads from “Aslan Leads His Best Life,” 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Fireside Book Shop (29 N. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls): Maria Denison signs “The Reflex: Part 1,” 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Hudson Library & Historical Society: Journalist Nicole Perlroth talks about “This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race” in a Zoom event at 7 p.m. Monday. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, former Metropolitan Museum of Art guard Patrick Bringley talks about “All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me.” Register at hudsonlibrary.org.

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Novelist Sadequa Johnson (“Yellow Wife”), whose “The House of Eve” brings two young Black women together in 1950s Washington, D.C., joins the Online Author Talk Series, 4 p.m. Tuesday. Register at smfpl.org.

Mentor Public Library (8215 Mentor Ave.): Mark Dawidziak talks about “A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe,” featured Feb. 12 in Book Talk, 6:30 to 7:3 p.m. Tuesday. Register at mentorpl.org.

Massillon Library (208 Lincoln Way E.): Leslie Heaphy, associate professor of history at Kent State University at Stark and co-editor of “Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball,” presents “Women and the Game of Baseball,” 1 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. Register at massillonlibrary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch, 1876 S. Green Road, South Euclid): Scott Simon discusses “Scare Your Soul for Writers (and Everyone Else),” 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, John C. Bruening (The Midnight Guardian: Guards and Sinners”), Chinetha Hall (“Everybody Needs a Mask!”) and Barbara Howard (“Milo’s Journey”) present a self-publishing roundtable. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Barberton Public Library (602 W. Park Ave.): Comic book writer and artist Mike Gustovich talks about his work with Marvel, DC and other publishers, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Cleveland Jewish Book Festival: Shaunna J. Edwards and Alyson Richman talk about “The Thread Collectors,” about two Civil War-era women, one enslaved in New Orleans and the other a Jewish abolitionist in New York, in a virtual event from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Register at mandeljcc.org.

Stark Library (715 Market Ave. N.): A local author fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Nearly 50 authors will participate. Books will be available for purchase. Free workshops will be held. For details, go to starklibrary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Parma-Snow branch, 2121 Snow Road): Emily Pilloton talks about “Girls Garage: How to Use Any Tool, Tackle Any Project, and Build the World You Want to See,” 11 a.m. to noon Saturday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Akron-Summit County Public Library (Green branch, 4046 Massillon Road): Fox-8 TV anchor Wayne Dawson and his co-author Deante Young discuss Dawson’s “The Seeds of Greatness Are Within You: A Memoir,” 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday. Register at akronlibrary.org.

Mandel Jewish Community Center Stonehill Auditorium (26001 S. Woodland Road, Beachwood): The Cleveland Jewish Book Festival continues with food columnist Faith Kramer, author of “52 Shabbats: Friday Night Dinners Inspired by a Global Jewish Kitchen,” 11 a.m. March 5. The $18 admission includes a spice workshop. Register at mandeljcc.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: Judge Jane Bond writes book on ‘Akron’s Infamous Escort Case’