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Death Ride at Euclid Beach

And Other True Tales of Crime & Disaster from Cleveland's Past

by John Stark Bellamy II

  • Format: Softcover, 272 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 inches
  • Illustrations: 103 black-and-white photographs and illustrations
  • ISBN: 978-1-886228-85-6
  • Price: $13.95

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Description

Cleveland's crime and disaster expert is back yet again, with more true tales of woe from local history. This fifth book in John Stark Bellamy's popular series (which includes They Died Crawling and The Killer in the Attic) delivers 26 new accounts of Cleveland-area crimes and disasters from 1900 through 1950. The title story is about a death on the “Thriller” roller coaster at Euclid Beach Park. Also recounted are such tales as the odd international hoax in which a Lakewood lad became “The Boy with Hitler's Face” and one of Cleveland's most baffling murder mysteries ever: the brutal killing of sweet 16-year-old Beverly Jarosz in her Garfield Heights bedroom. Sometimes gruesome, often surprising, Bellamy's tales are meticulously researched and delivered in a literate and entertaining style.

Reviews
    As with all the books in his Cleveland crime series, Bellamy writes with razor-edged wit and his own particular brand of charm. — Medina County Gazette
    Human beings are naturally fascinated by the macabre. Bellamy knows this. And like the previous installments, “Death Ride” has more than its fair share of violence, sex, debauchery and reversals of fortune. Plus the kicker: This stuff all happened in your backyard. Bellamy writes his stories with the sensibility of a late 18th century reporter. Many of the stories in his latest volume would be reduced to mere police blotter items today, but his sense of irony and justice and his instinct for the right detail make them much more . . . Certainly, he chooses to write about crimes, but what emerges between the lines are stories of human suffering, stories of class struggle, stories that speak as much to the criminal mind as to the crime itself . . . And Bellamy clearly relishes his criminals. Sometimes he pokes fun. Sometimes he wonders at the humanity of it all. But always he tells his tales with sympathy, compassion and a good old-fashoned, if not antiquated, flair for storytelling. — Sun Press
    To look at John Stark Bellamy, you wouldn't think this that friendly-faced guy in a sportcoat and tie was the keeper of the Cleveland Crypt, as author of five volumes of what he likes to call "Cleveland dismalia.' But then, many a dark, roiling inner life is concealed behind a mild facade. — Free Times
    Interesting how murder and mayhem can prod one's historical curiosity. Bellamy even makes it fun by including many familiar places--no matter where you're driving, you'll take the occasional detour to check out some of the book's ghoulish crime scenes. — Call & Post
    For the past 10 years, Bellamy has titillated and enthralled Northeast Ohio readers with four previous volumes of crimes and disasters from Cleveland history. — The Chronicle-Telegram
    Bellamy tells these and other tales with his usual flamboyant yet sympathetic panache, once again creating a volume that just isn't easy to put down, especially for local history or crime buffs. — Maple Heights Press
About John Stark Bellamy II

John Stark Bellamy II is the author of five books about Cleveland crime and disaster. The former history specialist for the Cuyahoga County Public Library, he comes by his taste for the sensational honestly, having grown up reading stories about Cleveland crime and disaster written by his grandfather, Paul, who was editor of the Plain Dealer, and his father, Peter, who wrote for the Cleveland News and the Plain Dealer. More About John Stark Bellamy II

Contains References to:

Cleveland Accidents, Amusement Parks, Beverly Jarosz, Bostock Animal Riots, Celia Barger, Cleveland Gothic Tales, Cleveland Homicide, Cleveland Stockyards Fire, Cleveland True Crime, Communist Relief Riots, Communist Relief Riots, Hitler Baby, John Shipp, Joseph Senk, Lawrence Bader, Public Hall, Rosa Colvin, Russo Wine Company Fires, Ruth Baumgardner, Tina LaMont

Other books by John Stark Bellamy II: