"Downriver"

The reason I picked it up in the first place was the name. (OK, so it was cheap too, being sold as a remainder.) But “Downriver” is a term used as a name of the southern suburbs of Detroit. So I picked up the book and found out quickly that the events of the book in fact take place in metro Detroit. All the Amos Walker books that Estleman writes take place in Detroit.

Being a mystery, this was new territory for me. But a very nice change of pace, seeing as I usually read sci-fi or fantasy. I found this enjoyable, and the ending was satisfying, though a bit “Hollywood” with all those involved talking things through with the murderer pointing a gun at the lot of them. I also had a thought of who the murderer was, but it still was a good read and not blatant.

The biggest draw for me of course was knowing the places the author used. Unlike other books where you have to imagine the setting using the authors description, I knew exactly what Lake Shore Drive in Grosse Pointe looks like, or have personally been through the maze of walkways through old Trapper’s Alley, or driven up Woodward Avenue in Birmingham. And though terms were used that maybe only Detroiter’s would truly understand, they never took away from the story.

The story was good enough to get me interested in reading more of the series. It is also a nice to bring a little bit of "home" to me.

8/10