Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Wister Trace | 1987 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 2 | Writing the Popular Novel | 2004 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 3 | Amos Walker’s Detroit | 2007 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
Loren D. Estleman’s three non-fiction books reflect his lifelong interests. The Wister Trace (1987) examines the western novel as a literary form, tracing its development from Owen Wister’s The Virginian through the genre’s evolution over the 20th century. It is one of the few serious critical studies of western fiction by a practicing western novelist.
Writing the Popular Novel (2004) is a craft book aimed at aspiring genre fiction writers, and Amos Walker’s Detroit (2007) uses his fictional detective as a lens for exploring the real city of Detroit. This last title blurs the line between fiction and non-fiction, combining Estleman’s knowledge of Detroit with the world he built in the Walker novels.