SHADOW IN THE SMOKE
by Jo A. Hiestand
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: British mystery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Janet
Ennis tragically died five years ago in what the police labeled an accidental
fire. But Janet’s mother, Nora, believes it to be murder and arson. And she’s
hoping ex-cop Michael McLaren can prove it quickly, for she’s losing her memory
to dementia.As McLaren pokes through the case details, he becomes emotionally
involved with the dead woman. Yet, Janet isn’t the only person who threatens
mental well-being. A series of arsons on his own property hint that he’s upset
someone connected with this case.
Motives for Janet’s
murder rise like the smoky tendrils of a fire. And, motive aside, the murder
scene seems a bit too pat: a drought-stricken landscape eager to lap up flames,
and a conveniently locked door barring Janet’s escape.
Will McLaren solve the
case while Nora can still comprehend the resolution, or will Harvester’s plans
see McLaren’s career go up in smoke?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
“So now you can pat yourself on the back, pleased that you
rescued a little tearaway from a life of crime.”
“Oh, darling, it wasn’t that bad. You just took a wrong
turn.”
“And you were there to keep me on the tarmac. Very
obliging.”
“It wasn’t so hard. You always had the talent.” She took a
sip of wine, watching Sean from over the rim of her glass.
It was hard to judge what was coming. It had been a risk,
agreeing to talk to her in a public place, but the risk seemed less than
meeting in a less frequented spot where they might be seen and remembered. And
he didn’t want to go to her house or, worse yet, have her come to his. He eyed
her, steeling himself, for even though he already felt manipulated, he had a
suspicion she was about to drop a bomb.
Putting the glass down on the mat, she said, “All right. You
want to know what this is all about. It’s simple enough. I’d like to know why
you torched Janet’s artist studio right after you killed her.”
**SPOILER FREE**
Page after page of twist and turns... thoroughly developed story and amazing characters. You find yourself reading into the night with this page turner!
*Received for an honest review*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Page after page of twist and turns... thoroughly developed story and amazing characters. You find yourself reading into the night with this page turner!
*Received for an honest review*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jo A. Hiestand
knew in grade school that she wanted to be a mystery writer. But life got in the way: singing in a
semi-pro folk group, traveling to New Zealand, working as a camp counselor,
co-inventing P.I.R.A.T.E.S. (a mystery-solving treasure-hunting game), becoming
a tour agent for a Scottish folk singing group, attending a citizen police
academy and riding along with police officers…
But she needed to immerse herself in All Things British for her
books. England beckoned and she
responded.
She bee-lined
to Derbyshire, feeling it was the ‘home’ of her books. Derbyshire also bestowed the essential
English police contacts and transformed the St. Louisan into an
Anglophile.
She’s returned
nearly a dozen times to Derbyshire, researching and photographing for her
McLaren cold case detective novels.
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.
Follow Jo and
McLaren on these websites:
www.johiestand.com
www.Mclaren-mysteries.com
and on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jo-Hiestand-Mystery-Author/203133803128
No comments:
Post a Comment