American Ruin: Life and Death on the Streets of Detroit - America's Deadliest City

'Sometimes you think you know a place, and then along comes a book like this that really opens your eyes.' Charlie LeDuff, author of Detroit: An American Autopsy

When Michael Matthews first visited Detroit, he was grimly fascinated by the place. The sheer scale of the crime and desolation was unlike anything he had seen before. He was hooked, and returned whenever he could. Over dozens of visits, he got to know the people – cops, reporters and gang members as well as ordinary Detroiters trying to live their lives in peace – and formed deep bonds with them, which led him into places and situations no writer has ever seen before.

AMERICAN RUIN is the story of Michael’s journey into the soul of this broken city, a shocking, violent and heart-breaking portrayal of a modern tragedy.

Detroit was once the richest city in America, celebrated around the world for its prolific car production and flourishing music scene – the American Dream come true.

Then came its fall. Detroit became the deadliest place in America, with more murders per capita than any other major city in the country. With drugs and guns rife on the streets and its administration riddled with corruption, the city was dying and anyone who could was getting out...

AMERICAN RUIN is an explosive portrait of a city trying desperately to get back on its feet and the people prepared to give everything for their home.

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What readers are saying about AMERICAN RUIN...

'Like something out of a Hollywood movie'

'Raw and real'

'Of all the 'police' themed volumes I've read over the years AMERICAN RUIN is up there amongst the best'

'A pointilist image of a city in agony and a police department trying to rescue it'

'If I could give this book 10 stars I would'

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Michael Matthews was a police officer in London, UK, for more than twenty years. He spent fourteen working in Specialist Operations, including eight years at Scotland Yard. He has travelled extensively across the US, spending time with a large number of police departments and law enforcement agencies, and has vast experience with many different aspects of policing. He is considered an expert on US and UK policing, and has appeared on television and radio around the world. American Ruin is Michael’s third book. His first, We Are the Cops, is a collection of stories gathered from American police officers. His second, The Riots, is a fast-paced account of the devastating 2011 English riots, told from the point of view of frontline police officers. Michael now lives in Canada but continues to spend time in the US and UK.