Monday, September 19, 2016

No Known Address by Jo A. Hiestand (spotlight, excerpt, review and GIVEAWAY) GFT



by Jo A Hiestand




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GENRE: British mystery

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BLURB:

The man seemed not to hear the continuous whine of the phone receiver lying on his lap. He sat upright, stiff-backed, in a wooden kitchen chair that, like the house, had seen better days. As he had also seen better days, he reminded himself, glancing at the calendar on the wall. A date circled in black ink smirked at him, the remaining days of the month X-ed out. As though he was counting down to something. But the dates were three years old.

The discrepancy didn’t bother him. He had never flipped over the rest of the months. They didn’t intrigue him; it didn’t upset him that he had stared at January for more than a thousand days. If he flipped over the page it would signal that the search needed to continue into another month. And possibly another. And another. The consequence was too terrible to comprehend.

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EXCERPT

The impact of the assault knocked the breath from his lungs, and he fell to the ground without time to brace himself. He slammed into the asphalt as his attacker grabbed his legs. McLaren shook his head, determined to remain conscious, yet the pain from his ribs washed over him. He could see nothing but the dark figure, hear nothing but the scrape of his feet as he fought to right himself, and the labored breathing of his opponent.

As his assailant reached for McLaren’s arms, McLaren seized the man’s wrist and pivoted the hand backward. A satisfying ‘crack’ shot into the night, followed by a yelp. The man released his grip of McLaren’s forearm and rolled over, taking McLaren with him. McLaren felt the man’s chest on top of him, felt the firm muscles and the warm breath against his face. Determined to gain the advantage, McLaren pulled up his strength from somewhere within him and rolled to his side while pushing the man off. McLaren grabbed the car door handle and pulled himself to his feet. But his assailant regained his balance quicker, and he lurched at McLaren. In the darkness he misjudged the distance; he recoiled off the side of the car and staggered around to its rear, his hand groping the slick metal surface for support.


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Books, Girl Scouts and music filled Jo A. Hiestand’s childhood. She discovered the magic of words and the worlds they create: mysteries, English medieval history, the natural world. She explored the joys of the outdoors through Girl Scout camping trips and summers as a canoeing instructor and camp counselor. Brought up on classical, big band and baroque music, she was groomed as a concert pianist until forsaking the piano for the harpsichord. She also plays a Martin guitar and has sung in a semi-professional folkgroup in the US and as a soloist in England.

This mixture formed the foundation for her writing. A true Anglophile, Jo wanted to create a mystery series that featured a British police detective who left the Force over an injustice and now investigates cold cases on his own. The result is the McLaren Mysteries, featuring ex-police detective Michael McLaren.

Jo’s insistence for accuracy -- from police methods and location layout to the general “feel” of the area -- has driven her innumerable times to Derbyshire. These explorations and conferences with police friends provide the detail filling the books.

In 1999 Jo returned to Webster University to major in English. She graduated in 2001 with a BA degree and departmental honors.

She has employed her love of writing, board games and music in other ways by co-inventing a mystery-solving game, P.I.R.A.T.E.S., which uses maps, graphics, song lyrics, and other clues to lead the players to the lost treasure.

Jo founded the Greater St. Louis Chapter of Sisters in Crime, serving as its first president. Besides her love of mysteries and early music, she also enjoys photography, reading, crewel embroidery, and her backyard wildlife.

Her cat, Tennyson, shares her St. Louis-area home.

LINKS:

Goodreads
Facebook
Website


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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The tour dates can be found here


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Review: 
I inadvertently signed up to review this title before realizing it is being published by The Wild Rose Press. To avoid any bashing due to my connection to the company (as an editor), I respectfully declined to review even though it sounds like a wonderfully exciting tale. I am fortunate that my fellow blogger, Crystal, from Reviews by Crystal, has graciously agreed to read and review for me.


Crystal's Review:
4 out of 5 Stars 

 

No Known Address is the first work I have read by  Jo A Hiestand. She has written an interesting story with plenty of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages. 


Michael McLaren is asked by his old friend to take on a cold case three years old. McLaren starts investigating the disappearance of Luke Barber and discovers all kinds of suspects that might know something. McLaren finds himself in many dangerous situations with all these people who can't quite seem to get their story straight. Luke's disappearance is a huge mystery to all involved, or so it seems. 

Jamie (McLaren's copper friend) helps with the investigation along the way. He's known the Barber family for years and just wants to help an old friend find his son. He doesn't expect McLaren to discover so many suspects or questions along the way.
 
I enjoyed the mystery, the suspense, and the drama. Jo Hiestand has a nice writing voice that was easy to read. This is the sixth book in the McLaren Mystery series but it stood alone just fine. I didn't feel like I was missing any information to take away from the story line. 

I liked McLaren and found his investigative techniques interesting. I have to say the ending was completely unexpected. I did not see that coming at all. I honestly thought that it was going to lead in another direction. I won't tell you what happens because I would not want to spoil the story for anyone. I will say there are going to be times you might need to reach for your Kleenex box. 

I was given the opportunity to read this book so that I may share my thoughts with you. As always it has been my great pleasure to share my thoughts with you on No Known Address

 


51 comments:

  1. The book sounds very intriguing, looking forward to reading it!

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    1. Thank you, Nikolina. Hope you like it! ;-)

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    2. Hi, Nikolina! Thanks for visiting, hope you enjoy the book!

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  2. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

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    1. Good morning, Mai. All I can say is to keep writing and keeping sending it to publishers (if that is your intent). You'll never learn and never get published if you quit, though there may be times you do feel like quitting. Please keep writing no matter what.

