Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amos Walker’s Detroit | 2007 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 2 | Travelin’ Man | 2009 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 3 | Techno Rebels | 2010 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 4 | MC5 Sonically Speaking | 2010 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 5 | Reimagining Detroit | 2010 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 6 | The Stooges Head On | 2011 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 7 | Revolution Detroit | 2013 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 8 | Images from the Arsenal of Democracy | 2014 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 9 | The Art of Memory | 2014 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 10 | Great Lakes Island Escapes | 2016 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 11 | The Detroit Symphony Orchestra | 2016 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 12 | Saving Arcadia | 2017 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 13 | Greetings from Detroit | 2017 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 14 | Brewed in Michigan | 2017 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 15 | Building the Modern World | 2018 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 16 | The Faygo Book | 2018 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 17 | The Queen Next Door | 2019 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 18 | Northern Harvest | 2020 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 19 | Deadly Allies | 1992 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
| 20 | Deadly Allies II | 1994 | Loren D. Estleman | Buy |
The Painted Turtle series collects non-fiction books about Detroit and Michigan published by Wayne State University Press under the Painted Turtle imprint. The series covers a wide range of regional topics, from music history to food culture to photography. Loren D. Estleman’s Amos Walker’s Detroit (2007) opened the series, bringing his fictional detective’s city into non-fiction territory.
The music entries are notable, including Techno Rebels (2010) about Detroit’s electronic music scene, MC5 Sonically Speaking (2010), and The Stooges Head On (2011). Other books cover local food and drink history like The Faygo Book (2018) and Brewed in Michigan (2017), while titles like Reimagining Detroit (2010) and Revolution Detroit (2013) examine the city’s ongoing transformation. The series gives a broad picture of Detroit’s cultural identity through individual focused studies.