You seek a detailed, intuitive explanation of the Coriolis effect. However, the Coriolis effect may not be as intuitive as some books might make it seem---or we might like.
From what I have read, your explanation of Corilis for north-south movement is a misconception of the Coriolis effect, much like trying to explain that aerodynamic lift is the result of two particles of air trying to traverse the upper and lower surfaces of a wing in equal time. The explanation may sound good, but it is not a proper physical description of what is actually happening. Yes, we can definitively observe the Coriolis effect, and, for pilots, the effects are most pronounced when we study weather patterns.
In one of my undergraduate physics classes, we derived a mathematical expression for the Coriolis effect. The result was beautiful and elegant, but trying to replicate the derivation or explain the vector mathematics seems a bit much for this forum or my capabilities. The mathematical equation demonstrated that the Coriolis effect depended on a couple of factors: (1) the rotation of a moving body (e.g., the earth); (2) an object moving along the surface of a rotating body (e.g., winds)---and importantly the latitude and velocity of this moving object.
Let’s break these down further, considering earth and the weather patterns.
The rotation of the earth is important. If the earth did not rotate, we would not observe the Coriolis effect.
The latitude of winds is significant. You have heard that the direction of deflection depends on the hemisphere: right in the northern hemisphere, left in the southern. At the equator, no deflection results.
The speed of wind is important. The Coriolis effect increases as wind velocity increases. Faster winds experience greater deflection; slower winds experience less deflection. (How does this result relate with your illustration of Coriolis? When I tried to integrate wind velocity with the north-south explanation, I arrived at an opposite outcome---maybe this is me?) Remember that high velocity winds tend to parallel the isobars and flow around areas of high and low pressure. Nearer the ground, where surface friction slows the winds, the winds tend to flow more directly towards the areas of high and low pressure (i.e., less deflection).
I trust you will be able to take the information here and add to your knowledge. Perhaps someone else will be able to provide an intuitive explanation of the Coriolis effect that is also physically accurate, improving our understanding of this phenomenon.
