Thunder City: A Novel of Detroit

Straight historical fiction from Estleman, recounting the founding of Ford Motor Company, with a little action stirred in. Untypically for him, more description and character development, less dialogue and action, and it works well. Fiction and humor go hand in hand with historical tidbits such as the monochromatic Model T being available only in black because the black paint dryed faster and enabled Ford to roll them off the assembly line quicker. Just when you think he can't do better, he does. Estleman is my favorite contemporary fiction author.

After reading a few self-help books that couldn't even make Fred Astaire feel light on his feet and positive in nature I turned to helping myself all year long in my freshman year at a high school in Maine. Today I put a cherry on top of my emotional acheivements for this year by completing Thunder City. The story is as inspiring as it is intricate, and as relative to today as it is historically accurate.

David Mamet recently published an elegy to Patrick O'Brian in The New York Times. In it he said that only the genre writers are writing interesting English, creating characters that we eagerly wish to know and becoming part of our everyday lives. Loren Estleman is one of the best of the genre writers. His Amos Walker mysteries carry the torch of Chandler and MacDonald. His westerns carry the torch of L'Amour. But, unlike any of the others currently writing, he has also invented a new fictional genre. It is one in which the main character is a place, with a supporting cast that weaves in and out of its history. "Thunder City" is the seventh (and last) of the City of Detroit series, which seeks to define the character of Twentieth Century Detroit, one of the most gritty, down-to-earth, hard-working, corrupt, in-your-face, dangerous and exciting cities in America. I know. I grew up there. This series is recommended reading for anyone interested in genre fiction, but it is essential reading for anyone who feels connected to Detroit. You will recognize the culture, the locations, the history, the trivia, the conflicts, the voices, the attitude. It is a one-of-a-kind fictional endeavor that will someday compare with the formative novels of established genres. Not to be missed. You need them all: "Whiskey River," "Motown," "Edsel," "Stress," "King of the Corner," "Jitterbug" and "Thunder City." I suppose Loren Estleman will finally get his "best seller" due when he turns eighty, like Patrick O'Brian. Life just works out that way sometimes. But maybe, just maybe, there is a David Mamet somewhere who will speak out sooner this time around. Then maybe, just maybe, Loren Estleman will continue this marvelous series about the City of Detroit.

Harlan Crownover pleads with his father Abner to provide him with money to invest in Henry Ford's automobile business. Abner, who made a fortune with his patented suspension system for coaches, rejects the idea of investing in any enterprise headed by a failure like Ford. Harlan turns to politician Big Jim Dolan for a loan, but receives the same treatment afforded him by his father. Harlan next turns to Mafioso boss Sal Borneo who is Jim's business associate. Soon everyone seems to be turning on everyone else and even family ties are not a sure shot from treachery. Worse yet, Ford appears ready to use Abner's suspension system to solve the only major problem inhibiting him from mass producing his vehicles. Loren D. Estleman's latest Detroit novel, THUNDER CITY, is an incredible work of historical fiction that makes the turning point era of changing to automobiles seem like yesterday. The story line is filled with action and authentic items from real life. The characters are exciting and their harmony and conflicts make for more interesting reading. However, this tale is clearly that of Detroit, which seems to do a classy JIITERBUG under the direction of that Grand Prix writer Mr. Estleman.Harriet Klausner