Milwaukee, WI
A Look Into Five Great Milwaukee Novels
Novels offer a great escape, but sometimes we want our fiction to hit closer to home. These recent books are set in Milwaukee, but do they paint a recognizable portrait of our beloved city?
MYSTERY | PENGUIN BOOKS, 2022 | $18
Sneha, a queer South Asian college grad moves to Milwaukee in 2013 for a job. She explores identity, romance and friendship, along with our city’s socialist history and alcohol culture.
Is Milwaukee a “character?”
Most definitely. The people whom Sneha meets ring true to our region, including “tony Brookfield,” Bay View and beyond.
Does it feel like Milwaukee?
Certainly. Sprinkled throughout are local history lessons and discussions of our prodigious alcohol consumption, not to mention a little day-drinking on Brady Street.
Name-drops:
Bay View Massacre, North Division and Rufus King high schools.
Celebrate the Milwaukee leaders who foster connection, create opportunity and strengthen our community!
COMING OF AGE | POLIS BOOKS, 2021 | $19
Ukraine-born Masha must return from a new life in Israel to her childhood home in Milwaukee, where her sister has mysteriously gone missing.
Is Milwaukee a “character?”
Mostly. Masha’s father lives in the “semi-dangerous neighborhood of Riverwest.” Despite frequent allusions to Masha’s youth in Ukraine, Milwaukee’s cafes and clubs provide the main setting for Masha’s adventures.
Does it feel like Milwaukee?
Indeed. Slor has clearly done her Riverwest research: Masha spends plenty of time sipping at Fuel Cafe (RIP) and checking out music at Bremen Cafe.
Name-drops:
Foundation, Uptowner
POSTMODERN | PENGUIN PRESS, 2025 | $30
In speakeasy Depression-era Milwaukee, a softening former cop deals with organized and not-so-organized crime as he follows the trail of a wayward cheese heiress.
Is Milwaukee a “character?”
Yes, early on. It’s left behind as a concrete setting for the second half of the book, but Cream City remains the spiritual home for our main character.
Does it feel like Milwaukee?
The details are rich and almost always amusing. Characters gab around bubblers, drink old fashioneds, play sheepshead and talk more cheese than you can believe.
Name-drops:
Paramount Records (a defunct blues label in Grafton), Holton Street Bridge, Oriental Drugs
SUSPENSE | THREE TOWERS PRESS, 2019 | $27
Mitch is a firefighter looking to escape a tragedy in rural Wisconsin. He relocates to Milwaukee to join a busy firehouse, leading to many adventures.
Is Milwaukee a “character?”
As a former pro, Renz knows his firefighting, and he knows Milwaukee well enough to strike a clear contrast between the quiet, manure-air of Mitch’s farm home and the frenetic energy of the North Side.
Does it feel like Milwaukee?
The neighborhoods are richly drawn, and Renz includes the violence, conflict and racial tensions all too familiar in our unequal city.
Name-drops:
Teutonia Avenue, a character called the “Jawbreaker of South Milwaukee”
THRILLER | BALLANTINE BOOKS, 2021 | $19
Following a traumatic episode in Chile, Emily tries to recover with a new job in Milwaukee. A friend from the past arrives, and their violent history comes slowly to the surface.
Is Milwaukee a “character?”
Not really. Local author Bartz places the main characters here, but the setting isn’t the biggest factor in their character development.
Does it feel like Milwaukee?
The plot mostly shines on the internal life of Emily, but there’s local insight: She’s “over Milwaukee – her hometown – with its smallish size and polarized communities.”
Name-drops:
Brady Street and the “slightly creepy Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit at the public museum”
This story is part of Milwaukee Magazine’s January 2026 issue.
Find it on newsstands or buy a copy at milwaukeemag.com/shop.
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Brad Paisley (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE – Brad Paisley is scheduled to perform at the BMO Pavilion in Milwaukee on Sept. 4.
Ticket information
What we know:
The ticket pre-sale for Brad’s fan club members, Paisley Nation, begins on Tuesday, May 12 at 10 am. All tickets available at BradPaisley.com.
The tour will also offer a variety of VIP packages and experiences for fans to take their concert experience to the next level.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Packages vary but include premium seats, a guided backstage tour, VIP-exclusive gift item, early entry & more. VIP package contents vary depending on the selected offer. For more information, visit VIPnation.com.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Live Nation.
Billionaire Wes Edens, co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks NBA club, is shown at Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 9, 2015. The Wall Street Journal on Sunday identified Edens as the victim of a billion-dollar extortion plot allegedly hatched by an ex-lover. File Photo by Andrew Gombert/EPA
May 10 (UPI) — Wes Edens, the billionaire co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and an owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, was the target of a billion-dollar extortion scheme allegedly perpetrated by an ex-lover, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
A spokesman for Edens, 64, confirmed to the newspaper that the financier is the unnamed alleged victim in a federal indictment brought against Changli “Sophia” Luo of New York City.
Edens, one of world’s most successful global investment management firm leaders with Fortress, has developed and owned businesses in real estate, transportation, infrastructure, health care, financial services, media and entertainment.
He is also a high-profile sports team owner, including the Bucks and soccer club Aston Villa of the English Premier League. He is credited turning the Bucks from a perennial cellar dweller into a champion squad over a five-year span, culminating in the 2021 NBA championship.
But he also fell victim to a lurid alleged “sextortion” scheme, his spokesman confirmed to the WSJ, admitting the Edens is the unnamed “Victim 1” cited an indictment filed last year in Manhattan federal court against Luo.
The indictment reportedly accuses her of trying to extort Victim 1 of more than $1 billion by threatening to release videos and photos of them engaged in sex. Prosecutors alleged Luo also threatened to contact the victim’s family members and business partners in a threat to destroy his fortune if he did not pay up.
According to the indictment, Luo was arrested June 14 at JFK International Airport as she tried to board a flight to China, the New York Post reported.
“Mr. Edens will be making no comment on the case as the indictment speaks for itself with respect to the charges against the defendant,” his spokesman told the Journal. “Mr. Edens expects to testify under oath at the upcoming trial.”
MILWAUKEE – Forecast from FOX6 Meteorologist Lisa Michaels
Mostly sunny skies with partly sunny skies in the afternoon. There is a slight chance for a few sprinkles, but most areas remain dry. Highs near 60F on Sunday.
Patchy frost is possible again Sunday night into Monday morning as low temps inland can reach the lower 30s.
Cooler on Monday with easterly winds- low 50s near the lake to upper 50s inland.
A big boost in temperatures on Tuesday in the low 70s associated with a clipper system will bring the next chance of rain and a few storms.
Today: Mostly Sunny. Slight chance sprinkles.
High: 60°
Wind: NW 5-15
Tonight: Mostly Clear. Patchy frost.
Low: 38°
Wind: N 5
Monday: 53 LAKE. Mostly sunny.
High: 57°
Wind: E 5-10
Tuesday: Chance storms. Breezy.
AM Low: 39° High: 71°
Wind: SW 10-25
Wednesday:Partly sunny.
AM Low: 46° High: 59°
Wind: NW 5-15
Thursday: Mostly Sunny. Slight chance sprinkles.
AM Low: 42° High: 64°
Wind: S 5-10
Friday: Chance of Rain
AM Low: 47° High: 72°
Wind: SW 5-15
6-day planner
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