‘Underground Railroad in Ohio’ offers stirring tales | Book Talk

Most people know that Ohio was pivotal in the operation of the Underground Railroad, possibly the most active network of any state. In “The Underground Railroad in Ohio,” Kent State University alumna Kathy Schulz looks at the inception and expansion of the system.

Schulz leads with the stirring story of Addison White, an enslaved man who made his way to the Champaign County home of Udney Hyde, known to have assisted hundreds of fugitives. Instead of continuing north, however, White remained to help Hyde, who had suffered a serious leg injury. With the Fugitive Slave Act empowering slave catchers to claim a bounty, this was risking both men’s lives, but the community came to his aid.

Schulz explains the reasons that Ohio was “the state most heavily traveled” by the Underground Railroad, including its terrain, the prohibition clause in the 1787 Northwest Ordinance, the pacifist Quaker population, the assistance of Native Americans and the resources of the Ohio & Erie Canal. Schulz emphasizes that the term “Underground Railroad” wasn’t used for the earliest rescues, because there was no such thing as a railroad.

“The Underground Railroad in Ohio” (160 pages, softcover) costs $23.99 from the History Press. Schulz is a Salem native who grew up in Columbiana County. She now lives in New Mexico.

‘Cars. Stars. Murder.’

Just when you think there’s nothing new in the detective genre, St. Vincent High School alumnus William J. Palmer writes “Cars. Stars. Murder.” It is a pandemic detective novel, second in the “Sherlock Jones” series about a Marine veteran who opens an investigations agency but who is much more dedicated to golf, beer and his girlfriend.

One day he is playing with his fellow members of the Wednesday Drunken Golfers Association when his former sergeant shows up and asks for help: He’s been working as a bodyguard for a deeply troubled movie star, and she’s been receiving threats. It’s a familiar story: Mandy was a struggling young actress and appeared in pornographic movies to pay the rent. Now someone has sent her explicit photos with the implication that she’ll be getting an extortion letter.

Jones assembles a list of suspects and racks up a lot of miles on the congested Los Angeles freeways. The movie industry (and most everything else) is in full lockdown and there are advantages to wearing a mask when one is doing surveillance. Jones’ drunken golfer friends assist with their assorted skills.

Despite his half-hearted attempts to ask about his fee, Jones finds himself working for nothing, not even for gas or beer, which surely must be adding up to four figures by now.

“Cars. Stars. Murder.” (298 pages, softcover) costs $10.03 from online retailers. Palmer also is the author of the Indiana-set Wabash Trilogy and the Dickens-referenced environmental thriller “Two Cities.” He is an emeritus professor of English at Purdue University.

Events

Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Kevin Williams signs “Roswell Revisited: The 75th Anniversary of the Roswell UFO Crash” and “The UFO Vault Volume 1: Crash Cases,” 1 p.m. Sunday.

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library (3512 Darrow Road, Stow): Stow-Munroe Falls High School English teacher and former Beacon Journal writer David Lee Morgan Jr., author of “LeBron James: The Rise of a Star,” the first biography of James, speaks on “Igniting Inclusion” as part of the library’s celebration of Black History Month, 6 to 8 p.m. Monday. Register at smfpl.org.

Hudson Library & Historical Society (96 Library St.): Thriller author James Rollins talks in person about “Moonfall,” second book in the Cradle of Ice series, 6:30 p.m. Monday. History professor Christopher Gorham talks about “The Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern American,” 7 p.m. Thursday. Register at hudsonlibary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Independence branch, 6361 Selig Drive): Jane Turzillo discusses “Wicked Cleveland,” about historical robbers and gangsters, 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Barberton Public Library (602 W. Park Ave.): Certified fraud examiner Kyle Jekot, author of “A Cure for the Common Scam: A Non-Technical Guide to Navigating the Pitfalls of the Internet,” talks about scam calls and emails, 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Register at barbertonlibrary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Solon branch, 34125 Portz Parkway): Paul Orlousky talks about “Punched, Kicked, Spat On and Sometimes Thanked: Memoirs of a Cleveland TV News Reporter,” 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Stark Library (Perry Sippo branch, 5710 12th St. NW): Marietta cookbook author Sara Bir (“Tasting Ohio: Favorite Recipes from the Buckeye State”) talks about developing recipes and maintain a blog, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Register at starklibrary.org.

Dover Public Library (525 N. Walnut St.): Author Night with an author to be determined who will speak and sign books, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Check at doverlibrary.org for the name.

Rocky River Public Library (1600 Hampton Road): Mark Zimmerman of Kirtland discusses “Eli: The Phenom’s Story,” about a fictional Amish slugger who joins the Cleveland Indians in 1946, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

Music Box Supper Club (1148 Main Ave., Cleveland): Bette Lou Higgins, author of “Lost Restaurants of Downtown Cleveland,” joins the Cleveland Stories Dinner Parties series, 7 p.m. Thursday. Dinner is $25; the lecture is free. Go to musicboxcle.com.

Visible Voice Books (2258 Professor Ave., Cleveland): Lake Erie Ink’s 11th Annual Kids’ Comic Con launches with “Comics and Community: Building a New World,” a panel discussion moderated by Valentino Zullo and featuring Jeremy Stoll, Dawn Arrington, Terri Libenson, Juan Jose Fernandez, Lynnesha Hamilton and Bryn Adams. Register at lakeerieink.com.

Ashland Public Library (224 Claremont Ave.) Author Sarah M. Wells (“American Honey: A Field Guide to Resisting Temptation”) presents a writers’ workshop from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday. Register at ashland.lib.oh.us.

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.

Book Talk:‘A Mystery of Mysteries’ explores demise of Edgar Allan Poe

Book Talk:Advice columnist follows clues in ‘Of Manners and Murder’

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Underground Railroad in Ohio is new book by Kathy Schulz