I’m thrilled to announce the publication of my 25th book. This one is full of Gothic atmosphere and based on the Victorian City Mysteries genre, so I’m posting the press release here to share with all my fellow lovers of the Gothic.
For Immediate Release
Crime, History, and Mystery Make Tichelaar’s Newest Novel a Guilty Pleasure
November 22, 2024—Award-winning author Tyler R. Tichelaar has released his twenty-fifth book, The Mysteries of Marquette. A Dickensian-size novel of more than 800 pages, it takes place in Marquette, Michigan, in 1908. Modeled on the sensational Victorian City Mysteries genre (The Mysteries of Paris, The Mysteries of London, etc.), its intertwined sensational plots, overflowing with crime, mystery, and romance, will make it a favorite with fans of the detective, suspense, and historical fiction genres.
The story opens when Richard Blackmore, a Marquette real estate agent, receives a request from the personal secretary of the Marquis de Marquette to rent out the entire Hotel Superior for the summer. No one in Marquette ever heard of the marquis, but he turns out to be a distant relative of Father Marquette and eager to see the city named after his illustrious relative. Soon Marquette’s elite are all vying for invitations to the marquis’ masquerade ball.
However, Alice Melmotte, a telephone operator keen on eavesdropping, learns the marquis has interests beyond just vacationing in Upper Michigan. Before long, members from all parts of society find themselves unwittingly caught up in the marquis’ schemes. Others find themselves revealing secrets they have long repressed. And the marquis is not the only visitor to Marquette with an enigmatic past. Eliza Sidney arrives in disguise determined to solve a murder, and in the process, learn the truth about her mysterious parentage.
As secret after secret is revealed, the Queen City of the North is transformed into the Queen City of Crime. Is anyone whom they claim to be? Can anyone trust anyone? Mothers keep secrets from daughters. Wives lie to husbands. Men bamboozle the women they claim to love. Old friends blackmail each other, and nuns hide stolen treasures. Kidnapping, counterfeiting, prostitution, and even bloodshed will all be committed before the last of Marquette’s mysteries is solved.
Tichelaar, who has a PhD in nineteenth-century literature, has a fond place in his heart for such sensational fiction. “Our Victorian ancestors loved shocking and crime-ridden novels,” he says. “In fact, they invented the detective novel.” In addition, The Mysteries of Marquette is heavily based on local history. Counterfeiting was a major problem in the U.P. in 1908. Marquette’s first recorded ghost sighting happened at this time, and The Mysteries of Marquette provides a fictional explanation to that unsolved mystery. Most importantly, says Tichelaar, “The novel explores the emotional and psychological costs of crime on the innocent and how to survive in a chaotic and amoral world.”
Although a stand-alone novel, The Mysteries of Marquette incorporates many fictional and historical characters from Tichelaar’s previous nine Marquette novels, including Marquette founder Peter White and characters from The Marquette Trilogy. Tichelaar’s previous readers will enjoy insights into characters they thought they knew, and new readers will want to gobble up Tichelaar’s previous works.
Tyler R. Tichelaar, a seventh-generation Marquette resident, has received acclaim for his previous books. Narrow Lives won the Reader Views Historical Fiction Award in 2008. In 2011, Tichelaar received the Outstanding Writer Award in the Marquette County Arts Awards. Kawbawgam: The Chief, The Legend, the Man (2020) and Odin’s Eye: A Marquette Time Travel Novel (2023) were both named UP Notable Books.
The Mysteries of Marquette is available locally and in paperback and ebook editions from online retailers and Tichelaar’s website: www.MarquetteFiction.com. Retailers can order via Ingram at www.ingramcontent.com (ISBN-13: 979-8-9872692-2-0). Publicity contact: tyler@marquettefiction.com. Book review copies available upon request.
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The Gothic Wanderer