Bryan Gruley’s latest ‘Bitterfrost’ novel based on 1989 Detroit murder case 

Journalist and author Bryan Gruley began his “Bitterfrost” series out of necessity. 

“I had to seek a new publisher, and no new publisher was likely to be interested in a series originally published elsewhere. I was lucky to find Severn House,” said Gruley, who lives in Traverse City with his wife, Pam. The couple has three children and five grandchildren. 

An alumnus of Detroit Catholic Central High School and the University of Notre Dame, Gruley was a journalist for more than 40 years, sharing the Pulitzer Prize awarded to The Wall Street Journal for its coverage of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He worked at The Journal for more than 15 years, seven of which he spent as the Chicago bureau chief. 

His latest novel, “River Deep” (Severn House, $30), is a sequel to “Bitterfrost,” which is set in Michigan and stars hard-driving attorney Devyn Payne. This month, Gruley is traveling all over Michigan and even making a stop in Chicago to sign copies of the book.

“I created Devyn in a novel I wrote that will never be published. She was a child custody arbitrator who dealt with parents in nasty divorces. So, I had a feel for her when I started ‘Bitterfrost,’ in which she’s a criminal defense lawyer, a hockey player and a member of one of Bitterfrost’s most prominent families. She’s tough, blunt, occasionally funny, occasionally clever and, as an editor pal likes to say, ‘frustratingly ambivalent about some things.’ I love her,” Gruley said.

In “River Deep,” the bodies of twin infant boys are pulled from the icy depths of the Jako River. The twins’ distraught parents survived the car crash, but their mother, Catriona Dulaney, was driving. Now, she’s charged with killing her babies, and her admission of guilt has leaked online. It should be the most straightforward case Devyn prosecutes all year. And yet, to her, it doesn’t add up.

“Making Catriona Dulaney the least bit relatable was difficult,” Gruley said. “I was lucky to have as my editor Laurie Johnson, who is a mother of twins. After reading Laurie’s comments on an early draft, I went through and redid many scenes and rewrote the entire ending. I think I got it right, but readers will ultimately decide.”

The book is based on the infamous murder case of Lawrence DeLisle, which received widespread media attention.

On Aug. 3, 1989, DeLisle killed his four children — Brian, 8; Melissa, 4; Kathryn, 2; and Emily, 9 months — after driving the family station wagon into the Detroit River in Wyandotte. He and his wife, Suzanne, survived. He told police that while driving along Eureka Road he had suffered a severe cramp in his leg and jammed his foot on the accelerator, which became stuck. As a result, he lost control of the car, and it ended up in the Detroit River.

However, police doubted his story. They suspected that DeLisle had crashed the car intentionally in an apparent murder-suicide. On Aug. 10, 1989, DeLisle was arrested. The following day, he was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and a fifth count of attempting to murder his wife. At the time, Suzanne stated he was innocent. On Aug. 1, 1990, he was sentenced to five mandatory life terms without the possibility of parole. 

Suzanne eventually divorced DeLisle and remarried. At a parole hearing in March 2024, she changed her stance. She read a statement saying she believed DeLisle killed their children and tried to kill her. She accused him of gaslighting her into believing he was innocent. To this day, DeLisle maintains his innocence and remains incarcerated at the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater. 

At the time of the murders, Gruley worked at The Detroit News’ Washington bureau. 

“I didn’t cover the story, but I read it with interest,” he recalled. “Years later, I saw it recounted in a Michigan murder anthology. I stuck it in a file of possible novel ideas. I came across it again while digging through the file, then spent a good amount of time reading DeLisle’s numerous court appeals. It dawned on me that maybe he wasn’t the only bad guy in this story.”

Lansing native Stephen Mack Jones, author of the critically acclaimed “August Snow” mystery series, called Gruley a “brilliantly engaging” author.

“His writing is filled with palpable intrigue, suspense and mystery. He’s a storyteller who plumbs the depths of what it means to be human, including the terrifying darkness of misbegotten souls clawing desperately at the corners of small towns,” Jones said. “As a former journalist for The Wall Street Journal who shared in a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Bryan has seen the devils up close and personal. He also has a deep and abiding appreciation for our better angels. His stories — including ‘River Deep’ — reflect the ongoing turmoil between the two.”

Jones will moderate a conversation with Gruley on Wednesday, July 15, at 2 Dandelions Bookshop in Brighton.

Gruley is looking forward to the “River Deep” tour.

“I hope people give ‘River Deep’ a chance. I’d love to hear from readers who like it or don’t,” he said. “I think ‘River Deep’ might be my best book. The characters drive the story, and the story moves. I started going to shorter chapters with ‘Bitterfrost.’ And I think the very last sentences might tug at some readers’ hearts.”

Keep up with Gruley at bryangruley.com.