Cameron Rutter drowned two months ago in a lake on a Cheshire moor. Some say a morgen—a spirit who drags men to a watery grave—was responsible. Others say it was the phantom Grey Lady. The police say Gareth Gynne was the guilty one. Whoever—or whatever—killed Cameron needs to be sorted out. And ex-police detective Michael McLaren is asked to do just that.
Welcome to one of the December 30th stops on the book blitz for Haunted Water by Jo A. Hiestand with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the blitz for spotlights, reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
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About the Book
Haunted Water
A McLaren Mystery
by Jo A. Hiestand
Published 19 October 2021
Genre: British Mystery
Page Count: 294
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Cameron Rutter drowned two months ago in a lake on a Cheshire moor. Some say a morgen—a spirit who drags men to a watery grave—was responsible. Others say it was the phantom Grey Lady. The police say Gareth Gynne was the guilty one. Whoever—or whatever—killed Cameron needs to be sorted out. And ex-police detective Michael McLaren is asked to do just that.
McLaren’s not keen on delving into the mystery. The accused is the nephew of McLaren’s nemesis, Charlie Harvester. And if there’s one thing McLaren doesn’t want to do is to associate with another Harvester, no matter what generation he is.
Suspects and motives are as tangled as the mere grass. Did a villager kill Cameron, opposed to his crusade to keep the moor in its pristine state? Or did someone previously arrested by Cameron kill him in revenge?
Or was the morgen really responsible?
Can McLaren discover the killer, or will he too become a victim of the haunted water?
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Excerpt
“What about a murder weapon? Did the pathologist suggest what it was?”
“I’ve not heard.”
A rock? McLaren wondered, imagining the shoreline of the mere littered with stones of various sizes. “You mentioned the rough history between you and Cameron.” McLaren rubbed his chin as he thought aloud. The room and the street were deathly quiet, as comes upon places at the end of a workday. Nothing moved on the road; no bird flew or hopped along the grass; no fox or dog barked. McLaren felt as though the village held its collective breath, waiting to hear what Gareth would say. “Surely there are others in the village, or elsewhere in his circle of friends and family, who weren’t particularly enamored of him. What about motives for people other than you?”
“I’ve thought of this. I’ve come up with a list of five people who have differing degrees of motive, in my opinion.” He eyed McLaren’s notebook, hesitating as he watched something being jotted down. “Do you, uh, want my ideas?”
“By all means. Shoot.”
“Just the sketchiest of info, then. Not enough so it will color your view and opinion of them.”
“I form my own opinions, thanks anyway.”
About the Author
I grew up reading Dumas, Twain, duMaurier, Dickens and the Brontes. I loved the atmosphere of those books. Add the Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce movies and the moods of 1940s/50s movies like Brief Encounter, Night Must Fall, and The Thirty-Nine Steps, and I knew I wanted to write mysteries, and the books had to be set in Britain. That was a must even though I knew only what I’d seen in the movies and read in the novels. But the British pull was tenacious. Three years ago I discovered that I have literally centuries and centuries of English, Scottish and Welsh ancestry. Do genes mean anything?
My first visit to England was during my college years and that cemented my joy of Things British. Since then, I’ve been lured back nearly a dozen times, and lived there for a year during my professional folksinging stint.
What do I write? Well, at the moment, I write two British mystery series: the McLaren Mysteries and the Peak District Mysteries. The McLaren novels feature ex-police detective Michael McLaren, who investigates cold case murders on his own. The Peak District books feature a different British custom/tradition that is the backbone of each book’s plot. These are a combo cozy/police procedural, and members of the Derbyshire Constabulary CID Murder team work these cases.
I combined my love of writing, mysteries, music, and board games by co-inventing a mystery-solving treasure-hunting game, P.I.R.A.T.E.S.
I founded the Greater St. Louis Chapter of the international mystery writers/readers organization Sisters in Crime, serving as its first president.
In 2001, I graduated from Webster University with a BA degree in English and departmental honors. I live in the St. Louis, MO area with my cat, Tennyson, and way too many kilts.
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Giveaway Alert!
Jo A. Hiestand will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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