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Aaron Paul Lazar
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Spirit Me Away: A Gus LeGarde Mystery (LeGarde Mysteries Book 8) Kindle Edition

by Aaron Paul Lazar (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 75 ratings
See all formats and editions
Boston, Massachusetts: It’s the summer of ’69—the parks are flooded with flower children and a hot new band called Led Zeppelin is set to appear at the Boston Tea Party. But for one newlywed couple just beginning their lives together, there will be no peace.

In the cradle of sex, drugs, and rock ’n roll, Gus and Elsbeth LeGarde are music students attending the New England Conservatory of Music, after a wedding kept secret from their families. When they discover a bruised and sobbing teenage girl on the Boston Commons who can’t remember who she is, or how she got there, the couple decides to “adopt” her to help find her identity.

But Gus and Elsbeth aren’t prepared to be plunged into a violent world of rape, abuse, and a ring of white slave traders who’ll stop at nothing to take back their property—or to acquire new flesh in the form of Gus’s beautiful young bride.

At times nostalgic, heart-stopping, and breathlessly dramatic, Spirit Me Away is a thrilling romantic mystery set against the colorful backdrop of the sixties—with an unforgettable conclusion at the greatest rock festival of all time.

***

Note: all books in this series can be read as "standalones" in any order. You do not have to read books #1, 2, 3, in order, etc. to enjoy the characters and mysteries.

***

LEGARDE MYSTERIES – in order of chronology (Gus LeGarde's age) for those who have asked!

TREMOLO: CRY OF THE LOON
DON’T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU
SPIRIT ME AWAY
DOUBLE FORTÉ
UPSTAGED
MAZURKA
FIRESONG
THE LIAR’S GALLERY
UNDER THE ICE
LADY BLUES

Read excerpts for free at http://www.lazarbooks.com and also discover more series written by Aaron Paul Lazar.
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  1. Book 8 of 13
    LeGarde Mysteries
  2. Print length
    282 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    May 8, 2014
  6. Grade level
    12 and up
  7. File size
    3521 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. An award-winning, bestselling Kindle author of three addictive mystery series, writing books, and a new love story, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at http: //www.lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming SPIRIT ME AWAY (2014), DEVIL'S LAKE(2014), and THE LIARS' GALLERY (2014)

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00K7RA8QW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aaron Paul Lazar; 3rd edition (May 8, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 8, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3521 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 282 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 75 ratings

About the author

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Aaron Paul Lazar

Aaron Paul Lazar

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USA Today bestselling author Aaron Paul Lazar is obsessed with writing. He's completed thirty-one books to date, and has earned twenty literary book awards. He writes mysteries, suspense, love stories, and more. You'll usually find him writing his heart out in the early hours of the day - preferably in the dark, quiet hours when no one else is awake in his bustling household.

READ MORE:

Aaron Paul Lazar wasn't always a mystery writer. It wasn't until eight members of his family and friends died within five years that the urge to write became overwhelming. "When my father died, I lost it. I needed an outlet, and writing provided the kind of solace I couldn't find elsewhere."

Lazar created the Gus LeGarde mystery series, with the founding novel, DOUBLE FORTÉ, a romantic winter mystery set in the Genesee Valley of upstate New York. Like Lazar's father, protagonist Gus LeGarde is a classical music professor. Gus, a grandfather, gardener, chef, and nature lover, plays Chopin etudes to feed his soul and thinks of himself as a "Renaissance man caught in the 21st century." There are thirteen books to date in this series.

The creation of the series lent Lazar the comfort he sought, yet in the process, a new passion was unleashed. Obsessed with his parallel universe, he now lives, breathes, and dreams about his characters, and has written twelve LeGarde mysteries in addition to four other series.

One day while rototilling his garden, Lazar unearthed a green cat's eye marble, which prompted the paranormal mystery series featuring Sam Moore, retired country doctor and passionate gardener. The green marble, a powerful talisman, connects all three of the books in the series, whisking Sam back in time to uncover his brother's mysterious fate fifty years earlier. (THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BILLY MOORE, TERROR COMES KNOCKING, and FOR KEEPS)

Lazar's books feature breathless chase scenes, nasty villains, and taut suspense, but are also intensely human stories, replete with kids, dogs, horses, food, romance, and humor. The author calls them, "country mysteries," although reviewers have dubbed them "literary mysteries."

