Monday, November 20, 2017

Arrested Flight by Jo A. Hiestand (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT



by Jo A. Hiestand

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: British mystery

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Ex-police detective Michael McLaren is determined to have a peaceful holiday after the fiasco of his first attempt at Windermere, so he stops at a bed-and-breakfast in Moorton, a village in Cumbria.  But mystery and murder seek him out, and he soon succumbs to the B&B owner’s plea to investigate the year-old death of her daughter’s fiancé, a young musician.

The Lake District parish seems peaceful, but a rival  musician’s jealousy and a business partner’s anger boil beneath the façade.  Mix that with ‘Barmy Barry’s’ sightings of fairy lights  at the castle, references to Uther Pendragon's return and the secrets in the woods, and McLaren finds his sanity shaky.

When the vicar is attacked and Barry disappears, McLaren sets a trap for the killer.  But as it plays out, his concern shifts from the potential capture to praying he and his friend can escape with their lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~




EXCERPT


McLaren’s fingers wrapped around the torch. It would do for a weapon if he needed it. He remained there for several minutes, hardly daring to breathe. When the tower fell into darkness, he crept toward it.

He made for the nearest corner, groping for it in the confusion of darkness. It gradually defined itself, separating from the night as his sight adjusted to the new blackness. He reached, stiff-armed, for the wall and nearly yelped. Ivy, brittle with cold and age, wrapped around his fingertips and grabbed at his ring. He jerked away, momentarily alarmed. The wind sighed through the leaves, rustling gently, and he cursed his stupidity. He laid his hand back on the wall and moved toward the main archway.

The moon had inched above the treetops by the time he came to the end of the wall. He glanced up, hoping for cloud cover. The sky was clear. He cursed his choice of the hour and prayed for rain, but he knew it to be a hollow hope. He kept his hand on the stone wall as he left the moonlit courtyard. Drifts of snow sagged against the base of the tower, chilling the air with a hint of frost and emphasizing the position of the foundation. He crouched near the entry, ignoring the arch, and pressed the torch against his chest. And waited in the darkness.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:



A month-long trip to England during her college years introduced Jo to the joys of Things British.  Since then, she has been lured back nearly a dozen times, and lived there during her professional folksinging stint.  This intimate knowledge of Britain forms the backbone of both the Taylor & Graham mysteries and the McLaren mystery series.

 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 for research.  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.

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



*********************************

GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway




The tour dates can be found here




********************************* 

My review:

4 out of 5 stars




Arrested Flight by Jo A. Hiestand is a contemporary mystery set in England featuring former police detective Michael McLaren as he stumbles into another mystery while he is searching for a place to vacation. Not only is there a cold case to be solved, but the folks he meets definitely seem to have their share of secrets. Despite his wariness due to events in his recent past, McLaren feels compelled to use his skills to investigate, but the danger increases until a single cold case will explode into a wide-ranging set of mysteries that may prove to be life-threatening.

This is the 8th book in the ‘McLaren Mysteries’ series but can be read as a stand-alone story. There are allusions to McLaren’s tragic past, but I was relieved to see that he is working through his grief and starting to heal, although possibly with a little bit of rebound effect. I enjoy this author’s ability to evoke quaint scenes of picturesque villages and people them with a broad spectrum of characters who add richness to the story. The vivid descriptions make me want to snuggle into a warm jacket and sip on a steaming cup of tea while following the twisty trail that the detective is doggedly pursuing, even as I scratch my head at some of the interactions he has. Personally, I find it disconcerting that additional points of view suddenly pop up occasionally, and there are odd explosions of violence along the way, but they definitely added to the mystery. There is a hint of otherworldliness that adds to the aura of the story and I enjoyed this opportunity to both armchair travel and savor the mystery. I look forward to finding out what new adventures this tenacious man encounters.


A copy of this title was provided to me for review


43 comments:

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

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the chance to win this generous prize—I'm looking forward to reading Arrested Flight!

    skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning, E.L.F. Thank you for the review and hosting today!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Jo! Sorry to take so long to greet you! Thank you for the opportunity to read another of your lovely mystery stories, I enjoyed seeing what McLaren was up to. Good luck on the tour!

      Delete
  4. I love Jo Hiestand's wonderful character (Michael McLaren) but I loved him even more in the 8th book of her series. He's in a new setting and she once again describes the scenes so well you become a part of the book. It is something she is good at in all of her books but this one seems special. This whole storyline seems special. It has new interests; magic characters not unknown to us weave in and out of her story. It's so well written, I began to believe they were real! Hiestand doesn't disappoint in another aspect she does so well, character development. In fact, you'll want some of her new characters to remain in her books. There will be a 9th book, right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Kathy. Yes, there is a ninth book coming. Hopefully in six months or so. McLaren will be back in his home in Derbyshire. Hope you like it!

      Delete
    2. Thanks for the lovely kudos, Kathy. I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

      Delete
  5. This sounds like an awesome book and series! Thanks so much for posting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are very welcome, Bea. Thank you for taking the time to read the post. I hope you get a chance to read these entertaining stories.

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. Hi, Victoria. Glad you stopped by! Good luck with the drawing!

      Delete
    2. Wonderful to see you, Victoria. I hope you're enjoying the unseasonably warm weather!

      Delete
    3. Not particularly, I'm looking forward to the "Cali Cold" lol

      Delete
    4. Maybe next week...but don't pack your summer clothes quite yet!

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. I hope you get a chance to read it, Rita. Thanks for dropping by!

      Delete
  8. I sent in a comment early today. Is there a reason it isn't posted?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My apologies, Kathy. A few weeks ago I started being plagued by spam, so I have reluctantly had to go to moderation...and then life gets in the way sometimes, so I am slow to audit the comments. I appreciate your comments and the review of the author's series.

      Delete
    2. Dear E.L.F., I'm grateful you answered about my comment. Was really more worried I had not done it correctly than "where you were". Sorry about the spam you are getting.

      Delete
  9. Replies
    1. Lacey, thank you. Good luck on the raffle drawing!

      Delete
    2. Thanks for visiting and commenting, Lacey!

      Delete
  10. How dare they attack the Vicar!!! Going to enjoy this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't that shocking, Mary? Happy reading and thanks for coming by!

      Delete
  11. Replies
    1. I enjoyed it, Kim, and hope you will as well. Thanks for popping in!

      Delete
  12. Congrats on the new book and good luck on the book tour!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to see you, Ally. Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  13. I really enjoyed reading the entire post today. This is a new author for me so thank you for the reveal!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for taking the time to read the post, Nikolina. I appreciate you coming by!

      Delete
  14. I have added the McLaren's Mystery series to my Amazon wish-list and I hope to read them all soon. I hope that you've had a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I fell in love with Jo's character Michael McLaren way back in book 1 and characters are what keep me reading a series. The books are definitely worth your time.

      Delete
    2. The Taylor and Graham and Derbyshire Village titles sound excellent as well. I really do hope to read them all someday.

      Delete