Berlin and Betrayal

Berlin and Betrayal is the third book in the Tangled Roots Historical Mystery Series featuring geneologist Lucas Landry. It is both a WWII and pandemic story all rolled in to one. The story has an alternating plot.  It takes place in February 2020 and in 1945 Germany. Lucas Landry's burning desire it to search for German relatives and host a family reunion.  He moves his family from California to Munich. Unfortunately, when the Landry family arrived in Germany the COVID pandemic began and a lockdown thwarted the speed of his research. Lucas has WWII surviving relatives in their 80s and 90s who are vulnerable to catching and dying of COVID. However, Lucas still hopes that being in Germany will help him with his research. He is surprised to find that many Germans want to forget the past as they live under a cloud of guilt over their ancestors' mistakes. 

When I began reading the book it was captivating. I could not put it down. At the halfway point, I just wanted to plot to move faster.  I wondered whether this novel was a cozy mystery or a cozy historical fiction book. This is not a typical historical mystery because there was no murder to be solved. The mystery is the discovery of geneological information that Lucas uncovers. That said, it was an interesting read. I couldn't wait to see how the story ended.  However, when I got to the end there was nothing resolved. Yes, Lucas uncovers his family history from the WWII era but there is not a big denouement. It seemed that there should have been more to the story. With the author having 14 published books under her belt, I expected more. I just didn't get that.

3 out of 5 stars.