☀☄ Cold Revenge: McLaren Mysteries [1] - Jo A. Hiestand

Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Cold Revenge, a British Mystery by Jo A. Hiestand (1 April 2015, The Wild Rose Press, 271 pages).

This is the first book in the McLaren Mystery series, which is being re-released by The Wild Rose Press under new titles. These new editions have been fully re-edited and revised. Cold Revenge was previously published under the title "Siren Song".

PREVIEW: Read the first chapter with Amazon Look Inside

Check out the book's trailer, its synopsis and excerpt below, and then find out about the whole series.

Author Jo A. Hiestand will be awarding a copy of Cold Revenge to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.   Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts, also the more comments you leave the higher your chances of being a winner.

Trailer | Synopsis | Teaser | The Series | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

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Synopsis

One year ago, Marta Hughes won a purse-choking sum of money at a local casino. She never returned home. Her body was discovered in a ditch twelve miles from her home; her car was in her driveway.

Linnet Isherwood cannot let her friend's unsolved murder rest. She convinces ex-cop Michael McLaren to return to the work he loves. He sifts through a confusing tangle of lies, misconceptions and veiled motives.

Are anonymous late-night phone calls, a vanished hitchhiker, and a stalker wielding empty beer bottles somehow related to the case? Or maybe the woman he broke off with is seeking revenge.

Teaser: Excerpt

He brought the photo closer so he could stare at the woman. She appeared to be in her mid-forties, a brunette with hazel eyes that looked amusingly at the photographer. She came up to her husband’s chin. The husband was a greying brunet and while her son had inherited her eye color, he was blond. McLaren had no time to comment on this.

Linnet said, “The others…” She leaned forward, her left arm bent and supporting her, and tapped each photo as she mentioned their names. “The group shot is Marta, her boss, and the vet for the shelter. This…” She skipped over the others in the photograph and pointed to the woman to the extreme left. “That’s Verity Dwyer.”

“The wrongly suspected coworker.” The woman in the photo had auburn hair that shone in the sunlight; her blue eyes smiled at him. Linnet nodded. “Yes. Suspected of killing Marta, though that wasn’t proved. But she was convicted of stealing money from the shelter. She’s three months into her sentence. She was… Oh, it’s extremely involved.”

“I’ve got more time than money. Tell me.”

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The Series: McLaren Mystery

The McLaren Mysteries feature ex-police detective Michael McLaren, who now investigates cold cases on his own in England and Scotland.

The series comprises previously published novels, and two brand new ones, An Unwilling Suspect, Flight Plan, which are due for release in 2016.

Click on the book cover to Look Inside the book on Amazon and read an excerpt.

Last Seen [2]

One dark night, popular singer Kent Harrison goes missing after his performance at Tutbury Castle. When his body’s found in a forest, the police investigation focuses on Kent’s ex-wife, a local herbalist, a covetous colleague, and even the curator of another castle who tried to lure Kent into performing there.

But his occasional singing partner, Dave Morley, seems to have the biggest motive. He’s dying to make his name, money, and the big time, especially at the medieval Minstrels Court reenactment, where Kent’s appearance guarantees standing room only. Did Dave murder Kent to eliminate the competition…or had their partnership struck a wrong chord?

To entice him into investigating, ex-cop McLaren's girlfriend plays detective. But Dena ends up in great danger. Now McLaren must not only solve Kent’s murder but also rescue her, a hard task when a web of jealousy, anger, and lies covers the trails. [Published 24 June 2015, The Wild Rose Press, 260 pages. Originally published as "Swan Song"]

Torch Song [3]

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? [Published 23 July 2013, Golden Harvest Press, 300 pages]

Hit Song [4]

University art student Amy Jarvis died one year ago in a murder that shocked the area. Although John Pooley had been detained by the police, they’d released him on insufficient evidence. Which didn’t stop public opinion from mentally trying and symbolically hanging John. When he conveniently died, the case seemed to die with him. Except that the local radio shock jock stirred the cold case embers to inflame citizen outrage on the one year anniversary of Amy’s death. And he again played the song mocking John, the song calling for a hit to be made on the ‘released murderer,’ the song that the DJ made into a hit.

When McLaren realizes the brooch’s significance he closes in on the murderer. But the killer has other ideas and flees. As McLaren follows the twisting trail of the killer, he hopes it doesn’t end in a different type of hit — his own planned murder. [Published 1 May 2013, Harvest Moon Press, 298 pages]

Rock Song [5]

Since his infancy, Michael McLaren has been the target of his paternal grandfather’s anger. So when the patriarch sends an invitation to heal the rift, McLaren travels to Scotland, eager to meet and finally end the feud. But the welcome never happens. In fact, the older man is furious McLaren’s appeared on the family home doorstep, convinced it’s some trick. McLaren, however, is confused: if the grandfather hadn’t sent for him, who had? And why? In Edinburgh, a man standing beside McLaren in a bus queue is killed in a hit-and-run accident. But McLaren wonders if the driver got the wrong person. And after an attack leaves him for dead on a wintry moor, McLaren’s convinced someone from his past is trying to murder him.

As McLaren trails the hit-and-run driver from the medieval ‘underground city’ of Edinburgh to the Boar’s Rock -- the MacLaren Clan’s ancestral meeting place -- the assaults intensify, and he’s plunged into a very personal hunt for a World War II treasure. The puzzle is fascinating; he just has to stay alive to solve it. [Published 28 October 2013, Golden Harvest Press, 270 pages]

Love Song [6]

One cold January evening Luke Barber disappears from his village. Despite search teams and a police investigation, he is never found, and his absence leaves a lot of holes in people’s lives.

That was three years ago. Now Luke’s father has employed ex-police detective Michael McLaren to find Luke, for even knowing that Luke is dead is better than holding out the faint hope that he has merely run away. And he may have had many reasons to...

It isn’t until McLaren figures out a connection with a medieval stone carving and a local legend that he discovers what became of Luke…and leads him to someone he dearly loves. [Published 3 October 2013, Golden Harvest Press, 282 pages]

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About the Author

A true Anglophile, Jo Hiestand wanted to capture the traditional flavor of a detective crime novel and the intimate atmosphere of a British cozy. The result is the McLaren Case mystery series featuring ex-police detective Michael McLaren who now investigates cold cases on his own.

Jo has combined her love of writing, board games and music by co-inventing P.I.R.A.T.E.S., the mystery-solving game that uses maps, graphics, song lyrics, and other clues to lead the players to the lost treasure.

In 2001 she graduated from Webster University with a BA degree in English and departmental honors.

Peter Lovesey, author of the Sergeant Cribb and Peter Diamond series, praises Jo’s writing: “Immaculate research, attention to detail and an elegant style are the hallmarks of Jo Hiestand’s writing. (Horns of a Dilemma is) an atmospheric novel.”

Jo founded the Greater St. Louis Chapter of Sisters in Crime, serving as its first president. She is also a member of Mystery Writers of America.

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Giveaway and Tour Stops

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Jo A Hiestand. To win you must be a US resident and be able to provide a US mailing address within 24 hours of receiving an emailing notification of winning. The giveaway begins on Aug 3rd, 2015 and runs through Aug 15th, 2015.
Remember to comment to win!
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