Mr. Cave's three-dimensional memory book began as a modest 18th-century clapboard farmhouse, which roughly tripled in size through two expansions.

WSJ: Edward Lee Cave's 18th-Century Connecticut Farm | House Tour

But unlike so many pretentious works of fiction today, Estleman's hardboiled, Detroit-based tales of intrigue, wrongdoing and, ultimately, justice develop three-dimensional, often unforgettable characters (among them in this book, a Larry Flynt-like pornographer) set in finely wrought, factually described settings.

FORBES: Fact And Comment