book 30 – Death Finds a Way
Death Finds a Way is the debut novel by genealogist/writer Lorine McGinnis Schulze. The story follows genealogist and accidental detective Janie Riley as she travels to Salt Lake City to research her family tree and finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery. Janie is, refreshingly, a middle-aged, happily married woman which is a nice change from the typical 30-year-old, single fitness buffs who seem to always feature in detective stories.
The story nicely blends a mystery from the past, uncovered by a fellow genealogist, with a modern day murder. Several clues, mixed with cleverly placed red herrings keep you guessing and re-guessing as you try to figure out “who dunnit”. I was pretty close in my initial guess as to the basic mystery, but kept changing my mind as new clues were revealed or as I followed wrong paths. Lorine cleverly uses these red herrings to draw parallels to the way genealogy research will often lead you down a road that ultimately turns out to be a dead end, forcing you to have to go back to the start and try again.
In all, this was a short but fun read. I especially appreciated the ending, where Lorine allows Janie to return to her true genealogist nature, offering comfort in the form of a family history that until that point was missing.
Rating: Well, to fully disclose, Lorine is my aunt, so I of course bought a copy. And so should you. You know, to support my aunt 🙂
Risa,
I am very pleased that you enjoyed my book! I’m 3/4 of the way through my second in the Janie Riley series (A Grave Secret) and invite you and your blog readers to take a peek at my author website at http://LorineSchulze.com
I have added portions of your review to my site – thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts! I’m especially pleased that you caught all my intended comparisons as Janie becomes caught up in the past and present events, using her genealogy expertise to unravel the mysteries.