Sports, mystery, intrigue – two local authors have recently published novels that have similar ingredients but different themes. Mitchell’s book, Theory Markspurn, takes readers deep into the world of volleyball. Those who know little about the sport will quickly learn terms and rules. Mike Stutz, in his novel Murder in Athens (pronounced Ay-thens), spins a tale around former high school soccer team buddies. Both books add a bit of mystery and intrigue. In both novels, the main character struggles with identity, and both show that we may not know a person as well as we might think.
Murder in Athens (pronounced Ay-thens) by Ray Roentgen – aka Michael Stutz
Ike Lowe has just moved back to central Illinois after his wife’s death and struggles with what he wants to do with his oncology practice. On his way to the hospital one morning, he sees something on the side of the road and stops, discovering a dead body. He realizes the victim is one of his former soccer buddies from high school. What transpires is a mystery. Lowe joins forces with FBI agent Asteria Papadopoulos to find out who has killed several African American women in the area.
Lowe pursues clues and discovers all his former soccer teammates could be the murderer, and then he, too, is named a suspect. As the story unfolds, Lowe discovers hidden secrets about people in his hometown and the guys he thought he knew. Lowe fights against blackmail and must confront his friends to get to the truth, a process that leaves him dismayed at what he finds.
Stutz, now a radiation oncologist at Northwestern Medical Group in Geneva, Illinois, grew up in Springfield and still has family here. He wrote the book under the pseudonym of Ray Roentgen, as he explains, “William Roentgen discovered the x-ray so I used Ray Roentgen for my name.” The novel is full of names of places in the Land of Lincoln. Of course the title, explaining the correct pronunciation of Athens, Illinois, is a clever reminder for those who incorrectly pronounce the town after the Greek city.
“I was spurred to write about the hometown where I grew up,” Stutz says, “and to use the concept of not really knowing some truths. We weren’t taught about the 1908 race riot, so finding out much later about that when thinking our city was the home of the E-mancipator was a big disconnect. In the novel, people discover hidden truths about others.”
The novel is available on Amazon for $15. Stutz donates part of his sales to charities, in Springfield, to the Boys and Girls Club. He has another book in the works which will be a prequel to Murder in Athens.
Both books are interesting reads – one a murder mystery, the other a mental mystery.
Theory Markspurn by Ladd Mitchell
Theory Markspurn is a collegiate star on Petrusia University’s volleyball team – driven, committed and overly disciplined. Whether at practice or in a game, or in her kinesiology class taught by the toughest professor on campus, Theory never deviates from the task at hand. That is until she finds a book, secretly left in her locker, that whirls her into a world that isn’t real – yet; it seems real as it is the story of Katy who has all the traits of Theory. In this story, Katy (Theory) does things Theory would never do, such as break into a locked campus building. Theory begins to live vicariously through the story.
Theory may show strength and confidence, but underneath that façade exists her feelings of not being good enough and the hatred of the after-game interviews that she disguises by counting off the seconds to herself to get through them. The book takes her into a journey asking why. Mitchell says, “We look up to athletes and see their expertise in their game, but what stress are they facing underneath? I chose the sport of volleyball after watching my wife play and then realizing very little coverage of that sport is televised.”
Theory’s friends see her carrying the book with her – wondering why, since they only see blank pages inside. As Theory reads more, she begins to see visions, confuses what is real and what is not, and begins to fall under a spell that continues to draw her to the book, even touching it in her pocket for comfort. But the spell spins her into deeper problems.
Ladd Mitchell at home in Chatham: “Anyone may need to think about their why.”
Mitchell creates a twist-and-turn plot that becomes a thriller and exposes the need to stop and question what we do, what drives a passion, why we pursue that passion, and then ask the hard question – Is this really what I want? Mitchell says, “My book may be about an athlete, but anyone pursuing a passion may need to think about their why.”
Ladd Mitchell lives in Chatham. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist in the now-defunct band, Park. This is his first novel. It is available through Amazon in paperback for $14.99, eBook $3.99 and through Kindle Unlimited for free.
Cinda Ackerman Klickna frequently reviews books for Illinois Times.
This article appears in December 11-17, 2025.
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