Novelist uses U for murder mystery backdrop

A new murder mystery novel on the shelves may hit U students who read the book a little too close to home.

Michael Hunter, author of “Wrongly Accused,” found inspiration for his book from his daily interactions with U students who ride the bus.

During his commute from Lehi, Utah to work in downtown Salt Lake City, Hunter found the time to talk to not only U students, but other likely characters as well.

Hunter needed a main character that was “young, strong and smart,” he said. “I needed a character that would be able to handle the pressures that go along with being a murder suspect.”

For Hunter, U students fit that bill.

The book tells the story of Brad Armstrong, a freshman at the U who wants to be a journalist.

His father, a faculty member of the medical department, wants him to go into his own field.

This is typical for some students, but what is not typical is what happens next-murder.

Armstrong goes from being an up-and-coming freshman to a prime suspect in the murder of his parents.

This murder mystery is set on the U campus and surrounding areas, including Federal Heights and downtown Salt Lake City.

Hunter researched the U and local police department for six months each for the book.

Hunter writes articles for The Utah Historical Quarterly and Pioneer magazine.

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