Survived By

An obituary too early. A murder right on time. A witty genealogy cozy mystery where the death notice is only the beginning.

Ambrose Teller arrives at Kinfinder Research carrying a newspaper, a cane, and a perfectly reasonable complaint: according to the death notices, he is dead. The crusty antiques dealer would like former obituary writer Greta Hollenbeck to correct the record. He would also like her to explain the daughter listed among his survivors.

No one in Kettle Kill has heard of Jessamyn. Ambrose insists there is no daughter to find. But Greta knows an obituary can reveal as much about the person who supplied it as the life it claims to summarize. Newspaper files and birth records draw her toward a family story that someone has kept out of print.

Then Ambrose dies for real. The premature notice is no longer merely an embarrassment, and Greta's two questions—who placed it, and whether the daughter exists—have acquired a deadly third: who wanted the man himself gone? Among antiques, old loyalties, and expectations of inheritance, the most revealing detail may be something a suspect should never have known.

Survived By is Book 4 of The Kinfinder Genealogy Mysteries, a complete Hudson Valley whodunit with sharp observation, small-town humor, and a second-chance romance taking a tentative step forward.

For readers who love:

•   Premature obituaries and unusual murder premises

•   Antiques shops, inheritance tensions, and buried family history

•   A smart woman sleuth who notices the telling detail

•   Dry humor and a gentle second-chance romance

•   Clean cozy mysteries with a satisfying puzzle