SWEPT AWAY
Jo A. Hiestand
GENRE: Mystery
Blurb:
Dan Winter asks his friend, former police detective Michael McLaren, to discover what happened to his wife, Ellie, who disappeared on the third day of the couple's holiday on Bow Island. Dan thinks she was swept away by rough ocean waves. Perhaps, but after three weeks there is no sign of her, alive or dead.
McLaren's inquiry seems to be going along swimmingly until the police suspect Dan of killing Ellie and hiding her body. Now McLaren has to dive deeper for the truth. Was Ellie really swept away or did she disappear of her own volition, perhaps helped by a wildlife expert who knows all the hiding place on the island? Or there's the Chaucer-spouting war veteran who seems eager to help with anything. Or did Dan actually murder her?
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Excerpt:
"We aren't getting along all that well. It was scaring me. I thought we needed to do something to fix our problem before it got unfixable." Dan's thumb traveled up the pipe's black stem before he clutched the entire pipe and settled it onto the ashtray. "I booked a week's holiday on Bow Island in Cumbria. You know it?"
"Just of it. If I'm thinking of the correct spot, it's close to the mainland. In the southwestern part of the county, right? In the Irish Sea," McLaren answered, looking up from his notetaking.
Dan nodded. "That's the place. We've been to the island many times. Ellie loves it. Both as a child, and then in later years, before our marriage, she used to spend entire summers there, first with her parents and then during her university hols." He sighed, as though envisioning what that carefree time might have been like. "Most years, as a couple, we spent a week or more there. I wanted to vary our itinerary occasionally, see something else, like Scotland or the Isle of Man or Cornwall, but she wasn't interested. So, to keep her happy, we took every holiday on Bow Island."
"That was quite magnanimous of you, Dan."
Dan shrugged, as if stating he had no other choice, and looked like he was steeling himself for giving the full recitation. "That's the major reason for dropping by this evening, as you suspected. The problem concerns Bow Island and Ellie. She's gone missing."
My Review:
Dan and Ellie Winters take annual trips to Bow Island. Ellie has a fondness for the island and its various tourist shops. She enjoys strolling along the beach, unlike Dan. On the third day of their visit, she sets out for a walk on the beach and does not return.
Dan is anxious about her disappearance and has been searching for her for three weeks. Unsure of what to do next or whom to contact, he reaches out to a high school friend, former police detective Michael McLaren, for assistance in locating his missing wife. Dan and McLaren deliberate on the possible circumstances surrounding Ellie's disappearance and formulate several theories.
McLaren expresses concern regarding the duration of Ellie's absence, as it could impact the investigation. One possibility for Ellie's disappearance is that she may have drowned. Alternatively, she might have encountered a gentleman friend on the beach and left with him. There is also the chance that someone abducted her, or perhaps Dan himself was involved in something sinister.
From the moment I started reading Swept Away, I was immersed in its narrative, as the reality around me faded away. I felt as though I was part of the lives of McLaren, Dan, and Ellie. I could visualize Ellie walking along the beach, with the waves crashing against the shore, either relishing her day or feeling despondent as she sought clarity. I could picture McLaren as he interrogated the locals, attempting to piece together what might have transpired with Ellie.
I wholeheartedly recommend Swept Away to all mystery enthusiasts! Be sure to pick up a copy of Swept Away today!
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 a British mystery series (the McLaren Mysteries) and a Missouri-based cozy mystery series (Cookies & Kilts Mysteries) that is 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 and sings loudly. She 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.
Connect with Jo A. Hiestand
Giveaway:
$25 Amazon/BN GC
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2 comments:
Thank you for hosting and reviewing today.
Thanks so much for reviewing my book. I appreciate this very much. Jo H.
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