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An Old Remedy
Year after year, the villagers near Stanton Moor celebrate May Day with bonfires and the laying of rowan branches to seek protection for home and cattle. But the men who gathered this May evening hadn’t come for blessings. They had come for murder.
The dead body is discovered on a lonely moor, decapitated in the fashion of a sacrificial killing of sheep or chickens.
The members of the Derbyshire Constabulary’s Murder Team are called in to investigate, and soon a series of decapitated animals appears on the moor.
As fear over a second murder grips the villagers, the Team discovers this dead man may have had connections with an organization that smuggles illegal products into Britain. That’s bad enough, but the smuggling turns from a mere criminal case to something that hits closer to home for Brenna.
In the midst of the tangle of smugglers, murder, and village secrets, Brenna struggles to keep focused on the case and nab the one person who may be responsible for the trail of villainy that threatens to engulf everyone⎯cop and villager alike⎯connected with the moorland murders.
The dead body is discovered on a lonely moor, decapitated in the fashion of a sacrificial killing of sheep or chickens.
The members of the Derbyshire Constabulary’s Murder Team are called in to investigate, and soon a series of decapitated animals appears on the moor.
As fear over a second murder grips the villagers, the Team discovers this dead man may have had connections with an organization that smuggles illegal products into Britain. That’s bad enough, but the smuggling turns from a mere criminal case to something that hits closer to home for Brenna.
In the midst of the tangle of smugglers, murder, and village secrets, Brenna struggles to keep focused on the case and nab the one person who may be responsible for the trail of villainy that threatens to engulf everyone⎯cop and villager alike⎯connected with the moorland murders.
- GenresMystery
396 pages, Paperback
Published June 30, 2019
4 people want to read
About the author
Jo A. Hiestand
83 books568 followersJo A. Hiestand is the author of two British mystery series. While this may not seem so unusual, Jo was born in -- and still lives in -- St. Louis, Missouri.
To get around the technical difficulties dictated by living in one country and writing about another -- especially about police procedures and crime detection, of which she has no personal experience -- she travels to Britain every few years for research. It was on one such trip that she met English police Inspector Tony Eyre (now retired) who supplied police information for her first novel, "Death of an Ordinary Guy." Since then, two other English police officers have become close friends of hers and help with police procedure, catching American words that creep into her writing, and reading the novel manuscripts to eliminate police inaccuracies.
This is all well and good, but nothing beats hands-on experience for writing. Since one of her series features a team of police detectives from the Derbyshire CID and her other highlights an ex-cop who investigates cold cases on his own, Jo knew she'd either have to commit a crime to get first-hand police knowledge or enroll in a citizen's police academy course. The latter seemed safer, so she signed up through a St. Louis county's PD. It was there that she met future co-author police officer Paul Hornung. As Paul remembers their first ride-along, they talked more about writing than about police work. During several ride-alongs they established a bond through these two mutual interests; eventually they agreed to collaborate on books. They've done this with Paul supplying information, writing the fights scenes, and finally writing some of the chapters as one of the series characters. Writing together is definitely fun but sometimes a challenge. Neither knows specifically what the other person's chapter will be, as the storyline is never fully detailed to the other. This is so each can read the other's work with a fresh eye, untainted by "what I meant to say."
Jo took a short respite from novel writing to try her hand with a play. Her contest-winning play "Teething Pains" was produced on stage in 2010. She flatly denies that her fear of dentistry was instrumental in selecting the subject.
Her love of writing, board games and music combines in "P.I.R.A.T.E.S.", the mystery-solving game that uses maps, graphics, song lyrics, and other clues to lead the players to the lost treasure. She also enjoys walking through the woods, playing guitar and harpsichord, her animals (pets as well as backyard wildlife), and reading.
Jo realizes she's living many authors' dreams. Who else has three police officers helping her commit murder?
- Amazon.com
To get around the technical difficulties dictated by living in one country and writing about another -- especially about police procedures and crime detection, of which she has no personal experience -- she travels to Britain every few years for research. It was on one such trip that she met English police Inspector Tony Eyre (now retired) who supplied police information for her first novel, "Death of an Ordinary Guy." Since then, two other English police officers have become close friends of hers and help with police procedure, catching American words that creep into her writing, and reading the novel manuscripts to eliminate police inaccuracies.
This is all well and good, but nothing beats hands-on experience for writing. Since one of her series features a team of police detectives from the Derbyshire CID and her other highlights an ex-cop who investigates cold cases on his own, Jo knew she'd either have to commit a crime to get first-hand police knowledge or enroll in a citizen's police academy course. The latter seemed safer, so she signed up through a St. Louis county's PD. It was there that she met future co-author police officer Paul Hornung. As Paul remembers their first ride-along, they talked more about writing than about police work. During several ride-alongs they established a bond through these two mutual interests; eventually they agreed to collaborate on books. They've done this with Paul supplying information, writing the fights scenes, and finally writing some of the chapters as one of the series characters. Writing together is definitely fun but sometimes a challenge. Neither knows specifically what the other person's chapter will be, as the storyline is never fully detailed to the other. This is so each can read the other's work with a fresh eye, untainted by "what I meant to say."
