5 stars for Related By Murder: A McLaren Mystery by Jo A. Hiestand #britishmystery #mystery #bookish
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  • N. N. Light
    • May 31, 2021
    • 2 min read

5 stars for Related By Murder: A McLaren Mystery by Jo A. Hiestand #britishmystery #mystery #bookish



Title: Related By Murder: A McLaren Mystery

Author: Jo A. Hiestand

Genre: British Mystery


Book Blurb:


From the moment ex-police detective Michael McLaren arrives at his friend’s house, he’s plunged into a nightmare of a case. Two men, hanged a year apart, each killed on a Good Friday. A barrister. A solicitor. Related careers. Related by murder. Related motives?

Pottery shards, a torn newspaper article, and biscuits are found in each man’s pocket. What do they signify? And the blackmail letters Melanie receives… Are they related to the murders, or are they separate, terrifying in their own way?

Professions, calendar date, McLaren’s attack. Could it all be entwined? Or is the motive for murder something else, something so secret that keeping it is worth attempting a third one?


My Review:


A new chapter in today's great British detective - McLaren. This book follows a tight timeline after the last two books. This works for both the new reader and the seasoned McLaren fan. Once more, the author does a super job in refreshing a reader in the past that is relevant. This is done without info-dumping or long paragraphs. The author is able to subtly bring the past to life in quick reflections by one or more characters. That alone makes this a brilliant mystery book, part of a great mystery series.


This story is an enigma in one way and a Fabergé egg in its complexity. There are a number of mysteries that need to be solved. The question hangs throughout the story whether they are all connected or related in some way. I will leave the lucky reader to determine the way things are related.


Edge of your seat mystery. McLaren once more channels his inner Rockford File in that he has yet to see a bash on the back of his head at night he doesn't get hit with. Well written and emotive. The overarching story of McLaren and Melanie helps carry the story. Very well done. Recommended to every fan of British mystery books or shows.


My Rating: 5 stars


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Author Biography:


A month-long trip to England during her college years introduced Jo to the joys of Things British. Since then, she has been lured back nearly a dozen times and lived there during her professional folksinging stint.


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 for research. These explorations and conferences with police friends provide the details filling both her Peak District mysteries and the McLaren mystery series.


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


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


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Reviewed by: Mr. N

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