Allyn-Town

The Ann Arbor News has a nice interview with Doug Allyn, known primarily for his prolific short story output but occasionally — as now — he does write a novel, too:

Crime makes for a great summer read, and there is more than enough good weather left to get at least one more crime novel in. One gripping book that could be just right for this purpose is the latest book by Montrose-based writer Doug Allyn, "The Burning of Rachel Hayes” (Five Star, $25.95, 356 pages), which was first published in November and will be out in paperback this fall.

In it, Allyn, who has got seven novels and more than 80 short stories under his belt, returns to the anti-hero of many of his short stories – veterinarian Dr. David Westbrook. This time, Westbrook is just out of prison and trying to make a fresh start in small-town Michigan.

"I was fascinated with this character because of his connection to animals,” Allyn says. "(And he’s) absolutely a bit of a rebel.” He based the character on one of his friends, a vet "that really does pick up animals by the side of the road.”

Allyn’s already at work on his next effort, something a little different:

For his next book, which is two-thirds finished, Allyn will leave the animals behind momentarily and locate to downtown Detroit. "It’s set in the early ’60s and it’s about a young mobster who inherits a record company,” he says.

In the meantime, the real David Westbrook has beaten his fictional counterpart in adventurous living. "He quit his veterinary practice, bought a sailboat and he and his wife went down to the Dominican Republic. They sailed there from Michigan,” Allyn says. "If I wrote about that, it would seem almost too much. Real life is a lot wilder than fiction. In fiction you have to keep the tone down, you have to retain believability.”