Reviews

“If you're going to buy one book in 2026, buy Detroit Heroic. It's fast moving and it captures the soul of Detroit at a pivotal point in history. If you like James Lee Burke and Elmore Leonard, you'll love this book by a writer who has all the makings to be the heir to these two masters.”

— Andrew Gulli, Owner and Editor, The Strand Magazine

“Olaf Kroneman takes us back to one of Detroit's most fascinating chapters, capturing the injustice, heartache, and yet unfailing hopefulness of the time. The colorful characters that typify our great city are peppered throughout, in the spirit of Leonard and Estleman. Detroit Heroic is a must-read.”

— Guy Gordon, Detroit radio and television personality and Detroit historian

“Detroit Heroic happened right in front of me — I could see it all from my bedroom window. Bullets flying down the street from the famous Lee Plaza Hotel on W. Grand Blvd and Lawton. I saw National Guardsmen firing into my high school, Northwestern High. I hid out in Reverend Franklin's church — Aretha's father. Dr. Kroneman got it right. The riots divided the city. Sports led our way back. We endured and prevailed.”

— Ali Haakim, professional boxer (ranked #8 in the world) and trainer at Detroit's Kronk Boxing Center

“Detroit Heroic, Olaf Kroneman's ballsy and hilarious hard-boiled novel, follows a young doctor trying to survive in my Motor City hometown right after the 1967 riots, recalling the shady characters of Damon Runyon and Dutch Leonard. A dazzling debut.”

— Susan Shapiro, author of The Byline Bible

“Was it easy to practice medicine in the midst of the race riots in Detroit some sixty years ago? It was not. And Olaf Kroneman's Detroit Heroic explores the America back then that foreshadowed today's America: tense, angry, unsettling — loaded with conflicts that make for courageous, fast-paced, thought-provoking storytelling.”

— Mark Wish, Founding Editor, Coolest American Stories

“As a 15-year-old living on the outskirts of Detroit in 1967, I can still remember the smell of smoke from the riots, as well as seeing the National Guard vehicles rumbling along the main streets. Dr. Olaf Kroneman brings to life those tumultuous five days in late July that changed the landscape of the City of Detroit forever.”

— Dr. Frank Pollina, President, Great Lakes Physiatry

“Motor City in 1967–68 is illuminated in this fast-paced tale covering city riots, baseball triumphs, and medical-school drama. Think baseball, hot dogs, acid, and Corvettes. Individual trauma and tragedy jump off the pages as the city wobbles then steadies itself. A young intern learns a lifetime of experience in a single summer. This is a novel that gets you inside the whirlwind and next to the heroes who saved a city.”

— John Ferron, Air Force Academy graduate and decorated fighter pilot

“As a nurse, this novel moved me deeply. Its portrayal of medicine, women's healthcare, and abortion in 1967–1968 Detroit felt raw and painfully real. It's a powerful, haunting glimpse into a moment in history that still echoes today.”

— Ann Christina, R.N., N.P.