Sandusky is an amazing city!

Located in the middle of Ohio’s Lake Erie coast, Sandusky has been the home of one of the country’s most popular amusement parks for 150 years. It has a rich shipping and industrial history and features several gorgeous beaches and parks.

So why would I make it the setting for a novel about crime? First, let me make it perfectly clear: Sandusky is a safe, family-friendly city! Most of the story occurs at a fictional campground, Sandusky Shores, and all of the characters and events are fictional as well.

I have spent a great deal of time vacationing in Sandusky over the years and felt that it would be an intriguing setting for my book. Sandusky‘s seasonal characteristics offer the backdrop I needed to drive the plot. The limited period for businesses to cater to tourism, the temporary international workforce that is brought in to work at the amusement park, and the tourist visits compressed into a short period of time were all critical setting elements. Those features combine to make Sandusky an intriguing city to write about, even though I had to fabricate its dark nature!