Fatal Family Ties
An Ancestry Detective Mystery
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
S.C. Perkins's Fatal Family Ties is the captivating third 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Perkins's engrossing third Ancestry Detective mystery (after 2020's Lineage Most Lethal), Camilla Braithwaite hires Austin, Tex., genealogist Lucy Lancaster to research the military record of her Confederate soldier ancestor, Charles Braithwaite, and, she hopes, clear his name. A recent article in a history magazine claims Charles deserted his Texas regiment after the Second Battle of Bull Run and spent the rest of the Civil War hiding in a small Louisiana town. Soon after Lucy starts her research, an elderly relative of Camilla's is murdered, and someone tries to steal a hideously ugly but prized-by-the-family heirloom painting. Could the timing of the article have any connection to the murder and attempted theft? Lucy's careful investigation into Charles and his descendants uncovers forgotten family secrets and unlikely connections among branches of the family, the painting, and the murder. Perkins offers the perfect mix of mystery, family drama, art history, and romance to keep cozy readers eagerly turning pages. Anyone who has ever looked into their own family history will be fascinated by the intriguing details of Lucy's genealogical research.
