S.C. Perkins’ Murder Once Removed is the captivating first mystery in the Ancestry Detective series, in which Texas genealogist Lucy Lancaster uses her skills to solve murders in both the past and present.
Except for a good taco, genealogist Lucy Lancaster loves nothing more than tracking down her clients’ long-dead ancestors, and her job has never been so exciting as when she discovers a daguerreotype photograph and a journal proving Austin, Texas, billionaire Gus Halloran’s great-great-grandfather was murdered back in 1849. What’s more, Lucy is able to tell Gus who was responsible for his ancestor’s death.
Partly, at least. Using clues from the journal, Lucy narrows the suspects down to two nineteenth-century Texans, one of whom is the ancestor of present-day U.S. senator Daniel Applewhite. But when Gus publicly outs the senator as the descendant of a murderer—with the accidental help of Lucy herself—and her former co-worker is murdered protecting the daguerreotype, Lucy will find that shaking the branches of some family trees proves them to be more twisted and dangerous than she ever thought possible.
MY REVIEW
I was bitten by the genealogy bug a long, long time ago. My father took his brother-in-law to one of the world's largest repository of records, that was at the time in the basement of an office tower. They had a life-size (well, about the size as a large poster board), copy of my mother's family 'Stammbaum", the original being in the museum in her home town of Davos.
When I saw Murder Once Removed, come up for review, I jumped at the chance to dive into this book. And let me tell you, the water is f.i.n.e. The dialog is witty, the characters are solid and the genealogy tips are on the money.
I guess I have one little bone to pick with Lucy...that of telling Gus the two folks who might have killed his great-grandfather back in the day. Because Texas billionaires (Gus) and Texas politicians (Daniel) are a breed apart. Maybe Lucy was trying to give Gus some closure, after having revealed the murder of one of his ancestors. But Gus chose to out the Senator publicly as the 'son of a murderer'. Even if Daniel's ancestor turns out to be the one who committed the murder of Gus's ancestor ... who is going to hold someone who hadn't been born yet responsible? Well ... Gus, that's who.
The book was so enjoyable I had to cook supper one night with one hand, because I wanted to keep reading!
Last but not least, I may have to rename one of our cats.
MEET THE AUTHOR
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MY REVIEW
I was bitten by the genealogy bug a long, long time ago. My father took his brother-in-law to one of the world's largest repository of records, that was at the time in the basement of an office tower. They had a life-size (well, about the size as a large poster board), copy of my mother's family 'Stammbaum", the original being in the museum in her home town of Davos.
When I saw Murder Once Removed, come up for review, I jumped at the chance to dive into this book. And let me tell you, the water is f.i.n.e. The dialog is witty, the characters are solid and the genealogy tips are on the money.
I guess I have one little bone to pick with Lucy...that of telling Gus the two folks who might have killed his great-grandfather back in the day. Because Texas billionaires (Gus) and Texas politicians (Daniel) are a breed apart. Maybe Lucy was trying to give Gus some closure, after having revealed the murder of one of his ancestors. But Gus chose to out the Senator publicly as the 'son of a murderer'. Even if Daniel's ancestor turns out to be the one who committed the murder of Gus's ancestor ... who is going to hold someone who hadn't been born yet responsible? Well ... Gus, that's who.
The book was so enjoyable I had to cook supper one night with one hand, because I wanted to keep reading!
Last but not least, I may have to rename one of our cats.
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MEET THE AUTHOR
S.C. Perkins is a fifth-generation Texan who grew up hearing fascinating stories of her ancestry and eating lots of great Tex-Mex, both of which inspired the plot of her debut mystery novel. Murder Once Removed was the winner of the 2017 Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery competition. She resides in Houston and, when she’s not writing or working at her day job, she’s likely outside in the sun, on the beach, or riding horses.
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GIVEAWAY
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Click on the above banner to go to the tour site, where you will find other reviews of Murder Once Removed, as well as guest posts and author interviews!
(Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author and publishers via Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, in exchange for my honest review.)
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