Special early reviews of Rett MacPherson

Family Skeletons from October 2002

In the first installment of the Torie O'Shea Genealogical mystery series by Rett MacPherson, Family Skeletons, we were introduced to a new heroine and a new kind of cozy series. Victory "Tori" O'Shea was the resident genealogist for her historic German hometown of New Kassel, Missouri. She was also a wife and a mother of three kids, too. When Nora Zumwalt asked Torie to help her work on her father's side of her family tree, Torie agreed. When she delivered the results, she found Nora's dead body. It was now up to her to bridge the gap between the past and present, when another person turned up murdered in her hometown, when family skeletons and past secrets became unearthed from the ground. Before she knew it, she was head to head with the killer.

This was a great introduction to the genealogical mystery series. Genealogy had always been a hot topic for everyone to discovery their family history on their  family tree. I loved New Kassel and its sweet German stores and buildings for a perfect small town. Torie's family was a hoot between her two daughters, a, husband, and her parents. I liked Eleanor and Sylvia as well, while I felt bad for Nora. I believed Torie was an underdog and a new heroine to root for throughout the rest of the series. Great page-turning suspense with good dramatic intrigue.

Ready to discover who you are? Give this one a shot today!



A Veiled Antiquity from March 2003

In the second installment of the Torie O'Shea Genealogical Mystery series by Rett MacPherson, Torie returned in A Veiled Antiquity.  As an amateur sleuth and a genealogist, her dad couldn't get much worse. Gossip have been spread about her wheelchair-bound mother was having an affair with the local sheriff. In order to hush the local rumors, newly pregnant Torie ended up discovering the dead body of Marie Dijon in her own basement. Now it was up to Torie to discover the roots of Marie's family tree to piece together the murder, when Oktoberfest came to their sleepy New Kassel town. Torie visited Marie's home, she discovered French documents and hidden treasures to realize Marie was murdered. ..

I continued to love the historical German town of New Kassel and the buildings that surround it. I love Torie's family as it continued to grow with the series. I also love the regular characters as they come in and go through light chapters. I did feel bad for Marie and became worried about Torie in her newfound troubled state. This would keep you reading from start to end throughout the series. Great drama with a genealogical twist.

Ready to plant your family tree? Pick up a copy and enjoy!



A  Comedy of Heirs from March 2002

In the third installment of the Torie O'Shea Genealogical Cozy Mystery series, A Comedy of Heirs, Torie O'Shea returned to find herself in the heart of another mystery. At the December family reunion,  she discovered there was a bad apple in her own family tree. Someone sent her news clipping of a 50-year-old murder of a dead man, which was her own great-grandfather. Everyone believed it was a hunting accident, while Torie discovered it might be murder. With a house full of guests and this bombshell was planted right on her doorstep. As she shook her own family tree for answers, she learned she was pregnant with her third child, before she looked the killer with her own eyes.

This was an intriguing cozy mystery focusing on family tree and family secrets. I loved the German historical town of New Kassel, Missouri, and the small town knit community and the buildings in it. I loved Tori and her now growing family. This quick read would accelerate your heart rate up a notch and leave you breathless in the end. I didn't like how someone who hurt a pregnant woman, either.

Ready to discover your roots? Dig in with a copy today!



A Misty Mourning from August 2004

In the 4th installment of the Torie O'Shea Genealogical Mystery series by Rett MacPherson, A Misty Mourning, Torie ended up in another pickle of hers. For eight-month pregnant Torie, a ten-hour trip with her 80-year-old grandmother wasn't fun. When her long-time friend Clarissa Campbell asked them to stay in a 101-year-old West Virginia boardinghouse, she couldn't say no. When they arrived there, Clarissa gathered around for a reading of her will. Before she knew, Clarissa was murdered in her own bed the next morning. As her new will stands, the boardinghouse was indebted to Torie, a debt to her great-grandmother.  Now it was up to Torie to use her genealogical skills to find out what was worth dying for in the old boardinghouse.

This had tons of suspense and great drama for this genealogical cozy. I loved the road trip all the way to West Virginia from Missouri. It painted a great scene to travel between two states. I did care about poor Torie, when all this happened to her and in her condition, too. I felt bad for her friend Clarissa. Her grandmother Gert was a hoot. This made me once bit my lip without bleeding to show my deep concern for Tori and her grandmother. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Ready to weed out some evil? Pick up a copy today!



Killing Cousins from September 2004

In the 5th installment of the Torie O'Shea Genealogical Mystery series, Killing Cousins, by Rett MacPherson, Torie got stuck into another genealogical puzzle. This time, it happened after she gave birth to her third child, Matthew, she had gotten back to work at the Gaheimer House. Besides being a mother of three had given her a full plate on her hands, she was more than thrilled to be asked to write and work on the biography of Catherine Finch, a famed jazz singer from the 1930s. Not only  that, since her step-father Colin Brooke, the local sheriff, had brought her estate. This gave her easy access to look over her belongings, when the house was haunted by the discovery of a dead baby skeleton, and a man was found killed in a condemned warehouse only days before. Now it was up for Torie to link both murder cases together, and why someone wanted to cover up the shadowy past from the Finches as well.

I continued to love this series with the genealogical theme. I loved how the old and new mysteries were linked together with a family tree twist. I continued to be fascinated with Torie's love for genealogy, and then later become concerned about her, since she was faced with troubling danger. I also liked how her family contributed to the scenes to add some amusement as well. New Kassel was a fascinating little German small town in Missouri. Great drama and plenty of suspense through this light read for a terrific cozy.

Why not enjoy a copy today and start your own family tree?!



Thicker than Water from May 2008

In the 8th installment of the Torie O'Shea Genealogical Mystery series by Rett MacPherson, Thicker Than Water, Torie returned with another shocking mystery on her hands. First of all,  when she returned home to New Kassel from her vacation in  Minnesota, her mother-in-law came for a surprise visit. Then, her boss and mentor, Sylvia, had passed away at the age of 102. While this had made her depressed and saddened, she discovered that she willed the Gaheimer House to Torie.  While she cleaned out Sylvia's things, she found an old photo with a cryptic message on the back of it. Now Torie investigated the mystery behind it and learned some shocking truth on people she knew and trusted.

This was another fascinating genealogical mystery in the series. I did feel sadness for Torie, when she lost her boss Sylvia. No wonder she felt overwhelmed, when she learned some surprising news on Sylvia's background and had to deal with her own family and in-laws too. I continue to enjoy the New Kassel rich German and historical area. This packed a lot of suspense in one tight cozy.

Go out and grab a copy today!



The Blood Ballad from June 2009

In the 11th installment of the Torie O'Shea Genealogical Cozy Mystery series by Rett MacPherson, the Blood Ballad, Torie O'Shea returned back to another puzzle. When she was on cliffs to take part for their first ever bird-watching Olympics, someone fired shots at her and her partner, when they stumbled over an antique trunk with a dead body stuffed inside. After that incident, musicologist Glen Morgan claimed to be cousin and her grandfather was a famous country singer in a band, she didn't want anyone to shake up her family tree. But she couldn't resist those old recordings. After some digging, she uncovered some shocking truths about her family and the town she came to love.

This was another great mystery in the series. I loved the thought of bird-watching Olympics. I loved how Torie took charge of everything in New Kassel and ran the genealogical society. I wasn't too sure about Glen Morgan. But her family was interesting and unique as her own small town. I was a bit disheartened that there haven't been any new books in the series lately. Great drama, tons of suspense, and a hint of good action.

Ready to hear a sad song? Give this one a try today!





Ready to hear a sad song? Give this one a try today!

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