First published 1991
Constantine Minor walks the grimy streets of 1928 Detroit with a notepad and dangerous ambitions. The young reporter wants to expose the corruption that festers in City Hall, where police badges come cheap and liquor flows despite Prohibition lasting nine years in the Motor City. Minor needs more than rumors and speculation. He decides to get close to the criminal syndicates controlling the illegal booze trade, seeking their side of the story that no other journalist dares pursue. The decision puts him between two worlds that shoot first and ask questions later. Minor must navigate corrupt cops, violent bootleggers, and his own moral boundaries while chasing the story that could make his career. In a city where everyone has a price and trust gets you killed, Minor discovers that the line between observer and participant disappears quickly. His pursuit of truth becomes a fight for survival in Detroit's underworld.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigative-journalism
Setting: Detroit
Period: 1928
321 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Crimeline
Content warnings: violence