Novels Set In Detroit

[cosine]

"Burnt Offerings" by Charles Newsome [[an ex-Detroit cop). Great read about SW Detroit.

[IrishSpartan]

Bill Kienzle was one of the priests at St.David in the 1950's. He ended leaving the priesthood in the 1970's.

All of the William X. Keinsle [[Spelling of the last name might be wrong) murder mysteries place in Detroit. William X. Keinsle was an ex Catholic priest. ALL of his books surround Detroit [[a LOT) and have a Catholic spin on them. One of them [[The Rosary Murders) was made into a movie with Donald Sutherland as the main character, and was filmed in Detroit. Check them out.

There was also another book by Elmore Leonard called Freaky Deaky. Not such a great book, but the setting too was Detroit.

Hope this helps you.

[Király]

Has anyone read The Turner House by Angela Flournoy? It has been generating quite a buzz; it made the National Book Award finals and the NY Times notable book of the year. The Vancouver Public Library has 7 copes, all in use; I'm 20th in line to borrow it.

[G-DDT]

So far, I've only read Freaky Deaky by Leonard. I thought it was o-kay. Not as climatic as one would hope about disgruntled old Weathermen [[I think the ending to the Pink Panther film Shot in the Dark had a more climatic and similar ending if I remember correctly). Yet, Leonard doesn't have to be loud and climatic.

If I remember the story correctly, there is a scene with Iggy Pop performing at St. Andrews Hall where I used to work. What little of the film I've seen just doesn't match up to what I envisioned it to be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwCL9wdiPycI like Glover and all, but he isn't who I would've cast for the role.

[Carolyn.F]

I'm reading Scrapper by Matt Bell right now. It's one of this year's MI notable authors books. http://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmic...2447--,00.html

[aoife]

Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes. Kind of mystery, kind of horror in genre. It took a minute to get into, but it was pretty good and at times really creepy. The author spent a lot of time in Detroit, I am guessing with some of the DetroitYes folks, based on some of the settings in the story.

[makischr]

The Detroit Electric Scheme, by D. E. Johnson. A book club we belonged to read this mystery set in turn of the century Detroit. It wasn't a favorite all time read, but I remember being fascinated at the time getting a better picture in my head of what day to day life might have looked like in the 1910's in Detroit.

[makischr]

I also enjoyed Making Callaloo in Detroit by Detroit author Lolita Hernandez. It's not a novel, but a collection of short stories. I got to do some work on the author's townhome in Lafayette Park and we just hit it off. She gave me a copy of her book. She teaches creative writing at UM-A2 and WSU.

She's the real Detroit story, having worked in the auto plants when she was younger. Her parents were immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago and they lived in community and socialized with other Trinidadians and Caribbean Island folk. Her writing is rich with the culture that she grew up with, the lilting speech and "otherness" of her parents, their traditions of food, sports and music. This was an interesting read because various stories took me to vivid places I've never seen in Detroit - a neighborhood dance in SW Detroit [[think church basement with beer), and then to a nursing home on East Grand Boulevard.

[preserve]

Mr. Paradiso by Leonard - the building off Michigan Ave where this crime takes place has been purchased and is being rehabbed - across from Rubbed. Elmore Leonard changed a few of the
facts, and he did have a charitable fund raiser that allowed a judge to get his name in the book.
I found the book amusing and interesting.

[Gianni]

Killshot by Elmore Leonard. He did research with the Ironworkers Union and it is set in Detroit and has a Native American character from Walpole Island.

Another one, not a novel but a play, is called "Palmer Park." Amazingly it was written not by a Detroiter but the details are right on. It's loosely based on a true story set in the 60's about two adjacent neighborhoods and two public schools, and the racial divide between them, and how the people in the upscale neighborhood, both white and black, struggle to keep the neighborhood from reaching the "tipping point."

[Todd Fitzgerald]

Killed to Death by Frank Lord. It's a dark violent comedy, maybe a Fight Club type book in terms of mood, or maybe an industrial American Psycho. It's about a violent guy working in an assembly plant and gangsters he works for, but it also has a lot to say about working in the plants and conflicts between different ways of seeing the world. It takes place in Hamtramck and assembly plants in the Detroit area. What I did not like is that it's only available in Britain, so the shipping price with Amazon UK was nearly as much as the book. I can't find it anywhere else.

[CassTechGrad]

Ned's: a novel by Robert Henige. The real Venice Pool Hall referred to in the novel was on Davison Ave., one block west of the Davison & 6 Mile intersection, on the north side of the street. The building still stands today but has been abandon for many years.

Synopsis

Ned’s is an autobiographical account of the coming-of-age of a young man in 1970’s Detroit. When introduced to the gambling world at Venice Pool Hall as a nineteen year old, the Kid immediately becomes mesmerized with “the life.” He dedicates every spare minute to attending regular card games and dice games as well as spending countless evenings at the racetrack. This involvement has an adverse affect on the development of his personal life and hinders his attempt to obtain an education. The Kid is oblivious to the fact that he is sinking deeper into the world of gambling as he morally justifies the gaining of “an edge” to enhance his chances of winning.

The reader is taken to the bowels of the downtown Detroit Beaubien police precinct; past doors with sliding windows to a dice and card games; and behind the scenes at Hazel Park Raceway to experience the every day hustle of the touts and players. In the end, the story always returns to Venice Pool Hall, affectionately referred to as Ned’s after the owner. It is at Ned’s that the reader is introduced to dice and card hustlers, hoodlums, and all types of gamblers relentless in their attempts to take money from anyone using any means necessary.

[Ursula]

Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy [[native Detroiter)
Historical novel based in WW II and Detroit is one setting

[kathy2trips]

A good novel that takes place in Detroit?
Mine!
It's not done yet, but I'm writing as fast as I can.
My job keeps interfering with my writing time.
I have to actually show up and do something.
What a drag!

[Delray Kid]

So many scenes of Rosary Murders filmed at Holy Redeemer in 1986. Still a picture of Donald Sutherland and Belinda Bauer behind the counter at Duly's. Jack White was a mere 11 year old youngster acting as an altar boy. I'm proposing a 30 year re-release gala either at HRH's [[ahem Detroit Cristo Rey) auditorium or at the Stratford Theatre at Ferdinand & Vernor next year for Rosary Murders 30th year anniversary.