Trouble in Motor City: 5 Books about Detroit |

On Thursday July 18, the city of Detroit filed for bankruptcy protection. It is the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history.

If you'd like to get to know Detroit through its literature, try these novels:

The Art Student's War by Brad Leithauser
In 1943, 18-year-old art student Bea's life is changed when she is recruited to draw pictures of wounded soldiers recovering in a Detroit hospital.

Dead of Night by Barbara Nadel
An international policing conference held in Detroit takes a sinister turn.

Let it Burn by Steve Hamilton
• Talking Book (restricted to Print Disabled patrons)
Retired Detroit police officer Andy McKnight returns to the city after he discovers that he may have helped to convict an innocent man.

Say Nice Things About Detroit by Scott Lasser
• Audiobook
• eAudiobook
• Talking Book (restricted to Print Disabled patrons)
A grieving lawyer reluctantly returns to his hometown to confront his own troubled past. In Detroit, he learns about the recent murder of his high school girlfriend and reestablishes his bond with the city.

Until She Comes Home by Lori Ray
• eAudiobook
The discovery of a murdered woman's body disturbs the residents of a middle class Detroit neighbourhood in 1958.

The Will Anderson Series by D. E. Johnson