Text size:

Bryan Gruley, author of 'Starvation Lake'

—Kristin Kloberdanz

February 28, 2009

As a child, Bryan Gruley used to regale his Detroit classmates with stories about a pair of mystery-solving boys named Chip and Scott Anderson. "My version of the Hardy Boys," he says.

After a 40-year "detour," Gruley, 51, a nationally acclaimed journalist and presently the Wall Street Journal's Chicago bureau chief, finally returns to fiction with his debut novel, "Starvation Lake."

He says the mental switch from fact-checked quotes to made-up dialogue was a breeze: "I've always loved storytelling."

Although "Starvation Lake" (the first of a series) is about a newspaperman who moves back to Michigan, Gruley's home state, the only other similarity between the author and his protagonist is their love of hockey.

"I have deceptive speed," Gruley says of his secret weapon on the ice. "I'm slower than I look."

On Thursdays, Gruley rises early to play a 6:50 a.m. game of hockey at Johnny's Ice House on Madison Street. Then, leaving skates and gear behind, he'll hop a bus to his demanding day job. In the evening, he's back at the rink for another pickup game and a few beers before heading to his home in Lake View.

"That's a good day," he says.