Arrested Flight by Jo Hiestand

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Arrested Flight 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 accuracyfrom 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.

https://www.johiestand.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Jo-A.-Hiestand/e/B0057SO7VI https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/635131.Jo_A_Hiestand https://www.goodreads.com/series/132095-mclaren-case-mysteries

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:   
Jo A. Hiestand will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Enter to win a $25 Amazon/BN GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway

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 Review: It was a pleasure to be able to read another of Ms. Heistand's books. I'm a fan of mysteries, and particularly police procedure books, and Ms Hiestand's books don't disappoint. I enjoy ex-police detective Michael McLaren, the character is very likable and he descriptions of the Lake District make me feel as if I'm there. Arrested Flight is the eighth book from Jo A Hiestand's series, The McLaren Mysteries.

After his last adventure, McLaren is battered both physically and in spirit. Grimly determined to continue his interrupted holiday, after leaving his home in Derbyshire and the memory of Dena’s death more than a week ago, he heads towards Whitby. But on the way, he's waylayed in a misty forest route by a strange man, who convinces him to follow him through the forest - then disappears. McLauren suddenly realizes it was probably a trap, and rushes back to his car, where he finds several of his belongings stolen. Furious with himself, he drives to the nearest village and decides to stay the night. After his debacle with the police (in his last adventure, he was accused of murdering a woman he'd just met), he is wary of calling for help. But his presence in the sleepy village of Moorton is a catalyst that sets things in motion. He learns that a young man was murdered a year ago - and the murderer never caught. McLauren is staying in a quaint B&B with the fiance of the murdered man and her mother. When a fundraiser and concert is organized in his memory, several people object forcefully. McLauren wonders why. He really doesn't want to get involved, but as a detective, and an ex-police officer, it's in his blood. Despite himself, he is soon enmeshed in a murder mystery that will test his talent and endanger his life.

I enjoyed the detective work just as much as I enjoyed the setting, near Uther Pendragon's castle, which added a wonderful, mysterious touch to the story. 

Very entertaining, faced paced, and highly recommended!