Motor City Shakedown One of the Top 5 Crime Novels of 2011! (according to The House of Crime and Mystery)
and a winner of the 2012 Michigan Notable Book Award!

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Detroit, 1911: When Will Anderson stumbles upon the bloody body of Vito Adamo's driver, he knows he'll be a suspect, particularly since he was spotted outside the dead man's apartment that same night. He sets out to find the killer, and the trail leads him to a vast conspiracy in an underworld populated by gangsters, union organizers, crooked cops, and lawyers. Worse, it places him directly in the middle of Detroit's first mob war. The Teamsters want a piece of Will’s father’s car company, Detroit Electric, and the Gianolla gang is there to be sure they get it.

To save their families, Will and his ex-fiancée Elizabeth Hume enlist the help of Detroit Police Detective Riordan, the teenage members of what will one day be known as the Purple Gang, and Vito Adamo himself. They careen from one danger to the next, surviving shootouts, kidnappings and police brutality, while barreling toward a devastating climax readers won't soon forget.

Critics are raving about Motor City Shakedown!

“The scenes of the Motor City, riding high on the industrial wave, are extraordinarily vivid—and best viewed from the front seat of one of those very snazzy cars.” --Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review


"Set in Detroit in 1911, Johnson's vibrant follow-up to The Detroit Electric Scheme delivers razor-sharp depictions of the Motor City. . . . Johnson brings the turbulence and rampant corruption of the era to life through his flawed yet tenacious lead in this worthy successor to his debut." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)


"Johnson’s period noir is violent and chaotic, but his clever weaving of history with intriguing characters makes for an exciting read." --Kirkus Reviews
 

"Violent, suspenseful, and complex, Johnson’s shakedown in Detroit sucks the breath out of readers rushing to the cliff’s edge with Will and Elizabeth. This gritty new series is a good match for James Ellroy and George Pelecanos fans . . ." --Booklist

Work in progress:
Detroit Breakdown

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The Kay Beard Building, formerly "D" Building of Eloise Hospital in Westland, MI.

Eloise is the setting for about half of the book I'm currently writing, tentatively titled Detroit Breakdown. Will Anderson has reason to go undercover as a patient in an insane asylum (although some of you might argue he belongs there anyway) because Elizabeth's cousin has been accused of killing another patient.

Eloise Hospital is gone now but has a fascinating history. At one time more than 10,000 patients and inmates called Eloise home, and it was really a city unto itself. Eloise was comprised of seventy-five buildings at its peak. Now four remain. Most of the land has been sold off or lies empty.
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The Eloise Hospital Fire Department
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The Lake across Michigan Avenue - where the hospital's water and ice came from
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The ruins behind the old dynamo
 

D.E. Johnson on The One Seven!
This TV stuff might end up going to my head. The Grand Rapids Fox affiliate was kind enough to have me on their show to talk about The Detroit Electric Scheme. Here's the video!



Jay Leno interviews D.E. Johnson about The Detroit Electric Scheme

I got a chance to spend about three hours at Jay's "Garage" (actually 5 airplane hangars). He's a great guy, very down-to-earth, and very into his cars! I'd publish the other pictures I took, but they made me promise not to. There's rows of Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Bugattis, etc. If you're a car lover, write a book so he'll invite you in!



And one more - Voices in Mystery - shot at Magna Cum Murder, October 2010
(Wearing the same shirt as on Leno - color me embarrassed - and purple)