Jo took a short respite from novel writing to try her hand with a play. Her contest-winning play "Teething Pains" was produced on stage in 2010. She flatly denies that her fear of dentistry was instrumental in selecting the subject.
Her love of writing, board games and music combines in "P.I.R.A.T.E.S.", the mystery-solving game that uses maps, graphics, song lyrics, and other clues to lead the players to the lost treasure. She also enjoys walking through the woods, playing guitar and harpsichord, her animals (pets as well as backyard wildlife), and reading.
Jo realizes she's living many authors' dreams. Who else has three police officers helping her commit murder?
- Amazon.com
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 12, 2024
A murder victim’s body parts are strewn across the moor, causing police and villagers to fear for what’s to come. Can Det. Sgt. Brenna Taylor solve this gruesome crime before there are more victims? An Old Remedy is a riveting mystery from start to finish. While the author is one of my favorites, I’ve never read this earlier series. The descriptive narration is immersive and plunges the reader into the investigation. The setting is a village/small town in Britain. The plot twists had me trying to figure out what would happen next. The characters, though, are what make An Old Remedy such an enjoyable read.
Let’s start with the characters, because they are the lifeblood of any mystery. Det. Sgt. Brenna is a fascinating character. She’s the main investigator and she’s got an innate sense when it comes to murder. She doesn’t get squeamish at the sight of blood or even body parts. Instead, she visualizes the crime scene like a puzzle. She’s the perfect detective for this mystery.
The cast of characters is quite large, many of them suspects. The more I read, the more I ferreted out who’s telling the truth and who is lying. Jo A. Hiestand takes her skills for characterization and creates relatable characters the reader can identify and possibly relate to.
The plot is complex with dead ends, false clues, and a detailed investigation. This is where Jo A. Hiestand shines. The writing is classic mystery with a few twists.
If you’re a mystery reader, give this book a try. In fact, this whole series is a worthwhile reading endeavor.
My rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by: Nancy
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...
Let’s start with the characters, because they are the lifeblood of any mystery. Det. Sgt. Brenna is a fascinating character. She’s the main investigator and she’s got an innate sense when it comes to murder. She doesn’t get squeamish at the sight of blood or even body parts. Instead, she visualizes the crime scene like a puzzle. She’s the perfect detective for this mystery.
The cast of characters is quite large, many of them suspects. The more I read, the more I ferreted out who’s telling the truth and who is lying. Jo A. Hiestand takes her skills for characterization and creates relatable characters the reader can identify and possibly relate to.
The plot is complex with dead ends, false clues, and a detailed investigation. This is where Jo A. Hiestand shines. The writing is classic mystery with a few twists.
If you’re a mystery reader, give this book a try. In fact, this whole series is a worthwhile reading endeavor.
My rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by: Nancy
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...
July 3, 2019
In “An Old Remedy”, the 7th book in the Peak District series, it seems to me Jo Hiestand has put a greater emphasis on more of her characters. The constabulary is a little more family-like or warmer. I think this feeling comes from her giving the reader a little more familiarity to the whole constabulary team. You will still be right there with Brenna Taylor and CID Geoffrey Graham trying to solve the latest murder on a Moor out in the small villages of England. I just think she lightened her characters up a little. I may not have said this well but in short, she is so very good at character description, I didn’t think there was anything she could add to change the picture of this series a little and I like it.
Another item I really enjoy is that this series has a slight theme in it. Each of the Peak District series is based on a British custom like May Day or Bon Fire night, Turning the Devil’s Stone, even Watching the Church Porch on St. Mark’s Eve. And as you can imagine, somehow a dead body always shows up.
This is a well-written British mystery which can be read as a stand-alone. I think I’ve made myself inordinately clear that this is an author who must have conquered descriptive writing as a child, it comes so natural to her. It’s why you are often transported to the villages and moors of England when you read her books. But there are additional reasons why all the countryside, villages, and moors become so vivid. In her books she mentions she has first-hand experience having visited many of these moors. It’s also obvious that research is important to her. As you can see from the Acknowledgements, she consults many British constabulary and her sometime co-hort Paul Hornung about British police procedure as well as their thoughts while on the job. Among all of these real ideas and experiences comes an author’s plot of an interesting fictional British mystery.
Jo Hiestand has several other books published; I could find nothing but good reviews.
Another item I really enjoy is that this series has a slight theme in it. Each of the Peak District series is based on a British custom like May Day or Bon Fire night, Turning the Devil’s Stone, even Watching the Church Porch on St. Mark’s Eve. And as you can imagine, somehow a dead body always shows up.
This is a well-written British mystery which can be read as a stand-alone. I think I’ve made myself inordinately clear that this is an author who must have conquered descriptive writing as a child, it comes so natural to her. It’s why you are often transported to the villages and moors of England when you read her books. But there are additional reasons why all the countryside, villages, and moors become so vivid. In her books she mentions she has first-hand experience having visited many of these moors. It’s also obvious that research is important to her. As you can see from the Acknowledgements, she consults many British constabulary and her sometime co-hort Paul Hornung about British police procedure as well as their thoughts while on the job. Among all of these real ideas and experiences comes an author’s plot of an interesting fictional British mystery.
Jo Hiestand has several other books published; I could find nothing but good reviews.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews