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The Hounds of Hellerby Hall (The Christie McKinnon Adventures) Paperback – July 28, 2015

by Colin Garrow (Author)

4.5 12 ratings

Book 1 of 2: The Christie McKinnon Adventures

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Edinburgh, 1897. Blood on the table, murder in the hall.

Eleven-year-old Christie McKinnon is not happy - the editor of ‘McMurdo’s Weekly’ has once again turned down her story. But this time, Christie determines not to give up - taking a chance, she confronts the wily editor and offers a means of solving his dilemma. Meanwhile, Inspector Robertson investigates when a bowl of blood appears on the dining table of a wealthy landowner. As the mystery deepens, the policeman calls in his favourite mystery writer Hugo Skene to lend a hand, but the enigmatic Mr Skene has secrets of his own...

THE HOUNDS OF HELLERBY HALL is book #1 in this fast-paced adventure series.

If you love historical mysteries, download your copy or buy the paperback version of The Hounds of Hellerby Hall now. Just scroll to the top of the page and select BUY to start your adventure today!

What Amazon readers are saying:

★★★★★ ‘An intricate and very clever plot with suitably creepy villains being out-witted by a group of children is sure to appeal to younger readers.’

★★★★★ ‘Loved this book. I couldn't put it down. A perfect novel for the genre.’

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1st edition (July 28, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1519671415
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1519671417
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.37 x 9 inches

Customer Reviews:
4.5 12 ratings

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About the author

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Colin Garrow

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Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate.

His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Word Bohemia, Every Day Fiction, The Grind, A3 Review, 1,000 Words, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. He currently lives in a humble cottage in North East Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.

He also plays several musical instruments and makes rather nice vegan cakes.

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12 global ratings

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Shaun Green

Great amateur detective novel,

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2016

Verified Purchase

Loved this book. I couldn't put it down. A perfect novel for the genre.
It had me fooled till the very end with these dodgy characters turning up, friend or foe, or a bit of both.
I was guessing they were Nazi's but guessed wrong. Brilliant whodunit. great descriptions, likeable characters.
Happy to recommend it. If you like private detective novels you'll love this one.

One person found this helpful

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Christine

Fun mystery!

Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2016

Verified Purchase

What a great murder mystery set in an excellent location, a fun book to read. Lots of action and drama and Christie is a such a cool, feisty and determined kid with a great entourage. It’s definitely a book I look forward to recommending to my daughter in a few years’ time when she’s a bit older. Looking forward to more of Christie's adventures :)

One person found this helpful

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Alathia Morgan

Christie is too curious for her own good and is captured by the very people she is ...

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2016

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From the bowls of blood found on a table to the pen name of the local newspapers mystery writer, Christie McKinnon is on the case to find out why these things are happening. She tracks down a phony writer which leads to the case at Hellerby Hall. Her father is leery of letting her investigate on her own, but with the help of friends, Christie is too curious for her own good and is captured by the very people she is trying to catch. Will her friends be able to rescue her in time or will they get away with their plan?
This book was a great combination of an Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. It is written imitating in the older styles and this author does a wonderful job of bringing the mystery story to life.

One person found this helpful

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reader2010

Fun read. Quite well done.

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2016

Verified Purchase

I truly enjoyed this book. Quite well done and I loved the dialect bits. But then I am always listening to how people speak as well as to what they say. Fun read.

One person found this helpful

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Jacky D.

It is fun to read how she manages adults and about her ...

Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2016

The Hounds of Hellerby Hall is the first story of Christie McKinnon, a pre-teenaged girl who has a keen eye for detail and a wish to become a published writer. Set just before the start of the 20th century in Edinburgh, this comes with the necessary obstacles. In her determination to be published, Christie gets tangled in an adventure that starts with a bowl of blood and a murder.

The main character, Christie, is very close to my heart. It is fun to read how she manages adults and about her caring touch for her rough, not so bright, friend Donal.

The setting of the story is very well portrayed by Garrow, with matching dialects of the persons involved. It really makes the characters come alive, although it may be tricky if you've never heard the accents. The plot is well planned and you need to keep your wits about to follow. The whole story is very entertaining from beginning to end, with lively characters being added to the murder mystery mayhem along the way.

A good read for teenagers and up. I will certainly be looking out for more adventures of Christie McKinnon.

Helpful

randombadger

Excellent Murder Mystery and Great Fun!!

