Deborah Middleton used to write about finance and marketing, now she spends her days researching guns and military helicopters.

In 2006 Ms Middleton left her job as CEO of the Bermuda International Business Association and moved to Mallorca, off the coast of Spain.

"When I turned 50 I decided I was tired of writing news articles," said Ms Middleton. "I didn't want to sit in front of the computer anymore. I wanted to do something different."

Last month she released her first novel, 'Square Snapper' a mystery based in Bermuda and Miami, Florida.

"I am probably the first Bermudian to write a murder mystery," said Ms Middleton. "I know that there have been many books set in Bermuda but not by Bermudian authors."

"I really enjoy murder mysteries and spy thrillers to relax," Ms Middleton said. "I thought if I ever do write a book it will be that genre."

She was partly inspired by British novelist Colin Dexter's use of Oxford as the setting for the Inspector Morse series.

"Using Bermuda allows me to balance the darker side of the book dealing with murder with the beauty of the Island and the humour of the people."

In 'Square Snapper' there are two detectives in Bermuda, and two in Miami, Florida.

"In Miami, one is Hispanic and one is Jewish," said Ms Middleton. "They were working the case from two different ends. It is quite interesting and I am going to keep that format. It is fun to have Bermuda and another country involved. It shows the international nature of Bermuda in many ways."

In 'Square Snapper', the main character, Inspector Burgess, is trying to crack a drug cartel.

"It begins with a body washing up," said the author. "Then they find junkies are starting to die from poisoned heroin. They realise there is a link between a young girl and these junkies. The heroin has been poisoned with strychnine.

"At the same time parallel deaths are happening in Miami."

She said the book has many subplots including a Croatian hit man.

"I have tried to create a few layers of intrigue going through the book," she said. "I wanted to keep it moving at a fast pace."

Like most mystery writers, she knew the last line of her novel before she even began writing.

Her formula for creating a good story is to give it an introduction that pulls you in, has a middle that keeps you hooked and then has a good ending.

"There has to be some closure at the end, but maybe leaves you hanging so that you will want to read the next novel," she said. "I tried to keep my chapters short. I think nowadays people are enjoying light reading which is what this is. People don't have a lot of time."

As a first-time novel writer she had to get acquainted with the world of crime.

"I had to learn more about guns and knives and forensic science than about the creative process," she said. "I found that when I sat down, sometimes the book would take off and write itself. It would go down an avenue I hadn't really thought of. I would structure it and then completely blow out the structure. I seemed never to be able to stick to it."

She thought the book might prove good for tourism.

"Maybe once people read about Bermuda they will want to come to the Island," she said.

Ms Middleton has a website called www.bermudamysteries.com . It includes frequently asked questions about Bermuda such as 'what is a treefrog?' and 'what is Elephant beer'.

It has links to some of the restaurants mentioned in her book, as well as traditional Bermuda recipes such as loquat liqueur and Bermuda rum cake.

"I shall continue to add to it as more books come online," said Ms Middleton. "There are links to the Department of Tourism. People going on to the website can get more information about the Island."

Ms Middleton's website includes a 'budding author' section. "It gives resources for people just starting out," she said. "It talks about how to get copyright, and how do you get cover designers."

There is also a contest for aspiring writers on the website. People are given a paragraph and then encouraged to write the rest of the chapter. The best three will be published on www.bermudamysteries.com .

She published the book through Raider Publishing and said: "With this publishing house you send in a synopsis and random chapters that they evaluate them. They are going to serialise it, and will broadcast it on their network which goes out to 60 countries."

Through contacts in Mallorca, the 'Square Snapper' may also be made into a film.

"I have a friend, Wash Westmoreland, who is a screenwriter in Los Angeles, California," she said. "He is busy filming his own movie, but when he is finished he wants to look at it to see if there is something he can turn into a screen play. That is very exciting. But then we have to go a lot of distance before we actually see it as a film."

She is already at work on her next novel. It will be set in Bermuda and Russia.

"I have about 80 pages written," she said. "Again I am using the same formula of having Bermuda and another country in the book. I haven't travelled to Russia yet."

'Square Snapper' is currently available in Bermuda bookstores and so far, the feedback from her readers has been positive.

"A few people said they were getting up in the morning to read it before they went to work," she said. "I thought that was very flattering."

For more information, go to Ms Middleton's website at www.bermudamysteries.com.