In the Blood

In the Blood is a genealogical mystery featuring Jefferson Tayte as the geneologist.  The geneological mystery sub-genre is a new favorite for me. This is book one of seven novels to date and it is fantastic.  

Jefferson "JT" Tayte has been working on a project for Walter Sloane. Sloane believes that he is related to a loyalist family that fled to England at the end of the American Revolutionary War.  The family seems to have disappeared after leaving the American shore and Tayte has been tasked with finding a link between Sloane and the Fairborne family. With few clues to the family history left to do via a phone, Sloane orders him to catch a plane ASAP for England and finish the research within a week.  Tayte is afraid of flying but he cannot give up another assignment because of his fears. It will affect his ability to get new jobs. The research leads him to the short life of a woman in Cornwall, a writing box and a possible dark secret about the Fairborne family.

I loved this book!  The mystery is not just about the resolution of Sloane's genealogy but also about why several minor characters were killed. JT believes that everything is connected to his research and he needs to find proof. Each new lead turns into a plot twist that moves the plot along quickly.

The JT character is sympathetic given all of his phobias and difficulties communicating with British record office staff. He is a goofy introvert.  JT's nemesis, Peter Schofield, is hired by Sloane to assist him after JT's first few days in England.  Sloane wants fast results and believes that JT needs assistance. However, JT does not trust Schofield because he senses that Schofield wants to take all of his clients away. On this particular assignment Schofield is trustworthy but  JT does not realize this until Schofield is killed. This is a shame because Schofield could have provided some conflict in future novels. The author has not given the reader any other prominent characters other than JT.  The secondary characters are so far in the background that I would categorize them as third party characters, if there is such a thing.

I can't wait to read the remaining books in the series.  To date, there are six more novels in the series. 5 out of 5 stars.