April 28, 2026
An Amazon #1 Best Seller!

I am very excited to announce that The Case of the Hydegild Sacrifice , the latest Major Gask and Erroll Rait adventure, where they become embroiled in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, has reached #1 on an Amazon Best Seller list.  

First, thank you to everyone who has read the story and let me urge everyone else to have a look.  It seems to have captured the imagination of reviewers and was a Winner of a Book Excellence award:

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I was particularly taken by the Book Magnet review which included:
  • a fantastic historical fiction novel based on real life events
  • impeccably researched and incredibly entertaining
  • brings the period and characters to life
  • compelling, informative and fascinating
  • a very highly recommended read
Other reviewers were equally enthusiastic:
Reedsy.com:  fascinating combination of historical fiction and classic mystery.  Couldn't stop thinking about it.  I couldn't put it down! I adored meeting the characters.
Reader Views: an excellent vehicle for telling this riveting tale. (A) history lesson and whiten(s) those knuckles, too, like a good mystery should!
Crime Fiction Lover: a palpable sense of unease
Shoots Collective: Cairns delivers another first-rate historical thriller
Jera’s Jamboree: the intriguing relationship between the two main characters has left me keen to explore the earlier mysteries in the series.
Cozy Crime Mystery: A rich and rewarding experience 

If you get a chance to read the story, I'm positive that you will learn something new and - just as I was when I had finished the book - will find yourself asking questions with the answers still clouded in mystery although now perhaps not as unclear as they might have been.