One thing Lucy Lancaster didn’t expect sitting down to eat at her favorite taco joint was ex-coworker and frenemy Camilla Braithwaite showing up. More unexpected is the fact that Camilla is there to see Lucy to ask for her help. A journalist has written an unflattering article about one of Camilla’s ancestors and his role, or lack thereof, in the military. This ancestor, Charles, is also being accused of forcing one family into poverty years ago. Lucy has other things on her mind, mainly that her boyfriend and FBI agent, Ben, is back in town and they have a rare week together. But Lucy’s curiosity is peeked. She promises Camilla that she will investigate this article and research Charles’ history and prove one way or the other whether Charles was telling the truth about his military service, or if it was all a coy plot to rake in some extra cash and standing in his community.
What Lucy didn’t expect was Camilla’s grandfather getting murdered in the process over a family heirloom. This heirloom is a triptych painting (a painting composed of three panels) supposedly painted by Charles himself. What is so special about this panel? Where are the other two? But the most important question is who is willing to kill to keep family secrets buried? Lucy is about to find out.
FATAL FAMILY TIES is multigenerational mystery that is equally entertaining and informative. I have to start out by saying how much I love this series. The historical aspect is fascinating, as is the research into various records to map out family trees, which the author does go into some detail about.
The characters in FATAL FAMILY TIES are all entertaining and fascinating. Lucy, herself, is intriguing in her own right as a genealogist, but when you add in Ben the FBI agent, her office mates, plus the owner of Big Flaco’s the renowned taco eatery, and various other characters, it’s a mishmash made in literary heaven. The plot flows easily, with a few subplots thrown in to change things up and keep it interesting.
I would highly recommend this series to cozy mystery fans and also fans of historical fiction. I’m very picky about what type of books I read that have any historical aspects in them, but the books in the Ancestry Detective series have been really enjoyable to read. These books can also be read as standalones, but as always, I highly recommend starting at the first in the series to get the full scope of the characters' development.
S.C. Perkins's Fatal Family Ties is the captivating second mystery in the Ancestry Detective series, in which Texas genealogist Lucy Lancaster deals with murders in both the past and present.
Lucy is just about to tuck into a plate of tacos at her favorite Austin joint, Big Flaco’s, when she gets an unexpected visit from her former--and least-favorite--co-worker. Camilla Braithwaite hasn’t gotten much friendlier since the last time Lucy saw her, but that doesn't stop her from asking a favor. In her hand is a newspaper feature on an ancestor, a civil war corporal--and a liar, according to the article. Charles Braithwaite is depicted as a phony and a deserter, and Camilla wants Lucy’s help clearing his name.
Lucy would prefer to spend her free time with her new beau, special agent Ben Turner, but takes the case, making no promises that Camilla will like the outcome of her investigation. Camilla leads Lucy to the Texas History Museum, where their first clue is a triptych painting, passed down in the Braithwaite family for generations, one panel of which has disappeared. But before Lucy can get much further, a member of the Braithwaite family is murdered in his own bed, and another panel of the painting found missing.
There are no shortage of suspects among the Braithwaite clan—including Camilla herself. This case will take Lucy to Houston and back again as she works to find the truth, and catch an elusive killer.
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