by Jo A. Hiestand
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: British mystery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
McLaren’s
fiancée tragically died one month ago. Trying to heal emotionally from her
death, McLaren settles into a rented farmhouse in the woods near picturesque
Lake Windermere, in Cumbria. But he’s barely had a chance to rest when Helen,
the woman in the neighboring cottage, is killed…and is discovered near his
front door.
Because McLaren had spent much of
the previous day with her, and his snowy footprints lead to and from her house,
he becomes the prime murder suspect in what the police label a frustrated
romantic advance.
Motives for Helen’s murder are as
chilling as the outdoor temperature. There’s the hands-on garage mechanic who’d
like to put his hands all over her, the affluent fishing guide, and Helen’s
former boyfriend who wanted to renew the relationship.
Can McLaren find the killer before
the police jail him for murder?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
The
acrid smell of smoke woke him. He lay in bed, trying to understand what was
happening. As the significance of the odor occurred to him, he threw back the
duvet and got up quickly.
He
forgot that he’d looked up a few things last night. He must have fallen asleep
without putting away the laptop, for it flipped off the top of the bed and
crashed onto the floor. “Damn.” He bent over and picked it up. The top dangled,
gripping the keyboard by its left edge. McLaren punched the power button but
nothing happened. The screen stayed black. He tossed the laptop onto the bed
and quickly slipped into his jeans and shoes as the odor intensified.
He
ran into the front room. Fingers of light gray smoke threaded through the air
and he coughed, but he saw no other sign of fire. He checked the back room,
kitchen and second bedroom, but encountered nothing more than smoke. As he
dashed back into the front, he glanced outside. The land was on fire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 folk singing stint. This intimate knowledge of Britain forms the
backbone of both the Taylor & Graham mysteries and the McLaren cold case
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.
The tour dates can be found here
************************
My review:
My review:
3.75 out of 5 stars
An Unwilling Suspect by Jo A. Hiestand is a mystery set in
England that is part of the ‘McLaren Mysteries’ series. Michael McLaren has
availed himself of a countryside retreat in Windemere offered him to use while he
tries to recover from his recent tragedy. A neighborly act somehow enmeshes him
in a murder investigation with him as the number one suspect. The more he tries
to discover the true murderer, the more complicated the case becomes, even when
he calls in a former colleague. Danger mounts until it is possible he may not
live to uncover the true murderer.
There are beautifully emotional elements in this story and
some vividly described scenes that evoke a countryside retreat. The story
starts on a gentle mournful note and gains momentum as McLaren interacts with
various denizens while battling grief and ultimately, while conducting his own
investigation of the murder he is accused of. Clues and red herrings abound
until the final exciting twists, and there is a mystical element that adds another
layer of mystery to the story.
There are a few elements that were uncomfortable for me,
including the shifting and numerous points of view that don’t quite sync with
the third person omniscient, as well as the apparent preponderance of
characters who seem amazingly bloodthirsty and amoral. Not everything is tied
up in a tidy bow, so I still have plenty of questions. Although this is part of
a series, there is enough detail that one is not completely lost, but the
allusions to previous events definitely encourage one’s curiosity about what
would have brought McLaren to this point. I think that those who like mysteries
with a somewhat sobering British flair will enjoy this tale.
A copy of this title was given to me for review
