Texas genealogist Lucy Lancaster is back, working to uncover the truth behind a Civil War-era painting and its elusive artist in this delightful third mystery in the Ancestry Detective series. Lucy is just about to tuck into a basket of tacos at her favorite Austin eatery, Big Flaco's Tacos, when she gets an unexpected visit from her not-so-favorite former coworker. Camilla Braithwaite is brandishing a magazine feature on her ancestor Charles, a Civil War corporal who went on to gain fame speaking about his war experiences. The article alleges Charles was a liar and a phony-not to mention a deserter-and Camilla wants Lucy's help clearing his name. Lucy is also tasked with finding an art restorer to look at part of the triptych-or three-panel painting-Camilla's ancestor painted featuring a battle scene. Far from a showpiece, and with one panel's whereabouts unknown, the triptych has nevertheless been passed down through the Braithwaite family for generations. But might a recent discovery give the panels more than sentimental value? When a member of the Braithwaite family is murdered and another panel of the triptych is stolen, the suspects begin piling up-and Camilla is at the top of the list. At least Lucy's new relationship with Special Agent Ben Turner is going well, because everything else is in a downright muddle as Lucy and Ben road-trip to Houston and back again in hopes of uncovering the triptych's secrets, untangling a web of Civil War service records, and unmasking a killer before it's too late.
The captivating second entry in the Ancestry Detective series, in which Texas genealogist Lucy Lancaster grapples with a mystery rooted in World War II and espionage. It's the week before New Year's Eve and genealogist Lucy Lancaster is ready to mix work and play at the beautiful Hotel Sutton, enjoying herself while finalizing the presentation for her latest client, hotel heiress Pippa Sutton. Freshly arrived at the hotel-and determined not to think about Special Agent Ben Turner, who went radio silent on her after one date-Lucy is stopped in her tracks when a strange man comes staggering toward her. She barely has time to notice his weak, sweaty appearance before he presses a classic Montblanc pen onto her hand, gasps, "Keep them safe," and collapses at her feet, dead. When Lucy shows the fountain pen to her grandfather, an avid collector and World War II veteran, she's in for another shock. Not only does Grandpa recognize the Montblanc, he also reveals a secret: he was an Allied spy during the war and the pen is both a message regarding one of his wartime missions and the key to reading a microdot left by the dead man. On the microdot is a series of ciphers, some decrypted to form names. Could they be the descendants of Grandpa's fellow spies? When two from the list end up murdered-including the chef at the Hotel Sutton-and Grandpa's life is put in jeopardy, Lucy's sure she's right. And with Lucy's and Pippa's names possibly on the list, too, she's got to uncover the past to protect those in the present. With a secret Allied mission, old grievances, and traitors hiding behind every corner, Lucy must use her research skills to trace the list's World War II ancestors and connect the dots to find a killer in their midst-a killer who's determined to make sure some lineages end once and for all.
S.C. Perkins' Murder Once Removed is the captivating first mystery in the Ancestry Detective series, in which Texas genealogist Lucy Lancaster uses her skills to solve murders in both the past and present. Except for a good taco, genealogist Lucy Lancaster loves nothing more than tracking down her clients' long-dead ancestors, and her job has never been so exciting as when she discovers a daguerreotype photograph and a journal proving Austin, Texas, billionaire Gus Halloran's great-great-grandfather was murdered back in 1849. What's more, Lucy is able to tell Gus who was responsible for his ancestor's death. Partly, at least. Using clues from the journal, Lucy narrows the suspects down to two nineteenth-century Texans, one of whom is the ancestor of present-day U.S. senator Daniel Applewhite. But when Gus publicly outs the senator as the descendant of a murderer-with the accidental help of Lucy herself-and her former co-worker is murdered protecting the daguerreotype, Lucy will find that shaking the branches of some family trees proves them to be more twisted and dangerous than she ever thought possible.
