D.E. Johnson, Michigan author and auto historian

Posted by hpayne on April 10, 2013

Johnson_CarScheme

In my Detroit News column this week on the revival of the storied Detroit Electric car company, I quote D.E. Johnson, Michigan-based novelist and electric car historian on the uphill battle electrics face in the consumer market (from a piece in The Michigan View last year).

Beyond Johnson’s auto insight, I highly recommend his “faction” novel set in 1910 Detroit, “The Great Detroit Electric Scheme.” Not just a ripping good murder yarn – the book brings to life Detroit at the turn of the 20th century. From detailed encounters with the Dodge Bothers and young Edsel Ford to car factories on the riverfront to blind pigs on Gratiot, the book is a superb period piece (and he has a sequel in the works).

Johnson lives near Kalamazoo.  He’s Pure Michigan. His full library of books can be found at his web page here.

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