Sins of the Fathers

Patricia Sprinkle's mysteries have always some of the best available, but this one is her best so far. The combination of mystery, history, and genealogy research has something for everyone. Katharine Murray's story, begun in "Death on the Family Tree", continues when Dr. Flo Gadney asks if Katharine would be willing to accompany her to Bayard's Island to visit what might be her Grandfather's grave. The Bayard's want to disinter the graves on the island so they can build a series of McMansions and Dr. Flo is hoping to learn more about her family tree. That family tree holds a number of surprises for Dr. Flo and reveals some Civil War history that has been forgotten. Making a reappearance are Hobart Hastings, Posey Buiton, Hollis Buiton, Dr. Florence Gadney, and Lamar Franklin. Tom Murray, Katharine's husband appears for a time. Katharine, with the help of Hollis, is still working on fixing and redecorating her Buckhead home which was vandalized in the series book one. If you liked book 1, you'll love book 2.

A good read for history buffs and genealogists. Although I figured out "whodunit" as well as the family mystery about halfway through the book, it still held my interest and I kept reading. The climactic scene is a bit overdone and unsatisfying, but I would still recommend this to fans of the "cozy" genre.

I've read quite a lot by this author, and living in Atlanta and having genealogy as a hobby, this series is particularly interesting for me. I was really enjoying this book until the end. I'll try to explain the problem without any spoilers. The reason I didn't guess the killer was because it didn't make much sense -- the motive just wasn't sufficient, the character didn't seem right. Moreover, there was a big climactic ending with shooting and death and injury that also didn't seem to have sufficient motivation or seem in character with the person doing it. It just wasn't credible within the story lines. Aside from that, this was an interesting read, and the genealogical mystery was well done. It really captures life in Atlanta among the upper middle class and the flavor of the coastal regions (including Jeckyl Island). It's well worth a read, and I will certainly look forward to additions in the series.

"Sins of the Fathers" continues the story of Katharine Murray. Though there is not as much personal growth for Katharine in this book, the mystery more than makes up for this fact. The mystery takes Katharine to Jekyll Island on the Georgia coast & centers on the deceased relatives of Dr. Flo Gadney, a character we met in the previous book. The author does a good job describing Jekyll Island & the remote Bayard Island, so the mystery picks up a creepy air. My only complaint would be that the deceased relatives became a little difficult to keep in line.

I've always been a fan of Patricia Sprinkle, especially her Sheila Travis series. I enjoyed the historical and geneological background of the first book of this new series, so I had to get the 2nd book when it came out. Interesting background on a area of Georgia I wasn't familiar with, enjoyed the characters (good guys and bad)and found it a thoroughly enjoyable read.