James Renner at Mac's Backs

In West Akron, there lived a reclusive elderly man who always wore mittens, even in July. He had no friends and no family; all over town, he was known only as the Man from Primrose Lane. And on a summer day in 2008, someone murdered him. With a deft and singular blend of suspense, literature, and horror, The Man from Primrose Lane (Farrar, Straus, Giroux 2012) boasts as many twists and turns as a roller coaster. It’s a spellbinding journey of redemption and a reflection on the roles of fate, destiny, and obsession when it comes to matters of the heart. Known for his true-crime writing (his work has been included in The Best American Crime Writing and Best Creative Non-Fiction), Renner switches genres in this literary debut that has critics taking note. Author Jonathan Carroll describes it as "a haunting, wickedly clever book. Part Dennis Lehane, part Murakami with a twist of HP Lovecraft mixed in gives it a taste like no other.” In 2005, Renner directed a short film based on the Stephen King story, All That You Love Will Be Carried Away. King sold him the rights for $1. It starred Joe Bob Briggs and the late Harvey Pekar and premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival. James Renner is also the author of The Serial Killer's Apprentic, a collection of true crime stories and Amy: My Search for Her Killer about the notorious disappearance and murder of ten-year old Amy Mihaljevic in suburban Cleveland.