Synopsis:
Genealogist Torie O'Shea delves into a family's
history...and ends up investigating a murder Shortly after
the birth of her third child, genealogist Torie O'Shea
finds herself more than ready to get back to work. So when
she's asked to write a biography of the late Catherine
Finch, a famed 30's jazz singer who was a resident of the
small town of New Kassel, Missouri, where Torie lives and
serves as town historian, she jumps at the chance. In a lucky
coincidence, Torie learns that her new stepfather-county
sheriff Colin Brooke-has just purchased the contents of the
Finch estate. At first Torie is thrilled to have unfettered
access to all of Catherine Finch's personal documents and
belongings. But when she uncovers old newspaper clippings
about the unsolved 1938 kidnapping of Catherine's baby
boy, she becomes haunted-especially when a baby's
skeleton turns up at a nearby, condemned building. To make
matters worse, a dead man was found in the same building only
days before. Torie suspects a link between the two murders,
but could investigating the killings along with the shadowy
history of the Finch family finally have gotten her in over
her head?
From Publishers Weekly
In her fifth cozy featuring Missouri genealogist Torie
O'Shea (after 2000's A Misty Mourning), MacPherson
paints a vivid portrait of a town and a family with a secret.
Given her history of conflict with New Kassel sheriff Colin
Brooke, Torie is dismayed when Colin marries her
wheelchair-bound mom. Still, Torie agrees to inventory the
contents of famous jazz singer Catherine Finch's estate,
purchased by Colin, who intends to make a mint in his antique
business. Enter Sylvia Pershing, the town matriarch,
historical society head and Torie's employer. What better
way to kill two birds with one stone than to do biographical
research on Finch while already sorting through her things on
Colin's behalf? The sheriff's honeymoon is barely
started when a dead man turns up in the old Yates house,
scheduled for razing. Later, a demolition crew finds an
infant's skeleton hidden inside a wall. Were the two
deaths related? And were both victims somehow connected to
Finch and the 60-year-old tragedy that changed the
singer's life forever? Torie believes six cousins,
including one who's now the governor, knew the answers
all along. But how many of them would be willing to kill to
keep things quiet? Thanks to an amazingly compliant if
shadowy husband, Torie manages to balance sleuthing with the
demands of a newborn baby and two other youngsters. With her
characteristic blend of wit and sarcasm, MacPherson has
delivered another winning whodunit. Agent, Michele Rubin.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
