Finding Fionn – A Mystery Inspired by the Kidnapping of the Irish Racehorse Shergar by M. J. Evans Book Tour, Guest Post & Giveaway! {Ends 11/13/23}

Oct 18, 2023

 A fast-paced story that will have mystery fans and horse lovers thoroughly captivated. – Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Reader’s Favorite.

Book Details:

Finding Fionn – A Mystery Inspired by the Kidnapping of the Irish Racehorse Shergar by M. J. Evans
Category: Young Adult Fiction (Ages 13-17)
Genre: Mystery/Crime
Publisher: Dancing Horse Press, 310 pages
Release date: October 17 2023
Format available for review: Print softback (USA), ebook (PDF)
Tour dates: October 17 to November 6, 2021
Content Rating: Rated G – Completely clean

Book Description:

The excitement felt in the Winner’s Circle vanishes when the jockey’s beloved horse disappears from his stall in the dark of night. Patrick McCallin is a young Irish lad growing up in the 1980’s when all of Ireland is groaning under the weight of The Troubles. Born to ride, he pays little mind to the political unrest going on around him. He dreams only of becoming a jockey. Patrick’s dream comes true when he is selected to ride an up-and-coming Thoroughbred, named Fionn MacCool, in the biggest races in England and Ireland. Race after race ends with Fionn and Patrick in the Winner’s Circle. The pair captures the heart of all Ireland. But the dream becomes a nightmare when Patrick’s beloved horse is kidnapped and held for ransom. When the horse’s owner refuses to pay and the Irish Garda closes the case, Patrick and his best friends, Ronan and Maddie, have no choice but to find Fionn themselves.

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Review By LAWonder10:

I am thrilled to once again read another of this talented author’s books! She did not disappoint me.

‘Finding Fionn’ is a story created from an actual occurrence. It is about a young man’s dream of becoming a jokey, a famous horse, and it’s disappearance. The author just filled in the blanks in what she hoped would happen.

The characters were very real and believable. The action and drama were continual, The mystery of “who’s the culprit?” is ongoing and will possibly surprise the reader in the end. 

The Title was well chosen. The “jury is out’ on the Cover Image. It is somewhat eye-catching. It has a lot of color but the images are somewhat distorted in a slightly abstract way. However, it does depict the main point of the story, it just isn’t the type of art I find appealing.

I love the fact this writer not only captivates the reader’s/listener’s attention but keeps the language clean.

I offer a Five Stars rating.

This book was gifted me with no pressure to post a positive review. This is my honest review.

 

Guest Post:

In your book, you make several references to “The Troubles” in Ireland. What can you tell us about that part of Irish History?

“Finding Fionn” is a horse story set in the early 1980’s. The inspiration for this Young Adult mystery was a true crime that took place on February 8th, 1983. It was a typical Irish night, foggy and cold, with a light drizzle falling from the low-hanging clouds. A Granda pulled a heavy, two-horse trailer up the driveway of the Ballymany stud, located thirty miles west of Dublin, and kidnapped the most famous and beloved horse in Irland, the thoroughbred named Shergar.
Sadly, the ransom was never paid, the horse was never seen again, and the crime has, to this day, never been solved.
At the time Shergar was kidnapped, I was a young mother living in Oregon with my husband and three children. The news of the crime piqued my interest, being a horse-lover. At that time, most people speculated that it was the work of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). They had been known to kidnap Irish businessmen and hold them for ransom to finance the war they were waging.
Before I did my extensive research for “Finding Fionn,” I always thought The Troubles in Ireland were a religious war of Protestants versus Catholics. I have since learned that religion had almost nothing to do with it.
The Troubles, also known as the Northern Ireland Conflict, lasted for about thirty years from the late 1960’s to 1998. The violence erupted between the Unionists, who were predominately Protestant, and the Nationalists, who were predominately Catholics. But the issue wasn’t religion. The Unionists were fighting to keep Northern Ireland a part of Great Britain. The Nationalists, which included the IRA, wanted Northern Ireland to become a part of the Republic of Ireland, thus making the entire Island one nation.
Many people speculated that it was the IRA who stole Shergar. But that was only one of the many theories.
The great thing about being an author is that you can rewrite history the way you would like to have it turn out. I combined three of the most popular theories into one and solved the crime with a happy ending.
I hope you will enjoy reading it!

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Meet the Author:

M.J. Evans is the author of more than twenty award-winning books for middle-graders, young adults, adults, and even a few picture books. Most of her titles are about horses or horse fantasy creatures. Ms. Evans is a graduate of Oregon State University and a former teacher of middle school and high school students. She is the mother of five and the grandmother of twelve. She and her husband live in Colorado.
Connect with the author: website ~ instagram ~  facebook ~ 

goodreads ~ pinterest

The Tour Schedule:

Oct 17 Liese’s Blog book spotlight
Oct 17 – Leanne Bookstagram – book review
Oct 18 – 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 18 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
Oct 20 – Library Lady’s Kid Lit – book review / author interview / giveaway
Oct 23 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review / giveaway
Oct 24 –– Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / guest post / giveaway
Oct 25 – Lady Hawkeye – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 26 – Splashes of Joy – book review / giveaway
Oct 31 –– Stephanie Jane – book spotlight
Nov 1 – Kim’s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 2 – fundinmental – book review / giveaway
Nov 6 – Diane’s Book Journal – book spotlight

Giveaway Details:

Enter to win Finding Fionn – A Mystery Inspired by the Kidnapping of the Irish Racehorse Shergar by M. J. Evans, signed by the author (one winner/USA only) (ends Nov 13)

To Enter the Giveaway click on the Rafflecopter link below:

FINDING FIONN Book Tour Giveaway

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Please note that I only recommend authors and books that I  approve of and  I always have my readers’ best interest at heart. 

Any book or audio that is gifted me is done with no pressure to post a positive review.  The review I give is my honest opinion! 

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