The Natural Selection

I loved O'Brien's Desk and so was very happy to see a second Sarah Kauffman mystery from Ona Russell! I just finished it and loved it even more than the first one. The plot involves the murder of a college professor, beloved by all, but with some deep secrets that are revealed quite craftily throughout the book. The author really gives such a great sense of the 1920's and I learned quite a bit about the Scopes trial. However, all the historical information is perfectly integrated with the solving of the murder so that it only adds to the story (that is, it is not a book that puts in so many useless historical facts that I fall asleep!). All of the historical information really created a wonderful background for the characters as well as clues to solving the mystery. The characters, both the historical and the fictional, are richly developed. I had a difficult time putting the book down. There is such a great combination of history, romance and mystery. I highly recommend it! I hope there are more books to come in this great new series.