Woodcock, who succeeded Walter Reuther as UAW president following Reuther's death in a 1970 plane crash, lived in Ann Arbor, Mich.

CNN: Former UAW President Leonard Woodcock dies

But Connie Minor, a has-been newspaperman, finds himself involved in numerous intrigues and mysteries (including the attempted assassination of union biggie Walter Reuther) with all sorts of well-drawn, colorful characters.

FORBES: Fact and Comment

Back then contracts expired in the spring, but the car business in 1958 was so bad that Walter Reuther , the UAW president, kept his people on the job for months without a contract.

FORBES: The Union Is Strong, The Automakers Are Weak