"A magical, magnificent novel strung on the threads of a real man's quest to fight evil...There's no way to read this book and not find yourself moved to tears. I absolutely loved it." —Ashley Warlick, Author of  The Arrangement   "This is one of the most entertaining novels I've read in years...it will capture your imagination and not let it go!" —Fred LeBron, Author of  Welcome To Christiania Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, when from out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again!  But who was that masked man....? It's 1930s Buffalo, and the Great Depression rages. Playwright Fran Striker needs to write the pilot for a new radio show but, first, he must overcome writer's block, defeat a curse, foil a plot to assassinate FDR, and recover stolen diamond rings belonging to alcoholic boxing champion. Based on the controversial true-life story of Lone Ranger creator Fran Striker,  Yesteryear  takes us on a magical journey leading to an icon's debut, a show that provided hope to Americans during the country's darkest days. Populated by characters of the era—radio actor John Barrett, Mafioso Stefano Magaddino, former lightweight champion Jimmy Slattery, and president-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. Eoannou's latest novel breathes new life into the immortal Lone Ranger and the man who struggled to create him and will appeal to fans of W.P. Kinsella, Bernard Malamud, and Daniel Wallace's. I can tell you where I got the idea for every short story in my collection Muscle Cars. I can also tell you where I was standing and what I was reading when I got the idea for my first novel Rook. I have no idea where I first heard about Fran Striker. I think I was at a bar or a party and somebody mentioned that the man who created The Lone Ranger was from Buffalo, New York, my hometown.   I didn't believe them.   I'm a Buffalo-based writer. If the man who wrote The Lone Ranger was from Buffalo, I'd know about it. This city's very good about supporting and promoting creative artists from or connected to Western New York—Mark Twain, Joyce Carol Oates, the Goo Goo Dolls. So, I called the guy's bluff and Googled.   He was right.   Francis Hamilton Striker was born in Buffalo, New York in 1903 and not only created The Lone Ranger, but he also created The Green Hornet, Sergeant Preston of The Yukon, and the Tom Quest adventure series. To make matters worse, he was not only a Buffalo guy, but he was a neighborhood guy. He went to Lafayette High School a couple blocks from my house and actually wrote the original Lone Ranger script at his home on Granger Place just north of me.   And I hadn't heard of him.   How could this be? How could I've never have heard of this man who had such an impact on Twentieth Century pop culture? How could I not know that The Lone Ranger actually made its radio debut on Buffalo's WEBR in 1933? I was mad at myself but, more importantly, I was curious about Fran Striker. It was this curiosity that led me research Striker, the early days of radio, and eventually to write Yesteryear. It was a fun book to research and a fun book to write. I hope people think it's a fun book to read, as well.   I especially hope that Fran approves of me trying to set the record straight. After all, he was a Buffalo guy. We got to stick together. "Imagined from the life of the creator of The Lone Ranger , Yesteryear is a magical, magnificent novel strung on the threads of a real man's quest to fight evil, save the day, and lift the world from the clutches of The Great Depression. What Michael Chabon does for Pittsburgh, Eoannou does for Buffalo— in his hands, this battered rust belt city becomes a literary wonderland. There's no way to read this book and not find yourself moved to tears. I absolutely loved it." —Ashley Warlick Author of The Arrangement "Steve Eoannou's Yesteryear reads like a fever dream, but one in which 1930's Buffalo, New York, is resurrected in such specificity that you'll believe it never passed on, and what's more, it's brought to you in a voice that synthesizes the cadences of a sax solo, a radio play, and a comic noir. Want to learn how a missing pair of men's diamond-studded rings connects to the Lone Ranger and a plot to assassinate Franklin D. Roosevelt, read the first page and try to put this compulsively engrossing novel down." —Daniel Mueller Author of How Animals Mate and Nights I Dreamed of Hubert Humphrey "This is one of the most entertaining novels I've read in years, with memorable characters and an outstanding plot on so many levels. It's so much more than a page-turner; it will capture your imagination and not let it go!" —Fred LeBron Author of Welcome To Christiania Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, when from out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again! Who was the mind behind The Lone Ranger? It's 1930s Buffa