*Starred Review* From the very beginning of this noir period piece, you just know nothing will turn out all right. Will Anderson's father owns the electric-car factory where Will finds the body of a one-time friend and rival, John Cooper, crushed and mangled in a hydraulic press. Of course, Will freaks out and scrambles away, leaving clues that point the police right to him. The novel is set in 1910 Detroit, just as competition is heating up in the auto industry and labor unions are beginning to flex their muscle. That's a tough world to navigate if, like Will, you're a factory middle manager looking for answers. Will's ex-girlfriend's fiancé lies dead; she fears for her life but won't see Will; none of his friends stick by him; and his father is fit to be tied by the scandal. As Will narrates the sordid details the sex, the drugs, the hit men, the corruption, the double-crossing the finger of blame points in all directions. 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.--Baker, Jen Copyright 2010 Booklist

In 1910 Detroit, a guilty conscience turns an innocent man into the prime suspect in a grisly murder.Will Anderson, the volatile narrator who manages his father's electric-automobile operation, makes a gruesome discovery when he arrives one November night at the Anderson Carriage Company. John Cooper, a union activist and not incidentally the fianc of Will's former lover Elizabeth, has been crushed to death in a huge hydraulic press. Not thinking clearly, Will flees the scene and makes feeble attempts to cover his tracks, disposing of his bloody clothes and asking an employee to lie about the location of his car, an Anderson Victoria. Nevertheless, police detective Riordan seems to focus on Will with an unsettling intensity, and he receives an anonymous note from a would-be blackmailer. Problems with alcohol do nothing to improve his resolve or his credibility with police. His friend Wesley McRae, an overeager music salesman, agrees to loan Will the blackmail money and enlists the Doyles, a trio of toughs comprising a father and two sons, to help make the payment. The plan goes seriously awry, killing all three Doyles and landing Wesley in the hospital. When Will finally comes face to face with Elizabeth again, the circumstances are horrific, and his determination to protect her, even more than himself, propels him to solve the murder and bring the killer to justice.Johnson's debut novel is unsteadily plotted, but an empathetic hero and an abundance of interesting historical detail should keep readers engaged.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In 1910 Detroit, Will Anderson, the rich and irresponsible son of an electric automobile manufacturer, finds the corpse of a former friend in the body shop of his father's company. He panics and becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation. As Will tries to clear his name, the frame tightens around him. Someone wants him destroyed. VERDICT 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. [A Minotaur First Edition selection.] (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Grief and pain dominate Johnson's downbeat debut, set in Detroit in 1910. When Will Anderson, who works for his father's electric car company, finds the body of John Cooper, who's engaged to Elizabeth, Will's former love, crushed by a hydraulic press in the factory's machining room one night, he flees in panic. Will realizes the circumstantial evidence, including blood on his clothes, is against him, and the cops would be happy to beat a confession out of a likely suspect. Will alerts Elizabeth that John has been murdered and she's in danger, but she spurns his offer of help. Beneath the veneer of neat, progressive Detroit, Will discovers corruption and brutality. Meanwhile, Will's own alcoholism doesn't make it easy for him to think through his difficulties. Real-life automotive pioneers like chirpy Edsel Ford and the bullying Dodge brothers provide lively walk-ons, but readers will struggle to empathize with the book's sad-sack hero. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved