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 … 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.
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I liked it! I really and truly enjoyed this cozy by new author S.C. Perkins. I read Murder Once Removed in a little over a day as it was quite the page turner and I had a hard time putting it down. I learned some very interesting genealogical research tips, was engrossed in the story from start to finish, and even though the reader had an idea who killer was midway through the story, we didn’t find out (genealogically, of course!) WHO the killer was and WHY they killed until the end of the story – very nicely done, S.C. Perkins! A+++
Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins is the first in a fun genealogical mystery series featuring Lucy Lancaster – genealogist turned amateur sleuth. Lucy traces family histories, but bites off more than she can chew when she discovers a murder over 100 years in the past…that is still having ramifications today.
Lucy was an awesome character! I instantly related to her and found myself wishing I could have a conversation with her. She’s smart and funny. This book had wonderful characters and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to San Antonio. It’s somewhere I’ve never been, but it felt real in this story.
The mystery was awesome because it took place in the past and the present. Mysteries from the past intertwined with mysteries from the present to create a unique whodunit that had me guessing until the end.
There is very mild cursing ~ a few words sprinkled throughout the book and always in context.
I checked this book out of the library to read and I am voluntarily sharing my honest review. My opinion is not influenced in any way.
An impressive Texas-sized dose of feisty heroine, smart whodunit, and entertaining debut, Murder Once Removed will have readers clamoring for the next Ancestry Detective Mystery.
Solving a mystery almost two centuries later? All in the name of genealogy research.
Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins is an excellent book for anyone that loves history and food. Okay, so the last one not really but the sleuth surely eats a lot. I do have to say that I loved everything especially the genealogy aspect of it.
Sleuth
Are sleuth is named Lucy Lancaster, and she’s the narrator for the book. Having Lucy as the narrator helps a lot in my opinion since we get to see things through her eyes and how she is thinking about this mystery. Not just for the mystery of her friend being murdered but about one of her client’s ancestors being murdered.
What I like about her is that she is a fan of food and that she seems to love her work. I also love the little bits of television shows she watches since it reminds me of me. Lucy is a fan of BBC Sherlock and talks about Harrison Ford playing Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Love Interest
For this, I am thinking its the FBI Agent Benton Turner. He just like Lucy loves history and even has a degree in it. At the FBI he works as a white-collar agent but lives in Texas. What I like about him is that he keeps Lucy on her toes around him especially about certain things involving the case.
Mystery
All of this started because her client, Gus Halloran, wanted to get his genealogy done for his family. During the research, she finds out that his great-great-grandfather was murdered and not killed like everyone was led to believe back then. Let’s just say that this turned a way that I wasn’t excepting at all.
Five Stars
Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins was a great novel that kept me entertained until the last page. I can’t wait to dive back into the next book with these thrilling characters. Out of all the characters my two favorites are Serena and Lucy. Okay, Lucy than Serena. Lucy being the main character and our sleuth was really fun, and I loved Serena being there to bounce ideas off of her while keeping her stylish. I am giving five stars to this book and recommending it to all of my cozy readers!
Anyways until the next time enjoy this review brought to you by,
Baroness Book Trove.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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Murder Once Removed is the first book in the Ancestry Detective series.
I was drawn to this book by the main character’s occupation, that being the researching of family ancestry. I’ve not read any mysteries with this storyline and felt that it would be a nice change from mostly craft cozy’s. It was a most enjoyable story.
Lucy Lancaster has been contacted by billionaire Gus Holloran to research the family ancestry so his children and future generation will know their roots. Holloran is also hoping that Lucy might be able to find additional information on the death of Seth Holloran in 1849. From conversations with a grandmother, it seems there was some question as to how Seth had died. It had been listed as an accident, his being run over by wagon drawn by a team of horses. Lucy soon finds that, indeed, Seth had been murdered. She was able to get a picture of Seth’s dead body taken by a portrait photographer, Jeb Inscore, that shows he had died from being stabbed. With the help of a descendant of Inscore Lucy also secures a journal Inscore kept at the time.
Lucy soon discovers that it appears that the killer is someone with initials C. A. One of the gentlemen with those initials is Caleb Applewhite, who happens to be the 3 great grandfathers of Daniel Applewhite, current U.S. Senator from Texas. Even though Lucy hasn’t found proof of which C. A. was behind the murder, Holloran, whose son is running Daniel Applewhite for the Senate, announces Lucy findings.
Things now start to heat up. The lady that gave the journal and pictures to Lucy experience a break-in at her home, Lucy experiences a break-in at the office she shares with two other ladies. The most upsetting is the murder of Lucy’s mentor Dr. Winnie Dell, curator of the Hamilton American History Center. Lucy had given her some of the pictures so that they could be properly preserved.
When FBI Special Agent Benton Turner, Lucy is surprised that the FBI has been called in. Then when he orders her to stay out of any investigations she might be thinking of doing, she is more determined to proceed with her plans to do some sleuthing.
I thought the story was well-written and plotted, with an interesting cast of believable characters. I would like to learn more about the characters in future books, particularly the interesting Big Flaco who owns Flaco’s Taco.
I will be watching for the next book in this interesting and informative new series.
Murder Once Removed is the first mystery in what appears to be a promising series!
Lucy is a genealogist who finds herself in the middle of a present day murder mystery. What first appeared to be a pretty normal job becomes a lot more. Who knew a murder mystery from the past would figure into a present-day murder? Perkins gives her readers a great cozy mystery with great characters and even a bit of a romance! What could be better than that?
I loved Lucy. She is smart and has a great sense of humor. Ben, her possible love interest, is just as likeable as she is. They really do complement one another, and their banter is just too cute! The secondary characters, like Lucy’s friends, as well as other townspeople really do add dimension to the story itself.
The mystery is multi-layered with a list of suspects and twists and turns that will keep you guessing. Not only did I enjoy the mystery itself, but I loved the genealogy as well. Perkins gives us a great insight into it which made the book even more interesting. If you are looking for a great mystery with great characters, you can’t go wrong with this one. Once you begin, you will be amazed at how quickly you are finished. I’m really looking forward to future books in this series!