Still recovering from the vandalism of her home, Atlanta housewife Katharine Murray welcomes a much-needed break from restoring her house. When a friend asks Katharine to accompany her to Bayard Island off the coast of Georgia, she agrees to go along to see if Dr. Flo Gadney's ancestors are buried there. The island's owner intends to develop the island with mansions and needs permission to disinter the bodies.

From the beginning, Dr. Flo and Katharine get a very chilly reception. When the Bayards realize Dr. Flo is black, they insist her relatives could not be buried in their family cemetery. But family secrets have a way of being unearthed when least convenient. Dr. Flo becomes convinced at least one of the graves contains her grandfather's remains and wants to know more about the others buried next to him.

The residents of Bayard Island aren't all pro-development, but they are all unique characters. A shotgun-wielding holdout and a family that owns a small seafood business on the island are additional impediments to the planned construction. When one of these "obstacles" is found dead, Katharine and Dr. Flo wonder if more is to the story than a suicide or an accidental death. The threats that they continue to receive give credence to their theory.

Genealogists will love this story of searching for answers from the past. SINS OF THE FATHERS is an enjoyable, richly detailed story. It begins at the slow Southern pace Georgians are noted for, but by the end the story is full steam ahead. Ms. Sprinkle has captured the charm and gritty realities of Southern life, both past and present.