Donald Levin & Yvonne Osborne
We’re happy to welcome back two Michigan authors, Donald Levin and Yvonne Osborne, for another evening of reading, conversation, and books. This double presentation and signing will occur on Saturday, September 19 from 6:30-8:00 PM. Come meet the authors and hear what they’ve been up to.
Donald Levin returns with The World As It Is, his new novel set in Detroit in 1963 and the fourth book in his series of historical Detroit crime novels. Against the backdrop of actual events in 1963, the novel follows four fictional Detroiters whose lives intersect when a shocking act of police violence—the real-life 1963 murder of Cynthia Scott, a Black woman, by a white policeman—inflames the city.
Signed copies of The World As It Is are available online at the Book Beat gallery.
“When it comes to writing crime fiction, you need to hit the target dead center with as much storytelling force as possible. Donald Levin–not unlike Detroit legends Elmore Leonard and Loren Estleman–always hits the bullseye. This new one is further proof of this.”
–Stephen Mack Jones author of August Snow
Yvonne Osborne returns with Black River, a rural noir set in Michigan’s Thumb and Upper Peninsula.
Romance, deception, and murder erupt when the use of modern-day practices pits one farmer who has faith in the ancient wisdom of husbandry against another who uses chemicals and exploits farm workers, while the son of the first and the daughter of the last try to rise above the war that engulfs them. Black River is a gripping tale of love, survival, and the heavy price of silence in a place where secrets flow as deep and dark as the water itself.
“Part climate fiction, part mystery, part romance, all tied together with Yvonne Osborne’s tender and gorgeous prose. A fantastic beach read, and an even better ‘cabin read.’ Get cozy!”
– Megan Okonsky, author of The Barefoot Followers of Sweet Potato Grace
Donald Levin is an award-winning fiction writer and poet whose work has often drawn on the history of Detroit. He is the author of seven Martin Preuss mysteries as well as a series of historical novels set in Detroit, including Savage City, The Arsenal of Deceit, The Ghosts of Detroit, and his newest novel, The World As It Is, set in 1963. He is also the author of three books of poetry.
Yvonne Osborne is a Pushcart-nominated poet and novelist and a fifth-generation Michigander. She lives with her husband on the family farm in Michigan’s Thumb, a landscape that figures strongly in her writing. Her first novel, Let Evening Come, appeared in 2024, followed by Black River, a rural noir set in Michigan farm country. Her poetry and short fiction have appeared in numerous literary journals.