"It seems as though every image ever impressed upon my brain finds its way into my work. Whether it's the light dancing through stained-glass windows in a Parisian chapel, curly slate-green lichen covering a boulder at the edge of a pond in Maine, or hoarfrost dangling from a cherry tree branch in mid-winter, these images burrow into my memory cells. In time they bubble back, persistently itching, until they are poured out on the page."

In 2009, Kodak laid him off after 28 years of service, and during the year he had off (before he landed in his job with KB America) he had time to explore and reconnect with his environment. Little did he know that several trips to the Adirondack Mountains would reawaken his passion for that part of the country. A new romantic mystery series was started entitled Tall Pines Mysteries: FOR THE BIRDS, ESSENTIALLY YOURS, SANCTUARY, and BETRAYAL.

In between all the novels, Lazar published three short writing guides based on his many years of writing advice blogs, entitled WRITE LIKE THE WIND, volumes 1-3. These are available in eBook and audio book formats.

In his twenty-first book, Lazar has jumped genre. THE SEACREST: a love story, now winner of many literary awards, is poised to capture hearts across the globe. Book 1 in the Paines Creek Beach novels (set on Cape Cod), THE SEACREST also launched a series, and is followed by THE SEACROFT and THE SEADOG.

When the news was filled with stories about the girls captured for ten years by that monster in Cleveland (you know who he was...), Lazar was compelled to write a book to honor the women involved. Thus was born the Bittersweet Hollow romantic suspense series, featuring award-winning DEVIL'S LAKE, DEVIL'S CREEK, and DEVIL'S SPRING. A new spinoff is now available, entitled THE ASYLUM.

The author's wife recently passed away and he's been working hard to heal after losing his lifetime soulmate. He lives on a ridge overlooking the Genesee Valley in upstate New York with his daughter Allison, two grandsons, dogs, and one cat. With a total of three daughters (Jennifer, Melanie, and Allison) and eight grandkids, he finds grandfathering to be one of the most precious and important times of life, and spends as much time as possible with Julian, Gordon, Isabella, Christopher, Luke, Joey, Emersyn, and Logan.

Summary of series:

LEGARDE MYSTERIES (country mysteries set in the Finger Lakes)

GREEN MARBLE MYSTERIES (mysteries with time travel and a ghost)

TALL PINES MYSTERIES (sensual women’s mysteries set in the Adirondacks)

PAINES CREEK BEACH SERIES (love stories by the sea)

BITTERSWEET HOLLOW SERIES (romantic suspense involving kidnapping)

LEGARDE MYSTERIES

1. DOUBLE FORTÉ

2. UPSTAGED

3. MAZURKA

4. FIRESONG

5. TREMOLO: CRY OF THE LOON

6. DON’T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU

7. THE LIAR’S GALLERY

8. SPIRIT ME AWAY

9. UNDER THE ICE

10. LADY BLUES

11. VOODOO SUMMER

12. MURDER ON THE BREWSTER FLATS

13. THE RETURN

THE LEGARDE MYSTERIES OMNIBUS

GREEN MARBLE MYSTERIES

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BILLY MOORE (formerly Healey’s Cave)

TERROR COMES KNOCKING

FOR KEEPS

TALL PINES MYSTERIES

FOR THE BIRDS

ESSENTIALLY YOURS

SANCTUARY

BETRAYAL

TALL PINES BOOK SET

PAINES CREEK BEACH, love stories

THE SEACREST

THE SEACROFT

THE SEADOG

PAINES CREEK BEACH BOXED SET

BITTERSWEET HOLLOW, romantic suspense

DEVIL’S LAKE

DEVIL’S CREEK

DEVIL’S SPRING

THE ASYLUM

DEVIL'S LAKE BOXED SET (books 1-3)

