ML Condike

Won from Early Reviewers.
My favorite things all wrapped up in a book, history, mystery, genealogy. This was a very good read. I had a hard time putting this one down.
If I had any complaints, it would be that the book was a little bloated, could have used some editing lengthwise and also that it could have used a family tree chart to help in keeping the players straight, especially the historical characters, they kind of ran together, But all told I would read more if this becomes a series. Enjoyed.… (mehr)

I was given this to book to review and enjoyed the pacy read. The book follows a forensic genealogist search to identify 180 year old skeleton. Gaining of an antique desk, as part payment, and the possibility of solving the mystery of the person's death adds to the alure of taking on the contract. RaeJean the center of the story, hits misdirection and blackmail similar
to the previous investigator who dropped the search, which hardens her resolve to complete the contract.
As the story is dealing with various families and their histories, there are a lot of names to put together, but this soon settles down and becomes easier to follow. I haven't read a story with this theme before and enjoyed it.… (mehr)

The story follows the painful details of someone doing genealogical research. Our MC drives to community libraries to sift through old papers, and to wander through cemeteries. All the lengthy family descriptions are shared with the reader who is bombarded with names from last century. There were hints to a paranormal element, which I do not care for. There is also frequent mention of our MC’s grief over her recent loss. I gave up at one third when she decided to follow a hunch that her new desk was connected with the genealogical mystery that she was working on; there was no logic to it.
I won a free copy of this book (thanks to the author & publisher!) and am voluntarily providing an honest review.… (mehr)

This book is a mystery within a mystery, both stories running concurrently through the novel. The first story is a search by RaeJean Hunter, a forensic genealogist, to determine if a 180-year-old corpse is that of Mary Rogers, whose death in 1841 in New York City was the basis for Edgar Allen Poe’s story “The Mystery of Marie Roget”. The second story lies within the first and is RaeJean’s efforts to determine the cause of death, or solve the murder, of Mary Rogers. What follows is a convoluted tale of family secrets, blackmail, kidnapping, and other crimes reaching from the 19th to the 21st century. This book snagged from the beginning and never let me go! I look forward to the author’s next Genealogy Mystery.… (mehr)