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all about it Local authors Michael Jordan and Donald Hricik share their inspiration and favorite reads. BY LINDA FEAGLER
MICHAEL JORDAN
How did your passion for writing begin? I get such joy out of reading and found it amazing that authors could spark emotions in you. Writing a novel was definitely on my bucket list. As a youngster, I devoured The Hardy Boys novels and progressed to the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury. Who are some of your favorite authors? As I’ve aged, I’ve transitioned into reading a lot of historical thrillers. My all-time favorite book is Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett. I’m hooked on the Jason Bourne books by Robert Ludlum, and I really like the writings of Frederick Forsyth, best-known for The Day of the Jackal. I love the detailed history these authors create. Are there any recent books you recommend? I look back at what I’ve read over the past year and three historical thrillers stand out: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black and The Huntress: A Novel by Kate Quinn.
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A trial lawyer who provides private arbitration services, Michael Jordan has based his debut novel, The Company of Demons, on the unsolved Torso Murders that took place in Cleveland during the 1930s. Published in 2018, the author’s modern-day murder mystery resurrects the brutal slayings with newfound vengeance.
What sparked your interest in one of the most notorious chapters in Cleveland’s history? I moved to Cleveland 34 years ago. While waiting for a deposition to begin downtown, I noticed a series of historic black and white photographs on an office wall. An attorney I was working with pointed to the photo of Kingsbury Run and told me that’s where the Torso Murderer dumped his victims. I asked him, “Who’s the Torso Murderer?” He started telling me the gripping story that still fascinates Clevelanders.
