Loren D. Estleman, the prolific author of what James Kindall describes in Detroit as "hard-bitten mysteries, a herd of reality-edged westerns and an occasional fantasy or two," is perhaps best known for his series of hard-boiled mysteries that unravel in an authentically evoked Detroit. "A country boy who has always lived outside of Detroit, he writes with convincing realism about inner city environments," states Kindall, adding that "probably no other area pensmith can lay as convincing a claim to the title of Detroit's private eye writer as Estleman." Had it not been for the success of fellow Detroiter and mystery writer Elmore Leonard, pronounces William A. Henry in Time, "Estleman would doubtless be known as the poet of Motor City."

Trained as a journalist, Estleman researches his work thoroughly and draws deeply from his experience as a reporter who covered the police beat of a small-town newspaper: He...