The library will be CLOSED Sunday, May 25 and Monday, May 26, 2025, in observance of Memorial Day.
Boston had its Strangler. California had the Zodiac Killer. And in the depths of the Great Depression, Cleveland had the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run.
Join us for an exciting new book club at the Westlake Porter Public Library. We'll be delving into new and classic books of true crime—from murder, to robbery, heists, and arson we will touch on every aspect of humanity's darker instincts. We will meet on the 3rd Monday of every month, except July & December.
For February we will read a title with some local interest and appeal: Daniel Stashower's American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America's Jack the Ripper.
From Amazon:
Boston had its Strangler. California had the Zodiac Killer. And in the depths of the Great Depression, Cleveland had the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run.
On September 5th, 1934, a young beachcomber made a gruesome discovery on the shores of Cleveland’s Lake Erie: the lower half of a female torso, neatly severed at the waist. The victim, dubbed “The Lady of the Lake,” was only the first of a butcher’s dozen. Over the next four years, twelve more bodies would be scattered across the city. The bodies were dismembered with surgical precision and drained of blood. Some were beheaded while still alive.
Terror gripped the city. Amid the growing uproar, Cleveland’s besieged mayor turned to his newly-appointed director of public safety: Eliot Ness. Ness had come to Cleveland fresh from his headline-grabbing exploits in Chicago, where he and his band of “Untouchables” led the frontline assault on Al Capone’s bootlegging empire. Now he would confront a case that would redefine his storied career.
Award-winning author Daniel Stashower shines a fresh light on one of the most notorious puzzles in the annals of crime, and uncovers the gripping story of Ness’s hunt for a sadistic killer who was as brilliant as he was cool and composed, a mastermind who was able to hide in plain sight. American Demon reconstructs this ultimate battle of wits between a hero and a madman.
View and print the list of books and check out WPPL's Book Discussion page for more book and movie clubs!
AGE GROUP: | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Books and Authors |
TAGS: | True Crime | book discussion | book club |
Westlake Porter Public Library is an independent public library serving the residents of the city of Westlake, western Cuyahoga County and eastern Lorain County. The library is located at 27333 Center Ridge Road in Westlake, Ohio. Anyone who lives, works, owns property, or goes to school in Ohio can register for a free library card.
