Mackinac Island novel explores a mystery that unfolds during filming of 'Somewhere in Time'

In "Somewhere in Crime," Mackinac Island is gripped by movie mania in 1979, thanks to the fact that “Hollywood was coming to our tiny island in Northern Michigan to film a movie starring Christopher Reeve, the hottest young star on the planet."

The character who narrates the novel, paperboy Jack McGuinn, is nearly 12, has worries of his own and isn’t too impressed by the thought of the “Superman” actor becoming a temporary island resident. As Jack says, like a typically self-absorbed tween, “Besides, I was a Batman guy.”

Welcome to the latest entry in the Mackinac Island-set series of tales by Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone, co-authors whose first book, 2021's The Dockporters," was also set on the idyllic Up North vacation spot known for its horse-drawn carriages, the Grand Hotel and fudge.

Their second novel is a prequel to "The Dockporters,” which dealt with Jack in 1989 as he faced the pressures of young adulthood and worked the title job of loading luggage from ferries and bicycling it to the car-free island’s hotels.

To understand the appeal of “Somewhere in Crime,” it helps to know that “Somewhere in Time," the film production that Jack mentions in the first chapter, has become a cult classic and an important part of Mackinac Island history.

The movie centers on a contemporary Chicago playwright (Christopher Reeve) who time-travels back to 1912 through hypnosis and falls for a beautiful actress (Jane Seymour) with a controlling manager (Christopher Plummer). Released in 1980, it drew ardent fans with its swoon-worthy narrative and achingly lovely soundtrack.

The magic lives on through the annual “Somewhere in Time” weekend on Mackinac Island that was attended last year by Seymour, the only surviving member of the star trio.

“It was so wonderful to spend time with all of the amazing people who love this special film,” Seymour posted on Instagram about the event. “Thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly to make it happen, to those who came to celebrate, and to all of you for joining us for the journey. My heart is full!”

For McVeigh and Bolone, the summer of “Somewhere in Time” seemed like the perfect choice for their second novel’s backdrop — especially after they settled on their title.

“To be honest with you — and this is hilarious but true — the title was really the first thing (we chose). ’Somewhere in Crime’ is so obviously a great title for people that know that movie and know the island, it was, like, 'OK, now we have to construct (a story) around it,'" says McVeigh, who admits he's only slightly exaggerating.

What the writing duo didn’t want to do, however, was weave the making of the movie into the central plot of the story, which concerns young Jack’s pursuit of a cold case involving the 1959 unsolved murder of a young woman.

His mission is to earn the reward money attached to the case and "buy the dream vacation his parents never quite had the time to take — a trip that he believes can save their marriage and his perfect life on the island,” as the book's Amazon description spells out.

Although Jack gets to meet Reeve and Seymour during the course of the narrative (and also has some amusing encounters on the set), “Somewhere in Time” is kept separate, plot-wise, from the crime mystery that he explores. It's more like a glamorous guest that keeps popping up in creative ways.

Said Bolone: “We wanted to make sure that it embellished the story. And when it did come in (to the narrative), it came in in a very fun, light, humorous, positive way."

So far, McVeigh and Bolone have been spot on with their storytelling choices, if you measure them by their first book's success. “The Dockporters,” which was independently published, reached the No. 1 spot of one of Amazon's young adult fiction categories. In 2022, it landed on the Michigan Notable Books list, a prestigious yearly roundup of works involving the state.

“Somewhere in Crime” seems to be on a similar trajectory. After debuting Aug. 1, it landed at No. 1 on Amazon’s list of new releases in the category of teen and young adult coming-of-age fiction.

The co-authors first met decades ago on Mackinac Island as fellow dockporters. McVeigh’s family lived there during the summer. Bolone, a native of Detroit, met his future wife while working there.

In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic keeping the world in virtual isolation, Bolone, who teaches creative writing in Toledo to junior high students, got in touch with McVeigh, a veteran writer, director and producer in TV and movies. Their conversations led to them deciding to collaborate on the creative project that became “The Dockporters,” an idea that McVeigh originally had written as a screenplay.

Two authors, one book

During a recent video call, McVeigh and Bolone said they were thrilled by the early positive reception for “Somewhere in Crime.” McVeigh was speaking from the Philippines, where he lives with his wife and daughter. Bolone was in Ohio. Although the video connection wavered a few times, their shared enthusiasm for the book was crystal clear.

