Raves for The Detroit Electric Scheme
"The surprise ending leaves you gasping and shaking your head at Johnson’s masterful plotting and the menacing tension that forces otherwise good characters to behave despicably. Every bit as powerful as Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley series, this gem of a debut showcases an author to watch very closely." --Booklist (starred review)
"Full of nonstop action, plot twists and turns, and great insight into the early history of the U.S. car industry, this debut is part coming-of-age tale (about a young man, eaten by guilt and regrets, who leaves his alcoholic haze and shows what he is made of) and part historical mystery. Essential for historical fans." -- Library Journal
"On the very first page of “The Detroit Electric Scheme,” author D.E. Johnson grabs readers and plunges them into a murder mystery that holds its tension through to the last chapter. . . In his debut novel, Johnson has done his homework, working hard to bring time-traveling readers the sense of riding a cramped rush-hour streetcar through downtown Detroit of long past, the dark energy and danger of a real-life underworld dive and the malodorous confines of a Detroit city police jail cell. He artfully mixes his characters with genuine figures from history and their well-researched and unforgettable personalities. “Detroit Electric” isn’t simply an entertaining murder mystery. Johnson crafts a tale that is as full of contemporary issues as it is historical accuracy. Substance abuse, tolerance, prejudice, organized crime, union busting and immigration problems are themes as alive today as they are in Johnson’s Detroit of 1910. Don’t miss riding along on a world-record attempt in a Detroit Electric roadster in this well-plotted whodunit but be sure to notice the compelling scenery of human complexity Johnson reveals along the way. You’ll enjoy the journey." --The Grand Rapids Press
"Johnson's debut work paints a vivid portrait of Detroit in its heyday of the early 1900s, when the big-shouldered metropolis walked with a swagger and the automakers and labor unions were circling each other like prizefighters poised for battle. The book's protagonist, the fictional Will Anderson, is the son and heir apparent to Detroit Electric owner William Anderson (William Anderson did in fact own Detroit Electric, but had no sons). When Will arrives at the Detroit Electric factory after hours and finds the mangled body of a man -- who happens to be engaged to Will's ex-fiancée -- crushed in a giant hydraulic press, he panics and runs. As Will tries to elude the police long enough to find the killer, he takes the reader on a thrilling run through the city's dark side, rife with sex, drugs, hit men and corruption." -- The Detroit Free Press
An "absorbing debut . . ." --The Seattle Times
Johnson is so skilled a writer that the race for supremacy between the manufacturers of electric and gasoline-powered automobiles is every bit as exciting as the chase through the streets of Detroit to find a ruthless killer. This remarkable debut novel will give you a thrilling ride, and leave you wanting more. -- Historical Novels Review (Editor's Choice)
“D.E. Johnson's intriguing mystery debut, The Detroit Electric Scheme, is an action packed thrill ride ... one of those rare novels that is both action driven and character driven. ... Antique automobile enthusiasts as well as American history buffs will enjoy The Detroit Electric Scheme. The unique setting - Detroit in 1910 - makes this novel worth reading. Were times simpler back then? Not according to this superb mystery.” —Gumshoe Review
“In what I hope is only the beginning of a series, Johnson sets his compelling tale in early 1900s Detroit, a city on the cusp of greatness, both electric and gasoline-powered automobiles pouring off the assembly lines to enthusiastic customers. . . . Precise historical details lend authenticity to an already riveting thriller. Thanks to the unconditional aid of a controversial new friend, Will (Anderson) faces his guilt and becomes a man in the face of great peril in a fine novel with a social context that raises it above the usual genre fare.”--Curled up with a Good Book
"The Detroit Electric Scheme is an absorbing tale of Detroit's car industry in its early years, of some of its founders, of the promising electric vehicle that never quite made it, and of a murderer who is clever by half. Johnson will keep his audience reading, and guessing wrong, right up to the last chapter." -- I love a Mystery
"...an empathetic hero and an abundance of interesting historical detail should keep readers engaged." -- Kirkus Reviews
"The Detroit Electric Scheme is a Les Miserables for the American experience: part noir, part a tale of obsession and persecution, and all historically sound . . . If you liked Dennis Lehane's The Given Day, you'll waste no time devouring The Detroit Electric Scheme." --Lauren Estleman, author of Alone and Frames
"D.E. Johnson’s terrific debut brilliantly captures the dangerous underbelly of 1910 Detroit’s fast-growing automobile industry. A well-plotted mystery filled with memorable characters and taut suspense, The Detroit Electric Scheme makes for a compelling read." --Stefanie Pintoff, Edgar-award-winning author of In the Shadow of Gotham and A Curtain Falls
“The Detroit Electric Scheme is thoroughly enjoyable. What Johnson has accomplished is nearly magical: He has marvelously created the old Detroit, made it come to life in a way that is recognizable, and yet is totally new. This is a completely convincing, believable historical place, populated by attractive and fascinating characters. More than that, Johnson has a done a magnificent job of presenting the early days of a great industry without falling into the trap of merely giving a history lesson. The Detroit Electric Scheme is a phenomenal debut.”--Jon A. Jackson, author of Badger Games and The Diehard
"A good mystery novel must combine intriguing characters and a page-turning plot. A truly fine mystery novel, in addition to those elements, will also feature strong writing and a setting that makes the reader wonder why no one has set a mystery against such a fascinating background before. D.E. Johnson's The Detroit Electric Scheme blends all those elements into a first-rate book." --Albert A. Bell, Jr., author of The Blood of Caesar, one of Library Journal's 5 Best Mysteries of 2008
"D.E. Johnson's impeccable research drives this crackling tale of murder set in Detroit 's infant auto industry. Like the electric Victoria that Will Anderson drives, The Detroit Electric Scheme jolts you into a dangerous world of suspense and intrigue." -- Rebecca Cantrell, award-winning author of A Trace of Smoke
“The Detroit Electric Scheme is a jaunt through turn of the century Detroit and a window into the launch of the automotive industry. Swiftly paced and peopled with fascinating, darkly colorful characters, Johnson treats the reader to a compelling mystery laced with vivid historical detail. It's a historical mystery in high gear! -- Ann Stamos, author of Bitter Tide
