Welcome to my stop on the excerpt tour for Ancestral Whispers by Jo A. Hiestand and Paul Hornung. This tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an exclusive excerpt for you as well as the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $30 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more exclusive excerpts and reviews. Enjoy!
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Authors: Jo A. Hiestand and Paul Hornung
Publication Date: January 10th 2020
Print Length: 270 pages
Genre: Mystery
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Each year the residents of Nether Haddon celebrate the village’s founding in the time-honored way with games, music, and performances by their sword dancers. But something new is added to the fancy footwork this year: a team member dies ... murdered. Fear, jealousy and suspicion quickly engulf the group, emotions as tightly interlocked as the five swords used in the dance: a series of turns, jumps and clogging steps intricate as Celtic knots. Was the victim the intended target, or should it have been someone else? In the course of the CID investigation, a mysterious 17th century puzzle is discovered. Does it hold a clue to the murder? Detective Brenna Taylor and her colleagues have more than enough to worry about. But unbeknownst to her, career criminal King Roper has escaped from prison where he was serving time for murder. Now free and eager to settle the score for his capture, Roper tracks down Brenna’s whereabouts, ready for revenge...
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EXCERPT:
“Graham’s got enough to contend with without puzzling over my dullness tomorrow.”
“That’d give him something else to puzzle over, then.”
“Besides the death, you mean?”
“Well, yes, but I meant a bit of poetry the lads found in Alastair’s house. On a sheet of paper on his desk. That was before you got here, I think.”
My fingers wrapped around the glass. “What poetry? Does it have a bearing on his death?”
“Too early to know yet but it’s odd. We can’t make head or tail of it.”
“What is it?”
Mark took his notebook from his trousers pocket, flipped through some pages, then handed the book to me. “I wrote it down. Graham’s got the original, of course. What do you think?” He leaned over the table so he could see the page. His head nearly touched mine.
I read the words aloud, hardly above a whisper. “‘E is more worthy than I. ‘E on the Rise though I on the Hill. ‘E with his Ring and I with none. One step for Love? Aye, count it ten more. From depth to height and so to Heaven’s Vault and the Eyes of the Stars. My love ‘E covets like a Plume worn but ceded by six and one.’” I looked at Mark, the notebook limp in my hand. “What’s it mean?”
“You’ve asked The Question, Bren. That’s what we’re all wondering.”
“I suppose it couldn’t be code. Do the capitals spell out anything?”
“The capitals?”
“Some words are capitalized and some aren’t. Though it could be just the style, but it’s not very consistent.”
Mark angled the notebook toward him. “I see what you mean. Love is capitalized when it first appears, but not the next time. Here.” He grabbed an unused beer mat, turned it over and asked me to read off the capitals.
“E, I, E, R, I, H, E, R—“
“Enough!” Mark stopped writing and looked at me. The right corner of his mouth was skewed in a look of annoyance and skepticism. “It sounds like ‘Old MacDonald’s Farm.’ It’s no code. Must be the era it was written. What do you guess? Shakespeare’s time?”
“You suggest that because it’s the only time period you can name off the top of your head.”
“It sounds like something in Romeo and Juliet. Is it, do you think?”
“What? Some sort of quote?”
“Why not?”
“Why would Alastair have it?” I gave the notebook back to Mark.
He turned the beer mat face up and tossed it toward the back of the table. “Well, it’s got to mean something. Why else would he have it on his desk?”
“I suppose one of our lads checked it with a computer.”
“Don’t think so. Probably will do in the morning.”
I stood up and grabbed my shoulder bag. “You want to earn points with Graham?”
Tossing several pound coins onto the table, Mark motioned for me to precede him. “I may need these points.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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 McLaren mystery, BLACK MOON, received the ‘N.N. Light Best Mystery Book’ award for 2019.
Jo lives with her cat, Tennyson, and way too many kilts in the St. Louis-area.
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GIVEAWAY:
Jo A Hiestand will be awarding a $30 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter after the tour. To increase your chance of winning, leave a comment at a different stop on the tour each day. Good luck!
