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

No Known Address

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. 

 

Reviews by Crystal