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Christmas at Corbie Hall: A McLaren Mystery Kindle Edition
Everything seems perfect for the Scottish Highland getaway. Even Mother Nature is contributing snow, adding a festive and romantic overtone to the gathering. But McLaren’s holiday plan gets snowed under when a dead man is discovered outside his grandfather’s house--in circumstances similar to an older murder. And it’s not long before McLaren is asked to look into the previous death.
The victim was a drummer in a local pipe band. He also drummed at the Christmas market, where his body was found on a snowy, cold evening. The man found dead at the door of his grandfather’s house also played in a pipe band. Are the two murders connected? Or did their jobs at the bank have to do with their deaths?
Can McLaren wrap up the cases in time to unwrap Christmas gifts with Melanie? It’s a race against the calendar and weather if he wants the Day—and his future with her—to be merry and bright.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateOctober 28, 2023
- File size5643 KB
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Product details
- ASIN : B0CLN9ZMKS
- Publication date : October 28, 2023
- Language : English
- File size : 5643 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 358 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,804,364 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #14,051 in Private Investigator Mysteries (Kindle Store)
- #23,358 in Private Investigator Mysteries (Books)
- #242,961 in Literature & Fiction (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Jo A. Hiestand is the author of two British mystery series. While this may not seem so unusual, Jo was born in -- and still lives in -- St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
To get around the technical difficulties dictated by living in one country and writing about another -- especially about police procedures and crime detection, of which she has no personal experience -- she travels to Britain every few years for research. It was on one such trip that she met English police Inspector Tony Eyre (now retired) who supplied police information for her first novel, "Death of an Ordinary Guy." Since then, two other English police officers have become close friends of hers and help with police procedure, catching American words that creep into her writing, and reading the novel manuscripts to eliminate police inaccuracies.
This is all well and good, but nothing beats hands-on experience for writing. Since one of her series features a team of police detectives from the Derbyshire CID and her other highlights an ex-cop who investigates cold cases on his own, Jo knew she'd either have to commit a crime to get first-hand police knowledge or enroll in a citizen's police academy course. The latter seemed safer, so she signed up through a St. Louis county's PD. It was there that she met future co-author police officer Paul Hornung. As Paul remembers their first ride-along, they talked more about writing than about police work. During several ride-alongs they established a bond through these two mutual interests; eventually they agreed to collaborate on books. They've done this with Paul supplying information, writing the fights scenes, and finally writing some of the chapters as one of the series characters. Writing together is definitely fun but sometimes a challenge. Neither knows specifically what the other person's chapter will be, as the storyline is never fully detailed to the other. This is so each can read the other's work with a fresh eye, untainted by "what I meant to say."
It must work, for best-selling British mystery writer Peter Lovesey says, "Immaculate research, attention to detail and an elegant style are the hallmarks of Jo Hiestand’s writing. An atmospheric novel (Horns of a Dilemma)."
Jo took a short respite from novel writing to try her hand with a play. Her contest-winning play "Teething Pains" was produced on stage in 2010. She flatly denies that her fear of dentistry was instrumental in selecting the subject.
Her love of writing, board games and music combines in "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. She also enjoys walking through the woods, playing guitar and harpsichord, her animals (pets as well as backyard wildlife), and reading.
Jo realizes she's living many authors' dreams. Who else has three police officers helping her commit murder?
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This is a bit of a different feel from the previous books in the series. It took McLaren a long time to get over the death of his first fiancé, but now he has been able to move forward. He’s known Melanie for quite some time, and she has become the love of his life. Hiestand sets this story right in the middle of McLaren’s remaining family’s estate. A clan full of history, originally known as the MacLaren clan. The settings of a beautiful estate, holiday customs, a castle, and a touch of romance almost sweep you away in the beauty of the surroundings. But then, you find the intricate parts of the mystery and the clues woven into the story have your mind whisked away trying once more to determine who really committed this crime.
There are a few items that have kept me glued to this series. Many of the stories are set in different parts of the country. This author seems so very good at the description of the beauty of the land, its moors, its castles, and the small towns scattered throughout. Some of her stories might have a new side character, but the characters I’m comfortable with, the ones I know so well, seem to always pop up in these books. I think it is one of the reasons you can picture her characters. She’s made them familiar, almost family.
Don’t get me wrong, just because you are familiar with her characters, doesn’t mean these can't be read as stand-alone mysteries. I’ve said this before and will plagiarize myself here by saying that Hiestand weaves and winds those parts of McLaren’s life and his friends without you ever thinking it is a repeat from another book. Somehow, you’ll have a good understanding of past events and yet all the time be deep in the middle of the current cold case McLaren is trying to solve.
Christmas at Corbie Hall is the 19th book in the McLaren series. I’ve read them all, and not one has ever disappointed me. Each one is a British mystery and each one is a totally new and different case for Michael McLaren. Wish this could become a TV series.
The mystery is so well written that it keeps amateur sleuths guessing along with the main character. The characters are deep and full and rich and enjoyable to get to know. The continuity of the storyline is masterfully done and that is a rare ability in modern authors. I can count on one hand the number of authors that excel in continuity and now you can add Jo A. Hiestand to the list.
If you have been a fan of the Mike and Melanie relationship, then this book is a super duper must read. I will not spoil anything but if you have enjoyed this relationship, you must read this book. For me the combination of a great mystery, setting and the relationship arc make this an award winning kind of book. Just one of the best mysteries I have ever read. This is the finest McClaren mystery I have ever read. I cannot wait to read the next book of this series. Recommended to all fans of the McClaren mystery series. Recommended to those who love a good Christmas mystery. Recommended to those who enjoy Christmas in a Scottish castle.