Elisabeth Hyde Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Elisabeth Hyde is a noteworthy American writer of contemporary, fiction, mystery, and crime fiction novels. She has written several exciting standalone books in her career and has won numerous prestigious awards. Her most recent novel, Go Ask Fannie, won the Colorado Book Award in 2019. Besides this, five other books of Elisabeth have also achieved critical acclaim. Before beginning her career in the field of novel writing, Elisabeth underwent training as a lawyer. Subsequently, she spent some years trying cases for the United States Justice Department in Washington, D.C. Elisabeth says that when she thinks about this day-job today, it gives her stomach aches. When it became clear to her that her interest lay more in writing than the face-to-face arguments in court, she decided to switch over to writing fiction and gave up her law career completely. As of today, author Elisabeth resides in Boulder along with her loving husband, their three children, and their favorite pet dog.

Author Elisabeth was born and brought up in Concord, New Hampshire, United States. She was the 3rd among the 4 girls born to her parents. Elisabeth compled her schooling from her hometown and then joined the Vermont University to obtain a bachelor’s degree in English. Following her graduation, she joined Hastings College of Law for a law degree in 1979. As Elisabeth developed interests in law and writing together, she used to get up early and spend around an hour in writing before heading off to work. Elisabeth would spend her summer vacations at writers’ conferences. She had studied at the Bread Load Writers’ Conference along with John Gardner and John Irving.

From the start, she used to save money for taking a sabbatical someday to write full-time. And when her husband succeeded in obtaining a teaching job, she decided to quit the law. Author Elisabeth says that children and books have always coincided for her. She published her debut book, Her Native Colors, after a week of the birth of her son in 1986. And during the publishing of her second book, Monoosook Valley, she had given birth to twin daughters. The task of raising her children forced Elisabeth to put her writing prospects on the back burner. Also, Elisabeth’s decision to relocate to Colorado with her family meant that she had to adjust to her life with 3 small children in a new city. However, she used to find time to write in between her busy schedule and daily chores. Finally, she was able to publish her third book in 2002 under the banner of MacAdam/Cage publication.

Author Elisabeth claims that her breakthrough came with the novel, The Abortionist’s Daughter. She chose a different agent this time and succeeded in obtaining a 2-book deal with Knopf. But, she hardly earned anything out of that deal. Elisabeth struck good luck in 2006 when her book was chosen by Richard and Judy Show as a Summer Read. As this was considered the UK’s equivalent of Oprah, her book received a lot of publicity and she got noticed by the big names of the writing world across the globe. Soon after, Elisabeth’s book was listed on the UK bestseller.

The authors who have influenced her a lot include Ann Patchett, Ann Packer, Anne Tyler, Richard Russo, John Irving, etc. Elisabeth believes that things run in cycles. So, she has never really bothered about the money aspect of writing. Her opinion is that if a writer is not making money and still their books are getting appreciated, then they are in extremely good company. During her spare time, Elisabeth likes to go hiking with her dog. She also likes to spend time with her family, play with watercolor, and visit the Grand Canyon every now and then. Taking out some quiet time for her reading interests is something that she always craves for.

A popular book written by author Elisabeth Hyde is entitled ‘The Abortionist’s Daughter’. It was released by the Vintage publication in 2007. The main characters depicted in this book include Diana Duprey, Frank Duprey, Stephen O’Connell, Megan Duprey, and a few others. Initially, Diana Duprey is introduced as an outspoken doctor. She is found dead a couple of weeks before Christmas in the swimming pool of her house. Being a known personality in the country, Diana ignited tempers and inspired passion. But, she could not any of these on the day she died. During the investigation, it is found three of the closest people to her had quarreled with the victim on the day of her death. They include Diana’s husband, a long-serving attorney in the District Attorney’s office named Frank; her daughter named Megan, a college freshman; and Reverend Stephen O’Connell, who is the founder of the pro-life coalition of the town. The investigation also revealed that all three of them were hiding something that could reveal what led to Diana’s death. As the detective put on the case struggles to find answers, many shocking elements keep turning up that make the case more intriguing than ever.

Another popular book penned by the author is known as ‘In the Heart of the Canyon’. It was published in 2009 by the Knopf Publishing Group. The essential characters mentioned in this novel by Elisabeth include Peter, Evelyn, Lloyd, Jill, Mitchell, Ruth, Amy, JT Maroney, etc. This novel revolves around an adventurous rafting trip to the Grand Canyon that results in a big change in the life of all those involved. The book opens by introducing the people participating in the rafting trip. First is Peter, a 27-year-old, single man looking for a hookup. Then there is a 50-year-old Harvard Professor named Evelyn. Lloyd and Ruth are in their seventies and are veterans of this sport. The others taking up the trip include Mitchell, Amy, and Jill. All of them are guided by JT Maroney, who has made over a hundred trips and loves the river very much. On the first night of the trip, a stray enters the campsite and upsets the equilibrium. Over the course of the next 2 weeks, all the individuals find themselves deeply indulged in the daunting adventures, second-guessing and regretting their decisions, but enjoying the overall trip. They realize that the river trip was very important to reconfigure their heart’s rocky canyons.