MOUNT VERNON — “Trail of Blood,” a novel by Lisa Black, is the featured selection for the Adult Book Discussion Tuesday, May 15, at 7 p.m. in the multi-purpose room a
t the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County, 201 N. Mulberry St., Mount Vernon. The author, Lisa Black, says she “spent the happiest five years of my life in a morgue.” Tiring of work as a secretary, she went back to school and got a degree in biology in order to work as a forensic scientist in the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office. She analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence — and went to crime scenes.
She puts all that experience to good use in her current series of novels featuring Theresa Maclean, a forensic scientist working for the Cleveland Medical Examiner.
In this most recent thriller, a present-day killer is copying unsolved murders from the past. Seventy-five years ago, a madman nicknamed the Torso Killer terrorized Cleveland. He removed his victims’ heads and often cut their bodies into pieces. In all, he was credited with over a dozen muders. And he was never caught.
Today, Theresa Maclean is called to an abandoned building where a dessicated body, its head between its feet, has been found in a room that has been sealed off for years.
Although there is no immediate proof, everyone assumes the same thing: it’s a Torso Killer victim. The body has decayed beyond recognition, leaving few forensic clues, but Theresa sees this as an opportunity to shed some light on a big piece of Cleveland’s past, that has until now been shrouded in mystery.
But then another body — this one recently deceased — turns up, and the scene bears all the marks of the Torso Killer. Sudenly Theresa’s investigation takes on a whole new meaning. Her examination of the old body has opened a door meant to stay closed, and now she must uncover the truth in order to stop a deranged killer intent on seeing history repeat itself.
Copies of “Trail of Blood” are available for check-out at the Public Library. The event is open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For information, call 740-392-2665, ext. 230.
Published on May 7, 2012