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for hosting this leg of my tour. I appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteWhat books are you looking forward to reading in 2020?
ReplyDelete"The Forger's Spell" and "Code Name: Lise."
DeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rita, and thanks for dropping by!
DeleteThanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteVictoria, you're welcome! Good luck with the raffle.
DeleteSounds like such a good book.
ReplyDeleteSherry, glad you dropped by. Thanks for the comment!
DeleteWhat do you most enjoy about writing this genre?
ReplyDeleteHi, Caryl. I like the puzzle. Laying down the crime and then figuring out the way to solve it.
ReplyDeleteAwesome looking cover
ReplyDeleteDane, thanks a lot. I think so too! Thanks for the comment.
DeleteReally lovely tour, had fun coming by here.
ReplyDeleteCalvin, glad you dropped by! Thanks for your comment.
DeleteThis sounds amazing! Im excited to read it.
ReplyDeletesfzphd, thanks a lot. If you read it, I hope you like it!
DeleteThe book looks and sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi, Deb. Thanks a lot. Good luck with the raffle drawing!
DeleteA question for the author: When you were a child and adolescent, what authors, series and genres of books did you like to read?
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Hi, Nancy. I started reading Nancy Drew, Tom Holt, and classics like The Three Musketeers, Jane Eyre and similar books. I also read Sherlock Holmes quite a lot. When I discovered Ngaio Marsh's Alleyn mysteries I was hooked and knew I had to write British mysteries. Current favorite authors are Charles Todd, Josephine Tey, Ann Cleeves, and Charles Nicholl.
DeleteSounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteDale, thanks for the compliment. Hope you like it if you read it. Good luck with the raffle drawing.
DeleteGuess I'll say good night. My thanks to my tour host and to everyone who logged on and commented. I appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteLove the excerpt! It sounds so creepy!
ReplyDeleteHi, Judy. Glad you like the creepy excerpt. Hope you like the book if you read it.
DeleteI like the cover. The perspective is interesting.
ReplyDeleteJeanna, I agree about the perspective. I think it 'made' the cover. If it were just a straight-on view, it wouldn't be dramatic or give the tower the importance that it has in the story. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteI am enjoying these tours and finding all the terrific books my family is enjoying reading. Thanks for bringing them to us and keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by, James. Glad I can offer a suggestion of something your family might enjoy.
DeleteSounds intriguing!
ReplyDeleteHi, LeonieT. Glad the excerpt or synopsis is interesting. Good luck with the raffle drawing.
DeleteI enjoyed reading the excerpt. I love a good mystery
ReplyDeleteKatie, thanks for your comment. Good luck on the raffle drawing later on!
DeleteI hope your book is a success. It sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bernie. I appreciate your thought!
DeleteI like the cover on this. Are there any review copies available?
ReplyDeleteHi. No ARCs. The book's been out a while. But you can read the 'Look Inside' chapters online via Amazon, if you wish. Thanks.
Deletethanks this sounds like a wonderful book
ReplyDeleteHi, Wendy. Thanks for your comment. Good luck with the raffle drawing!
Deletethank you for doing this, I love the cover.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I like the cover too! ;-) Thanks for leaving your comment -- I appreciate it!
DeleteSounds like an interesting read. Also thank you for this chance to win.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, Carol. Good luck with the raffle drawing and thanks for stopping by.
DeleteGood luck with the release!
ReplyDelete--Trix
Thanks a lot, Trix. Good luck with the raffle drawing.
DeleteCool looking cover
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the excerpt very much! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really good book.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read, I like the cover.
ReplyDeleteBest Nether Haddon celebration ever!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read. I think I would like this!
ReplyDeleteSomewhat eerie cover and the premise sounds like a great mystery read. Best wishes to the author on the new release.
ReplyDeleteHow long does it take to write a book?
ReplyDeleteI love mysteries! The 17th century twist sounds like it will make this mystery exciting to solve.
ReplyDeleteI am intrigued by the cover and title. Must read!
ReplyDeleteSounds intense, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletelooks like a fun one
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteNice cover
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read!
ReplyDeleteLove a good read and this looks right on
ReplyDelete