McVeigh, who ducked inside a car to escape the street noise, said he was taking a break from a celebration that's underway for “Somewhere in Crime” and its top Amazon ranking.

“It means people are reading it and liking it. It’s everything you’d want,” he said.

Added Bolone, “We do this because we enjoy hanging out together and making good stories. ... When something like this happens, it’s almost, like, 'Do you want Sanders hot fudge on your vanilla ice cream?'"

So how do two friends create a successful fictional series? Writing in a lighthearted way, but straight from the heart, helps. So does having a deep appreciation for your subject matter and the knowledge to make the smallest details ring true.

“The Dockporters” resonated with people from Michigan who have been to the island, according to McVeigh. “They understand the whole summer vibe there, which is really unique. They recognized it as authentic. It wasn’t just a setting. It was kind of a character unto itself.”

The same could be said of “Somewhere in Crime,” which captures the moment in time when Hollywood took over the vacation destination. The character of Jack has mixed feelings about the movie, particularly because his mother’s work with the "Somewhere in Time" costume department causes tension in his family. But he, too, eventually gets swept up in the magic of movies — at least when he's not learning life lessons from digging into the past.

McVeigh and Bolone have each seen “Somewhere in Time” enough times to qualify as die-hard fans.

Said McVeigh: “I’ve seen it countless times. ... I was there the summer they shot it. My family had a cottage on the island, so I saw the whole thing being filmed. So that made it particularly special when it came out.”

Bolone estimated his viewing count at more than 30 times. “My mother, she fell in love with the film and she purchased the theme so that she could play it on the piano. She played it all the time. She just loved the story. I think I love the innocence of it.”

The process of writing novels together has been “a treat,” according to Bolone, but one that requires being able to compromise and accept criticism while maintaining mutual respect. Bolone said he was good at doing the basic outlining and roughing in of the story, while McVeigh leaned into his finesse and flair as a screenwriter.

“Once I did my bit and he did his bit on a chapter, or a scene, so to speak, then we’d combine the results and really revise,” said Bolone.

McVeigh said the logistical process involved working on Google Docs and meeting on Facebook Messenger, along with reading drafts together on Screen Share. With the Philippines being half a day ahead of Bolone’s time zone, "it was always somebody’s morning and somebody’s evening.”

For the hometown crowd

Both authors agreed that their goal in choosing “Somewhere in Time” as a backdrop for their fiction was to honor how positive and how much fun the experience was for Mackinac Island residents.

McVeigh remembered a night when he and his mother shared a horse-drawn cab by chance with Plummer and director Jeannot Szwarc. “Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve were riding bikes alongside the cab. As we went up the Grand Hotel hill, they just held on to the cab. They were bantering and making jokes and having fun.”

Reeve, who lived with quadriplegia after being thrown from a horse in 1995 until his death in 2004, became an activist in the search for a cure for paralysis and inspired the world with his courage. But even back in 1979, he left a strong imprint on the island with his grace and kindness, said McVeigh.

“You could tell instantly that he was just one of those souls that had warmth. He was a really, really nice guy, and he was so popular while he was on the island. He put up with everybody clamoring for autograph. He really spent time with people.”

McVeigh was at a legendary screening on the island of Reeve’s 1978 hit “Superman” that was attended by the actor. When the sound malfunctioned, Reeve got up and began narrating the action for the delighted audience. ”He didn’t have to do that,” said McVeigh. “That’s what a really cool person would do.”

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McVeigh and Bolone plan to hold a book signing Aug. 27 at the Island Bookstore on Mackinac Island. Fittingly, it is the one brick-and-mortar book shop where "Somewhere in Crime" is exclusively sold.

And if “The Dockporters” or “Somewhere in Crime” ever were to become a movie, that would be fantastic, the authors agreed. But that’s not why they’re doing this.

“The one thing I didn’t like about Hollywood and trying to get movies off the ground was that it took forever," said McVeigh. "And the one thing I love about what we’re doing, it still takes forever to write a book, but you control it. It’s yours. ... It's the two of us. It doesn’t take $6 million dollars and 57 people, and I kind of dig that."

Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.

'Somewhere in Crime'

By Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone

DM Creative, 352 pages, $15.99 (paperback)

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 'Somewhere in Crime' novel set on Mackinac Island during movie filming