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    2. Hi, Mai! As an editor, my suggestion is to make sure that once you have your story written, learn your craft and polish the manuscript!

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  3. congrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)

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    1. Hi, Lisa. Thanks for logging on this morning -- and good luck with the raffle!

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    2. Thanks for popping in, Lisa!

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  6. Thank you, The Reading Addict, for your honesty about the potential conflict of interests. And thank you, Crystal, for doing the review.
    I may have long periods (several hours) today when I won't be able to sign in and reply to comments -- I'm re-landscaping my entire front and back yards, so I'll soon be ripping out ALL the plants and replanting the new stock. When I need a rest--which you should actually read as "when I need to give my back a rest"--I'll log on and leave comments! ;-) Thanks for understanding my hours of silence -- I will catch up and reply to everyone!
    Which brings up the question: has anyone ever done this type of project, re-doing front and back yards? I hope I'm correct in doing the project in one day, but I figure as long as I have the energy and the time... Well, strike while the iron is hot (or the muscles are ready). Anyway, if anyone has any advice on this, I'm eager to read it. Thanks!

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    1. Hi, Jo! Always happy to host one of the 'Roses', looks like you have been really busy writing AND very industrious at home. I can't imagine trying to do both the front and back at the same time and my back aches just reading, lol. It's too late now, but I hope you used gloves, lots of sunscreen, and soaked in a hot bath that night. My apologies for taking so long to greet you, I hope the tour is going well!

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    2. No apology needed...just saw your post. I always use gloves. It was hot both days we worked (93 on Tuesday) and I had to take a lot of breaks in the shade, but it's now finished. Waiting for the utility to mark the locations, then we plant!

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  7. Awesome review, The Reading Addict! Very thorough! My question for the author is, is there a book by an author you respect and admire that you wish you had written for yourself?

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    1. Oh, and I forgot to add... if so, what is it?

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    2. Gosh, it's difficult to narrow it to one book. I have several choices of books I wish I'd written: "Scales of Justice" by Ngaio Marsh--I love how several clues are linked, each one causing another one. I am envious of Josephine Tey's "The Daughter of Time" not only because I admire Richard III but also because it's a wonderful mystery that unwraps the history of that period. I also like "Rebecca" immensely. Daphne duMaurier's classic is so atmospheric, the tension mounts, and you wonder what Rebecca was really like and how she still controls current events. And maybe my last choice is "The Reckoning" by Charles Nicholl. It won an award for best mystery and another award for best biography! It's Nicholl's theory of what really happened to English playwright Christopher Marlowe. I could hardly wait to get to the end so I could see Nicholl's conclusion as to who murdered Marlowe. All these books are wonderful and I'm green with envy that I didn't pen them!

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    3. Thanks for the compliment, clojo, I will pass it along to Crystal. Thanks for visiting.

      Great titles, Jo!

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  8. What a tease!!! Another great story coming folks!

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    1. Hi, Bev -- thank you so much for that nice comment. I hope the book doesn't disappoint you if you read it. I was in the area where most of the book takes place (including New Zealand), so it's slightly "personal" for me. Anyway, it grew out of the death of three wonderful friends, all within four months of each other. Kind of a release, but I still hope it's a good mystery on its own merit. Thanks!

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    2. Thanks for visiting and commenting, Bev!

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  9. Thanks for both the excerpt and giveaway

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  10. You are a new author to me and your book sounds intriguing. Looking forward to reading.

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    1. Hi, Dianne. Thank you for logging on today and good luck with the raffle drawing! I hope you like "No Known Address" if you decide to read it! ;-)

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    2. Glad you've found a new author to try, Dianne. Thanks for dropping in!

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  11. Well, I'm going to sign off. Yes, I know it's only 9:40pm CDT in the US, but I can hardly move--sawing down the tree and pulling up the bushes did me in! ;-)
    Thank you to Crystal for coming to the rescue and giving my book a review; thank you to The Reading Addict for hosting the review stop today; and thanks to everyone who signed onto this site, left a comment, and entered the drawing. I appreciate it very much.

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    1. Good luck on the rest of the tour, Jo. I hope the landscaping went well.

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  12. The blurb hooked me in.

    "British Mystery" - got to love that.

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    1. Glad you like the blurb, Mary. Good luck on the raffle drawing!

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    2. Great to hear, Mary! Thanks for coming by.

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  13. Great review, I'm looking forward to checking this one out myself!

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    1. Glad you liked it, Victoria. Hope you enjoy it.

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  14. Thanks so much for your comment, Victoria.

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  15. I haven't read any books by this author, but I am a mystery fan, and the review made me think I'll find a great read even if I haven't read the others. Thanks so much!

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    1. Hi, Carolyn. The only thing that really changes in the series is the relationship between the main characters. Each mystery is a complete story, so I'm sure you can figure things out! I hope you like the book. It was personal for me.

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  16. I appreciate the opportunity you have given us to win. Thank you for everything!

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  17. Happy Friday! Hope it's a good one for you and thank you for the opportunity at winning this giveaway

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  18. Hope your Saturday is terrific and fun! Thanks for all you do and for bringing us such great giveaways.

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  19. Hello! Back again to thanks for all the amazing giveaways given to us and I certainly appreciate all the work you put into this to bring us these giveaway. Y'all are amazing!

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  20. I missed yesterday, too many things going on but glad to be back again today. Thanks once again for the opportunity to win your great giveaways.

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  21. You're awesome and I sure appreciate all the work you do daily to bring us these great giveaways. Thanks so much!

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  22. Sure hope your not tired of hearing from me again but want you to know I appreciate the opportunity to win. Thank you!

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  23. This sounds like a very thrilling read!

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  24. Loved the excerpt. Sounds like a great story

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