WRITING GUIDES

WRITE LIKE THE WIND, volume 1

WRITE LIKE THE WIND, volume 2

WRITE LIKE THE WIND, volume 3

AWARDS:

Devil’s Lake

• 2015 Finalist Readers’ Favorites Awards

• 2015 Semi-finalist in Kindle Book Review Awards

The Seacrest

• 2015 Semi-finalist in Kindle Book Review Awards

• 2014 Best Beach Book Festival WINNER, Romance category

• 2013 ForeWord Book Awards, Romance, FINALIST

The Seadog

• 2016 Best Indie Book Awards, Romance, WINNER

Double Forté

• 2012 ForeWord BOTYA, Mystery, FINALIST

Tremolo: cry of the loon –

• 2013 Eric Hoffer Book Awards: Grand Prize Short List

• 2013 Eric Hoffer Book Awards: Honorable Mention, Eric Hoffer Legacy Fiction

• 2011 Global eBook Award Finalist in Historical Fiction Contemporary

• 2011 Preditors & Editors Readers Choice Award – 2nd place Mystery

• 2008 Yolanda Renée's Top Ten Books

• 2008 MYSHELF Top Ten Reads

For the Birds

• 2011 ForeWord Book Awards, FINALIST in Mystery

• 2012 Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Top 10 Reads

Essentially Yours

• 2013 EPIC Book Awards, FINALIST in Suspense

• 2013 Eric Hoffer Da Vinci Eye Award Finalist

The Disappearance of Billy Moore (formerly titled Healey’s Cave)

• 2012 EPIC Book Awards WINNER Best Paranormal

• 2011 Eric Hoffer Book Award, WINNER Best Book in Commercial Fiction

• 2011 Finalist for Allbooks Review Editor's Choice

• 2011 Winner of Carolyn Howard Johnson's 9th Annual Noble (not Nobel!) Prize for Literature

• 2011 Finalists for Global EBook Awards

Terror Comes Knocking

• 2013 Global Ebook Awards, Paranormal – Bronze

For Keeps

• 2013 Semi Finalist in Kindle Book Review Book Awards, Mystery Category

Spirit Me Away

• 2014 AuthorsdB book cover contest, Silver medal.

Under the Ice

• 2015 AuthorsdB “Bronze” Cover Award

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
75 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Barb Caffrey
5.0 out of 5 stars SPIRIT ME AWAY is excellent romantic suspense, 1969-style
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
I recently read SPIRIT ME AWAY, which unlike most of the mysteries in Aaron Paul Lazar's Gus LeGarde series is not a cozy mystery. Instead, it's a story of romantic suspense set in the summer of1969. Gus LeGarde and his newlywed wife, Elsbeth, are music students in Boston. They are friendly, sociable people who enjoy life and each other, love to solve mysteries and have a soft spot for people in trouble.

This is a good thing, as they run across a mysterious, ethereally beautiful woman named Valerie. Valerie doesn't remember her past or her last name, and doesn't have any ID on her; she seems to be running from someone, and needs a safe place to stay, soonest.

So Gus and Elsbeth take Valerie into their lives, and try to solve the mystery of just who Valerie is. But every time they think they've solved the mystery, another complication arises . . . (I'll stop there with the plot summary.)

I enjoyed SPIRIT ME AWAY immensely. The romance between Gus and Elsbeth is appropriately earthy, Valerie's complete befuddlement was both touching and baffling in turns, and I enjoyed every moment of this novel.

Two caveats, however: As Lazar says, he took a few liberties with his own, internal timeline for Gus and Elsbeth. So if you've read any of the previous mysteries featuring Gus, you may be astonished that Gus is old enough in 1969 to be doing any of these things, much less be married . . . but I felt that a minor quibble.

The possibly bigger caveat is that Gus is remarkably self-possessed for such a young man. (He's nineteen, at most.) And solving Valerie's mystery is going to take both Gus and his new wife into some very shady places, requiring Gus to be far more mature than his chronological years. Again, this did not bother me, but as a reviewer, I can see where someone who's read the previous books might be discommoded.

