[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
When Lucy Lancaster worked for a university library, Camilla Braithwaite was among her least favorite co-workers. Alone, Camilla was fine, but she was a follower. And when her cronies were unkind or manipulative to Lucy, Camilla always went along with them.
Out from under the expectations of that job, Lucy doesn’t have to put up with any of Camilla’s antics any more. But Camilla comes to Lucy for help. A national publication has published an article maligning Camilla’s family and her famous ancestor who fought in the Civil War. Someone is claiming Camilla’s ancestor ruined their family. Camilla wants Lucy to find the truth and clear her family’s name.
As Lucy digs into the family history, one of Camilla’s relatives is killed. And a prized family painting is stolen. So Lucy and her FBI boyfriend, Ben, start hunting for a killer.
Review
This is such a great series! I enjoy Lucy and all of the fascinating things she knows about history and about family relationships. She and Ben get to team up in this one, which I loved.
The history and the art angles in this story were fascinating. And there are some great twists. The mysteries in this series are always well-plotted, and this one kept me guessing until the end.
Series fans should not miss this. Newcomers shouldn’t struggle if they start here. Some of Lucy’s relationships might not feel well-developed for those who start with this book. But the foundational work with Ben and with Lucy’s friends/officemates was done in the earlier books, Murder Once Removed and Lineage Most Lethal. Mystery fans and genealogy fans should not miss the Ancestry Detective series!
Rating: ♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.