BAY CITY AUTHORS: Mardi Link Reviews, Tim Younkman's Two Novels
New Link True Crime Book "Wicked" is Due Soon from U-M Press
September 14, 2013
By: Dave Rogers
Mardi Link's new book is her latest in a series of non-fiction true crime stories.
"A heroic-comic saga of single motherhood, pure stubbornness, and the loyalty of three young sons. And more than that, an honest account of the working poor, the people who buy day-old bread, patronize libraries and don't need your sympathy. Just a break now and then." -Garrison Keillor
When a national figure like Garrison Keillor (A Prairie Home Companion) gives an author a hand up, what does it mean?
For Mardi Link, former Bay Cityan and hardscrabble Traverse City farm wife turned author, probably a lot.
Her much-touted June book, "Bootstrapper: From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm," (Knopf), is a personal tale one could liken to a reality show, a window into life and relationships up north.
Along comes the heralded Mr. Keillor, and bingo, her book jumps to 34,000 rank in Amazon (don't sniff at that, folks, it's a great ranking) and gives promise for more sales to come.
Her newest book "Wicked Takes the Witness Stand: A Woman, A Lie, and Five Innocent Men," third in her ex-police reporter recollections published by the University of Michigan Press is now listed on Amazon. Unfortunately, "Wicked" has been delayed and there is no date for its release, according to the U-M Press marketing department. Her other books are "When Evil Came to Good Hart" and "Isadore's Secret."
The U-M Press catalog listing on Wicked relates: "A twisted account of unsolved murder, vindictive prosecution, and a psychotic key witness whose testimony
led to the wrongful imprisonment of five innocent men." Another Link tale set in Michigan, it sounds intriguing doesn't it, especially for true crime story fans.
Tim Younkman, ex Bay City Times police reporter extraordinary, is climbing up the Kindle sales ladder with his two novels, priced at an enticing $2.99 each. They are "Cadillac Kill," and "If I Die Again," featuring tough Detroit detective Jonathon Raines.
You can keep up with Tim on his blog, simply timyounkman.com, Where History and Mystery Meet.
Dave Vizard, another BC Times guy now living in Caseville, is doing quite well, thank you, with his "Formula for Murder," a tale of school pedophilia and prescription drugs murder that surely touches many souls in today's troubled society. Only a former investigative reporter (Flint Journal, honored for a stunning GM expose) would have the guts to tackle such ticklish issues.
Former Bay City trial lawyer Brian Kennedy, now living in Jamaica, is finding success with his "Improved Lies," a massive thriller with a golf theme available on Kindle for $1.99. For crime and thriller readers this is a bargain and a good read for long winter nights.
Local history fans may delight in Legendary Locals by Ron Bloomfield of the Bay County Historical Society, and Bay City Then and Now, Bay City and Beyond in Vintage Postcards and Bay City 1900-1940 in Vintage Postcards, by former Auburn school principal Leon Katzinger, all published by Arcadia and available on Amazon.
As Halloween approaches my Ghosts, Crimes and Urban Legends of Bay City and Bay City Hauntings might be interesting to you, both available at the Bay County Historical Museum along with Paul Bunyan: How a Terrible Timber Feller Became a Legend, all published by Historical Press L.L.C.