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2016

I loved this book! A Scottish murder mystery told in the style of Wilkie Collins or Conan Doyle, full of secret rooms and disreputable villains and where nothing is how it appears.
Brilliantly entertaining, fast paced and full of well drawn characters.
Christie McKinnon is a writer, a good one with a talent for sleuthing. She refuses to let the fact that she is a young girl living in Victorian Scotland stop her from achieving her aims.
With her young friend Donal and the help of the famous detective Hugo Skene she sets out to solve the Mystery of Hellerby Hall. What follows is an exciting tale of skullduggery, murder and secrets set in a manor in rural Scotland.
Colin Barrow knows how to write suspense and I look forward to the rest of the Christie McKinnon Adventures

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Maria

The Hounds of Hellerby Hall

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2016

Recommend to any reader who loves a good mystery, historical fiction fans, younger readers and Conan Doyle/Sherlock Holmes fans.
A fast paced mystery with a group of young sleuths written in a Sherlock Holmes type style.
A group of young friends become involved in the mysterious deaths of staff members at Hellerby Hall. I loved the central character, Christie who is a lively and intelligent tomboy determined to unravel the mystery. An intricate and very clever plot with suitably creepy villains being out-witted by a group of children is sure to appeal to younger readers. As an adult I was impressed with the style of writing and great attention to both the historical details and the plot development. I'll definitely be reading more of this author.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Peter Best

I absolutely loved reading this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2016

Verified Purchase

I absolutely loved reading this book. Ok it's more of a children's adventure story or really young adult but still for me it was a very entertaining read indeed. I think the best way to describe it might be to think of Sherlock Holmes and you would be halfway there. The adventure begins when a young girl Christie along with her sidekick Donal and Harriet as well as others try to help out the police by solving some grisly murders on Lord Bloomfield's estate up in Scotland, which turned out to be a great setting for this type of novel.
Even though I did state this book will be great for children make no mistake that the plot is anything from simple. It is not, far from it and very intriguing I must add as you will find as the story unfolds. As for the characters, to be honest they're great and I loved how the author built up their personalities by writing into story their accents. Very cleaver, so all in all a great story.

One person found this helpful

randombadger

Excellent Murder Mystery and Great Fun

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2016

Verified Purchase

I loved this book! A Scottish murder mystery told in the style of Wilkie Collins or Conan Doyle, full of secret rooms and disreputable villains and where nothing is how it appears.
Brilliantly entertaining, fast paced and full of well drawn characters.
Christie McKinnon is a writer, a good one with a talent for sleuthing. She refuses to let the fact that she is a young girl living in Victorian Scotland stop her from achieving her aims.
With her young friend Donal and the help of the famous detective Hugo Skene she sets out to solve the Mystery of Hellerby Hall. What follows is an exciting tale of skullduggery, murder and secrets set in a manor in rural Scotland.
Colin Barrow knows how to write suspense and I look forward to the rest of the Christie McKinnon Adventures

One person found this helpful

Jacky D.

An excellent story!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2016

Verified Purchase

The Hounds of Hellerby Hall is the first story of Christie McKinnon, a pre-teenaged girl who has a keen eye for detail and a wish to become a published writer. Set just before the start of the 20th century in Edinburgh, this comes with the necessary obstacles. In her quest to get published, Christie gets tangled in an adventure that starts with a bowl of blood and murder.
The setting of the story is very well portrayed by Garrow, with matching dialects of the persons involved. It really makes you live the story. The characters are very believable, the plot well planned, and the whole story very entertaining. A good read for teenagers and up. Will be looking out for more adventures of Christie McKinnon.

Maria

The Hounds of Hellerby Hall

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 15, 2016

Verified Purchase

Recommend to any reader who loves a good mystery, historical fiction fans, younger readers and Conan Doyle/Sherlock Holmes fans.
A fast paced mystery with a group of young sleuths written in a Sherlock Holmes type style.
A group of young friends become involved in the mysterious deaths of staff members at Hellerby Hall. I loved the central character, Christie who is a lively and intelligent tomboy determined to unravel the mystery. An intricate and very clever plot with suitably creepy villains being out-witted by a group of children is sure to appeal to younger readers. As an adult I was impressed with the style of writing and great attention to both the historical details and the plot development. I'll definitely be reading more of this author.

2 people found this helpful

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