It is 1964, Leonard McFadden - a brash young cockney reporter for a national newspaper is dispatched by his editor to the Scottish Borders, to follow up on the strange case of Doctor James Parker. Along with a party of other journalists he attends a midnight vigil in a rain-sodden churchyard by the River Tweed.
Returning to the graveside in the early morning sunlight, he staggers and leans on a tombstone for support and there stumbles onto a mystery that will change his life forever. Unbeknown to him – the storm clouds of fate are gathering; dark forces, already contriving to play havoc with his future.
An enigmatic churchman asks his name and upon hearing it, remarks how Scotsmen from all over the world, often return to their place of birth, just as salmon return home, to spawn and die. Leonard humorously replies that he is not yet ready to spawn and die, but these and many more questions go tumbling through his brain as he ponders on life’s mysteries. Is he really who he thinks he is? Growing up in wartime Britain and with a surname like McFadden, is it possible he could have Scottish ancestry?
Feeling a chill coming on, and inwardly reflecting that the Scottish Borders, for all its seductive beauty, may well be the death of him, the reporter is unaware that the cold hand of death may be lurking nearby…
Author Harry Riley says “This is a gripping mystery tale, following on from my novel ‘Sins of the Father,’ and once again set in the Scottish Borders and the glorious Tweed Valley.
This fast-paced novel reflects my passion for the murder-mysteries of John Buchan and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Through the main character - Leonard McFadden, I pick up on the strange quirks of fate that can turn our lives upside down in an instant and plunge us headlong into danger.”

For more information or to arrange an interview with the author of this book, please contact Olu Akinpelu on 07790432029 or email: Press@pneumasprings.com

The Laird of Castle Ballantine can be obtained from Pneuma Springs Publishing at the following address:
http://www.pneumasprings.co.uk/Thelairdofcastleballantine...