But my rating remains: Five stars, highly recommended for readers of romantic suspense.

Barb Caffrey
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Cheri L.
4.0 out of 5 stars A fresh take on the sixties, with a darker twist.
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2014
Verified Purchase
Spirit Me Away by Aaron Paul Lazar took me back to a time I lived through, but don’t remember. I was six years old in the summer of ’69 and though I have since seen numerous depictions on television and in the media, I can’t honestly say any of it rings a particular bell. Lazar manages to take what has always been a mist-shrouded time period for me, and refine it into a peculiar clarity which I can view through the eyes of the eminently likeable Gus LeGarde. He manages to avoid one of the major tropes of the mystery genre by developing a hero/heroine duo who remind me more of Ward and June Cleaver than Nick and Nora Charles, but who still manage to combine some of the most charming elements of both.

To begin with, Gus is not a detective. He’s a struggling music student who readily and proudly admits that his wife if far more talented than he is. He is disarmingly naïve without being irritatingly stupid. Especially in mysteries, I like my protagonists to be intelligent since it’s annoying to spend the entire book wanting to smack them upside the head and shout, “get a clue, won’t you?” But Gus isn’t stupid; he is simply, enchantingly, young. He makes mistakes (don’t we all?) but he learns from them. He doesn’t pretend to be Superman, but he is brave enough to step out anyway and do what needs to be done, all the while dealing with the angst and self-doubt we can all identify with.

The plot moves quickly and follows a logical, if occasionally surprising, sequence. The book in general is tightly written and well-paced without a lot of overwriting and no plot holes that I saw. There is an authenticity to the setting and mood that I found engaging and the combination of subject and setting was an interesting departure from the norm, especially since human trafficking has been so much on the public radar recently. Setting the story in the sixties and telling it from such a personal angle kept the writing fresh and topical. First person narratives do tend to be problematic, in my view, because of the tendency of the narrative toward overt introspection, but Lazar handles even this fairly well.

I did have one problem with the text. Elsbeth. She is really cute and very sweet. I know people just like her. But her utter helplessness bothered me. Though she is presented as a smart, talented young woman with a gentle and motherly heart, she seemed flat to me. I recognize that Gus is the protagonist, but I’d like to have seen a little more fire and depth from his lovely side-kick, especially considering some of the events in this book. Nope, no spoilers. You’ll have to read the book.

And you should. Despite the issue of Elsbeth, Spirit Me Away is a good summer read and one I think you’ll enjoy.
12 people found this helpful
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dr peg
3.0 out of 5 stars Tripping back in time!
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
Lazar is a friend of ours and I try to read all of his books. So I am familiar with his settings in upstate NY and some of his characters. They are rather light reading for an old educated woman and one that was too old for the "hippie" generation. However, as with all of Aaron's novels it was a good escape read.
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Marsha Jeanne Thalleen
5.0 out of 5 stars A complete portrayal of the sixties
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2014
Verified Purchase
Spirit Me Away by Aaron Paul Lazar is another amazing look back into the Gus Legarde Mystery series. In this episode, i was transported back in time to the wild and free loving days of the sixties. The story line and character portrayal was so smooth, that I actually felt like I was there. Lazar has a unique ability to capture even the smallest details, creating a complete journey. I especially enjoyed this glimpse into the love story that is Gus and Elsbeth. It actually helps to understand some of the events of the previous episodes in this series. I joined the characters experience the joys and sorrows, as well as the mystery, suspense and ultimate triumph that brought these friends so much closer together. As always, a definite MUST read for every romance and mystery fan. These characters are real people with real fears, imperfections, and strengths. Lazar is indeed a master of the written word.
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Top reviews from other countries

Barbara H
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
It was OK but not great
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Adja.
5.0 out of 5 stars Looking back is great.
Reviewed in Canada on July 23, 2014
Verified Purchase
Loved it, was age 22 in 69 and living in England, wasn't into the free love and drug scene but i could imagine what it was like, loved all the characters in this book and it is nice to read about the young Gus Legarde, can't wait to read more books about him and his family and friends.
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