SPOTLIGHT: No Known Address by Jo A. Hiestand

It's about that time again. Time for a new book, a new author, and soon-to-come a new review. Please help me welcome Jo A. Hiestand and her British Crime Mystery - No Known Address to the Yellow Book Road.

The man seemed not to hear the continuous whine of the phone receiver lying on his lap. He sat upright, stiff-backed, in a wooden kitchen chair that, like the house, had seen better days. As he had also seen better days, he reminded himself, glancing at the calendar on the wall. A date circled in black ink smirked at him, the remaining days of the month X-ed out. As though he was counting down to something. But the dates were three years old.

The discrepancy didn’t bother him. He had never flipped over the rest of the months. They didn’t intrigue him; it didn’t upset him that he had stared at January for more than a thousand days. If he flipped over the page it would signal that the search needed to continue into another month. And possibly another. And another. The consequence was too terrible to comprehend.

An excerpt for this suspensive and intriguing thriller:

The impact of the assault knocked the breath from his lungs, and he fell to the ground without time to brace himself. He slammed into the asphalt as his attacker grabbed his legs. McLaren shook his head, determined to remain conscious, yet the pain from his ribs washed over him. He could see nothing but the dark figure, hear nothing but the scrape of his feet as he fought to right himself, and the labored breathing of his opponent.

As his assailant reached for McLaren’s arms, McLaren seized the man’s wrist and pivoted the hand backward. A satisfying crack shot into the night, followed by a yelp. The man released his grip of McLaren’s forearm and rolled over, taking McLaren with him. McLaren felt the man’s chest on top of him, felt the firm muscles and the warm breath against his face. Determined to gain the advantage, McLaren pulled up his strength from somewhere within him and rolled to his side while pushing the man off. McLaren grabbed the car door handle and pulled himself to his feet. But his assailant regained his balance quicker, and he lurched at McLaren. In the darkness he misjudged the distance; he recoiled off the side of the car and staggered around to its rear, his hand groping the slick metal surface for support.

Yellow Book Road's Review

This month I was introduced to this fabulous author and her fabulous mystery. No Known Address is definitely the one to grab, but don't do what I did and skip the books in the series! Had I known and had to time to go back, I would have started at the beginning and not be so confused over some of the plots and characters.

With that said, I think I am in love with McLaren. He's smart, unafraid, and dashing...and ooh so British. I love British heroes. (Hello, my whole series is about a British family.) I also loved how intricate the mystery was. I like my mysteries to be just that. I never read the back of the book first, or follow spoilers of any of the shows I watch. Sometimes I will go so far not to watch the already trailers made public. I like to be surprised, especially with a smart movie, show, or book. And that's why this review is late in coming. I hadn't finished the book in time and I still wanted to get to the end of the book without haphazardly giving you an early review.

You will love this book. But don't be like me, go back and read the first books in Jo's series, then pick this one up and enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you Jo, for the amazing book, and vivid characters I won't too soon forget.

About the Author

Books, Girl Scouts and music filled Jo A. Hiestand’s childhood. She discovered the magic of words and the worlds they create: mysteries, English medieval history, the natural world. She explored the joys of the outdoors through Girl Scout camping trips and summers as a canoeing instructor and camp counselor. Brought up on classical, big band and baroque music, she was groomed as a concert pianist until forsaking the piano for the harpsichord. She also plays a Martin guitar and has sung in a semi-professional folkgroup in the US and as a soloist in England.

This mixture formed the foundation for her writing. A true Anglophile, Jo wanted to create a mystery series that featured a British police detective who left the Force over an injustice and now investigates cold cases on his own. The result is the McLaren Mysteries, featuring ex-police detective Michael McLaren.

Jo’s insistence for accuracy -- from police methods and location layout to the general “feel” of the area -- has driven her innumerable times to Derbyshire. These explorations and conferences with police friends provide the detail filling the books.

In 1999 Jo returned to Webster University to major in English. She graduated in 2001 with a BA degree and departmental honors.

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

Jo founded the Greater St. Louis Chapter of Sisters in Crime, serving as its first president. Besides her love of mysteries and early music, she also enjoys photography, reading, crewel embroidery, and her backyard wildlife.

Her cat, Tennyson, shares her St. Louis-area home.

You can follow or like Jo on her social media sites, as well as visit her website at:

www.johiestand.com

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