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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Suspects and motives are as tangled as the mere grass. .. Haunted Water by Jo A. Hiestand


"This is probably my favorite McLaren mystery that I've read in a long time. [...] The characters are well developed with depth and richness. The action scenes are gripping. The mystery keeps the reader guessing right to the end." N.N.Light, Goodreads



Description:

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?

EXCERPT

McLaren glanced through the large windows consuming the front wall of the shop. “The mere’s where Cameron was found, correct?”

“Yes. Dwfn Mere.” He angled his head slightly, his eyebrow raised. “How’s your Welsh? You know what dwfn mere means?”

“Mere is pool or lake. Well, some small body of water like that. Dwfn throws me, I’ll admit.”

“Dwfn means deep.”

McLaren nodded. “Sounds intimidating. Deep pool.”

“At least the early residents thought so. But even if it’s not deep, it’s supposed to be haunted, which might be worse.”

“It does change the feelings, I agree. Haunted water versus deep water.” He eyed Gareth and his forehead wrinkled slightly. “Haunted by what?”

“A morgen.” Gareth screwed up the corner of his mouth, frowning. “I’ve always wondered if the villagers named the water first and then the morgen came along to live there, or if they encountered the morgen first and then figured she had to live in a deep lake to avoid scrutiny.” He seemed to force a smile, but McLaren detected a serious look in Gareth’s eyes.

“This is the first I’ve heard of the morgen. I didn’t know Heywood Heath was thought to have one.”

“Your knowledge of Welsh extends to morgens, then.”

“The female water spirit who drowns men.”

Gareth nodded. “I know how it sounds, but there are many people around here who swear the water is haunted. They won’t go near it.” The little remaining humor had gone from his face and voice. “Sometimes I think they’re right. I could almost swear she killed Cameron because I sure as hell didn’t.”

About the author:
Jo A. Hiestand grew up on regular doses of music, books, and Girl Scout camping. She gravitated toward writing in her post-high school years and finally did something sensible about it, graduating from Webster University with a BA degree in English and departmental honors. She writes two British mystery series—of which two books have garnered the prestigious N.N. Light’s Book Heaven ‘Best Mystery Novel’ two years straight. She also writes two Missouri-based mystery series that are grounded in places associated with her camping haunts. The camping is a thing of the past, for the most part, but the music stayed with her in the form of playing guitar and harpsichord, and singing in a folk group. Jo carves jack o’ lanterns badly; sings loudly; and loves barbecue sauce and ice cream (separately, not together), kilts (especially if men wear them), clouds and stormy skies, and the music of G.F. Handel. You can usually find her pulling mystery plots out of scenery—whether from photographs or the real thing.

Author's Giveaway
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37 comments:

Sherry said...

Sounds like a great book.

Goddess Fish Promotions said...

Thanks for hosting!

Jo said...

Sherry, thank you. If you read the book, I hope you like it.

Rita Wray said...

I liked the excerpt, thank you.

Jo said...

Thanks, Rita. Good luck with the raffle drawing.

sherry fundin said...

everything about the book appeals to me

peg42 said...

Sounds like a really good book.

abbie said...

Sounds like a cool book

Jo said...

Sherry, thanks for the comment and for dropping by. I appreciate it.

Jo said...

Peg42, thanks and I hope you like the book if you read it!

Jo said...

Thanks a lot, Zelda. Good luck with the raffle drawing.

abfantom said...

This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.

abfantom at yahoo dot com

Jo said...

Thanks a lot, abfantom. I like the cover a lot too!

PAIGE said...

I love a good mystery. Good work.

Jo said...

Hi, Paige. Well, I hope you like Haunted Water if you read it. Thanks for your comment.

abbie said...

you are so talented

wghutton said...

this sounds like a wonderful book

abbie said...

I hope you have a great day

abbie said...

Have a great day!

Barbara Montag said...

Haunted Water - I love that title and cover!
Thank you for sharing this with us.

abbie said...

have a great night

Barbara Montag said...

About how many books do you write in a year?

Stormy Vixen said...

Haunted Water sounds like the perfect book and I love the cover! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a magical holiday season!

Amy Woolard said...

I am intrigued!! I can't wait to read this!

laurie nykaza said...

I would love to read it sounds like one I would enjoy

abbie said...

You are so awesome

abbie said...

I hope you had a great day!

Barbara Montag said...

This is an interesting book - sure to keep me reading.

abbie said...

Merry Christmas eve

Barbara Montag said...

I usually comment on the author or book.
Today I am going to say Merry Christmas!

abbie said...

Merry Christmas!!

Bridgett Wilbur said...

Great cover.

Barbara Montag said...

Do you read yourself & if so have a favorite author?

Jeffrey said...

DO YOU LIKE MEETING FANS?

Anita said...

Sounds like a good read and love the cover its so different

Barbara Montag said...

I so enjoyed reading the excerpt - well done!

susan1215 said...

Sounds like an interesting book. I like the cover.