Haunted Water ~ A McLaren Mystery by Jo A. Hiestand

Posted: December 13, 2021 in giveaways, Mystery
Tags: ,

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for The Haunted Water organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Jo A. Hiestand will be giving away a $25 Amazon or B&N Gift Card. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour and for more chances to win.

Haunted Water

by Jo A. Hiestand

 

 

GENRE: British mystery

Synopsis:

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?

 

NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99.

Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

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.”

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Author Jo A. Hiestand:

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.

Website / Amazon / B&N 

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Comments
  1. Mary Preston says:

    The location caught my attention. I love a good mystery.

  2. I like the cover. The colors and graphics are great.

  3. Jo Hiestand says:

    Hi, Mary. I hope you like the book if you read it.

  4. Jo Hiestand says:

    Thank you for hosting my book today. I appreciate it!

  5. Rita Wray says:

    Sounds like a great read.

  6. Anne says:

    An intriguing and captivating mystery.

  7. Cathy French says:

    I love this cover. Beautiful yet a bit haunting. Sounds like a good mystery and I enjoyed reading the excerpt.

  8. Eva Millien says:

    Jo, congratulations on your release Haunted Water, which sounds like a great, spine tingling book for me! I enjoyed the excerpt and I like the cover! Good luck with your book and the tour! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a magical holiday season!

  9. Nancy P says:

    Fascinating cover

    • Jo Hiestand says:

      Nancy, thanks a lot. I really like the photo. I love the sky, of course, but that greenish light at the base of the boulder hints at something mysterious in the mere. Thanks for commenting.

  10. sherry1969 says:

    This sounds like an interesting book.

  11. Cali W. says:

    Great excerpt and giveaway.

  12. bn100 says:

    looks interesting

  13. Jo Hiestand says:

    Thanks for stopping by.

  14. Dianne Casey says:

    Sounds like a great read. Looking forward to reading the book.

  15. Denise Duvall says:

    Love the plot and the excerpt! It’s definitely my type of mystery!

  16. I love the location! It sounds super mysterious!

  17. Michele says:

    The title sounds very interesting – have to check out the book more fully…

  18. foolsmoon2021 says:

    I love the beautiful cover and the excerpt. Thanks for the giveaway!

  19. Well, it’s not as far fetched as one might think- the Burmuda triangle has been known as cursed, why not a pond or a lake?

  20. Veronica Lee says:

    Sounds like an intriguing read! Added this to my TBR list.

  21. Denise Duvall says:

    The dark cover is very foreboding.

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