Arrested Flight Review Tour

Blurb:

Ex-police detective Michael McLaren is determined to have a peaceful holiday after the fiasco of his first attempt at Windermere, so he stops at a bed-and-breakfast in Moorton, a village in Cumbria.  But mystery and murder seek him out, and he soon succumbs to the B&B owner’s plea to investigate the year-old death of her daughter’s fiancé, a young musician.

The Lake District parish seems peaceful, but a rival  musician’s jealousy and a business partner’s anger boil beneath the façade.  Mix that with ‘Barmy Barry’s’ sightings of fairy lights  at the castle, references to Uther Pendragon's return and the secrets in the woods, and McLaren finds his sanity shaky.

When the vicar is attacked and Barry disappears, McLaren sets a trap for the killer.  But as it plays out, his concern shifts from the potential capture to praying he and his friend can escape with their lives.

Excerpt:

Barry looked up, apparently aware of McLaren for the first time, and called, “If Vicar takes you into the church, stay away from the soul in the coffin.”

McLaren turned around, clearly surprised. “Pardon?”

“The soul,” Barry reiterated while chewing, “It lives by the coffin near the north aisle. It’s a big coffin.” He turned to face Church Lane, holding out his arms and gazing at the sky. Wriggling his left arm, he said, “It’s on the north aisle.”

“Have you seen the soul, Barry?”

“Lots of times. Morning, noon and night. He comes out more at night. He doesn’t like to be seen. He told me.”

“He must get cramped, lying in that tomb.”

“He comes out when the fairies fly around with their lights, so he can see. Church is awful dark at night. He don’t frighten me, but there’s others do.”

My Review:
4 stars

I did not know going in that this was book 8 in the series, but I was still able to follow everything. There were a few times where I noticed details or character traits that probably would have made more sense to me had I read the other books in the series, but it wasn't a big problem.

I enjoyed the plot and the writing style. The story was well written, and I was drawn into the mystery, enjoying the level of details as they made the story that much more real to me. 

My favorite part of the book was McLaren himself. While he was talented and smart he was also flawed. In other words, he was human. And I was a big fan of the fact that the author didn't go the "I'm brilliant and a jerk" route with McLaren. I was a little confused by some of his actions, but I think that might be because I haven't read the other books in the series and gotten to know McLaren.

The only part that annoyed me where the viewpoint changes as I wasn't expecting them. Normally I don't mind them, but I found them a bit distracting and disorienting at times (which might have been the point). Also, there were some "huh?" moments when reading that distracted me a bit, but overall, this was a fun mystery, and I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in the series!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

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Author Bio and Links:

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.  This intimate knowledge of Britain forms the backbone of both the Taylor & Graham mysteries and the McLaren mystery series.

 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 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.

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

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