ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – An Upper Peninsula author’s newest book has hit the shelves.
“I’m a murder mystery author,” said J.L. Hyde. “I was born and raised here, moved away for 20 years to the south, and I’ve been home about a year.”
“I’m kind of known for my twists,” she said. “With all of my novels, there aren’t many trigger warnings needed. I try to keep them relatively clean, and they won’t keep you up at night. A lot of people have described them as a Hallmark movie meets an episode of Dateline.”
The same is true of her latest book, The Bluff, which takes readers to a somewhat familiar location.
“Although this book is set in Delta County, everything else about it is fictional,” said Hyde. “The premise is more or less as if the Bluff here in Delta County was a gated community where outsiders are not allowed in. There are a lot of rumors about what goes on. Somebody from town gets a job as a nanny, so she kind of sees what goes down behind the gates of the Bluff.”
The Bluff continues Hyde’s tradition of including pieces of Delta County in work.
“When I became a writer, I was living in Oklahoma City and every time I sat down to write, Delta County was always in the back of my mind,” she said. “When I moved home, my creativity just sparked. This community inspires me so much. It just really, really is a catalyst for my writing.”
Readers are already loving The Bluff, making it Hyde’s biggest release yet. It is available online—including on Amazon, where it made the Bestseller List on release day—and at U.P. shops like Canterbury Book Store in Escanaba and Snowbound Books in Marquette.
Hyde says she can’t wait for more readers to visit The Bluff and uncover its secrets.
“I am just so thankful,” said Hyde. “Especially for the people that aren’t familiar with the Upper Peninsula to read these books and then want to visit here is just the greatest compliment. I’m so excited for the people of Delta County. It’s just exciting for all of us.”
Click here to purchase The Bluff on Amazon. To learn more about J.L. Hyde and her books, visit jlhyde.com or follow her Facebook page.