Rating: 
Summary: Loved it.
Review: I read "Family Skeletons" in one sitting and loved every word of it. My mother read it and enjoyed. Also, my local public librarian requested it on loan from another library and enjoyed it as well. It is a wonderful synopsis of the life of a genealogist. Very well thought out and well written. A must read for any mystery/genealogy reader. I can't wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it.
Review: I read "Family Skeletons" in one sitting and loved every word of it. My mother read it and enjoyed. Also, my local public librarian requested it on loan from another library and enjoyed it as well. It is a wonderful synopsis of the life of a genealogist. Very well thought out and well written. A must read for any mystery/genealogy reader. I can't wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it.
Review: I read "Family Skeletons" in one sitting and loved every word of it. My mother read it and enjoyed. Also, my local public librarian requested it on loan from another library and enjoyed it as well. It is a wonderful synopsis of the life of a genealogist. Very well thought out and well written. A must read for any mystery/genealogy reader. I can't wait for the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Who would have thought geneology could lead to murder?
Review: New Kasel, Missouri shop keeper, Norah Zumwalt hires local historian and genealogist, Victory "Torie" O'Shea to amass a family tree and to learn what happened to her father who disappeared during World War II. Almost immediately, Torie uses military records to track down Norah's missing father, who apparently lives in a nearby town. When she goes to Norah's home to tell the woman all that she has already learned, Torie finds the murdered corpse of her client.
.....Though extremely busy, Torie decides to complete her client's request by developing the Zumwalt family tree. She is also curious and wants to learn why Norah was killed and why her father never returned to his hometown and family. As she learns more about the secret life of her deceased patron and the woman's family, Torie has placed herself and her beloved family in jeopardy from an unknown assailant who wants FAMILY SKELETONS left in the closet. If Torie is not careful, the murder count may soon rise with Torie and her family becoming the latest homicide statistic.
...... FAMILY SKELETONS is an interesting who-done-it loaded with many viable suspects. However, what makes this debut novel a treat is Torie and her delightful family, who come across as multi-dimensional characters living complex lives and entering into eventful relationships. Mystery fans need to keep an eye on newcomer Rett MacPherson, who appears to have a bright future ahead of her within the genre.
......Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: So many "new" authors, so little time to read. This was an excellent page turner. Genealogy can reveal many interesting secrets. "Torie" O'Shea and her family are a good new entry into the mystery field. Enough suspense to keep you guessing and enough clues to help you figure out the crime. This is the second author I've taken to recently from this group. Laurell K Hamilton also writes an excellent story. Keep up the good work.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: So many "new" authors, so little time to read. This was an excellent page turner. Genealogy can reveal many interesting secrets. "Torie" O'Shea and her family are a good new entry into the mystery field. Enough suspense to keep you guessing and enough clues to help you figure out the crime. This is the second author I've taken to recently from this group. Laurell K Hamilton also writes an excellent story. Keep up the good work.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: So many "new" authors, so little time to read. This was an excellent page turner. Genealogy can reveal many interesting secrets. "Torie" O'Shea and her family are a good new entry into the mystery field. Enough suspense to keep you guessing and enough clues to help you figure out the crime. This is the second author I've taken to recently from this group. Laurell K Hamilton also writes an excellent story. Keep up the good work.
Rating:
Summary: A EXCELLENT READ - A REFRESHING READ
Review: This is the first of the Victory O'Shea books/series. Wonderful slant, well written and simply interesting. The author mixes comfortable and well thoughtout details with an excellent story line and very good character construction. I like her syntax. I have read other books in this series and this one certainly was a good lead into them. I hope we will get many more in the future. I very much recommend this one.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining debut features a crime-solving genealogist
Review: Victory "Torie" O'Shea seems to lead an idyllic life in the historic town of New Kassel, Missouri. In this first book from St. Louis author Rett MacPherson, we meet Torie and her family. Torie is married to Rudy and has two little girls. Torie also works as a tour guide of the historic buildings in her home town of New Kassel, even dressing in vintage clothing while giving her tours. Torie is also an avid genealogist. As the story opens, she is hired to prepare a family tree for town resident Norah Zumwalt. Norah has an interesting family mystery, which is that her father went off to World War II and was never heard from again--no official death record from the war or anything. After finding some interesting information which she wants to share with her client, Torie is horrified when she goes to Norah's house, finds the front door ajar, and discovers that Norah has been savagely murdered.
Being naturally inquisitive (or is it nosy?) Torie wonders if there is some secret in Norah's family tree that led to her murder. Throughout the story, Torie works with the county sheriff to find out the identity of the murderer. The plot is a good one, with lots of turns.
I enjoyed the genealogy aspect of the story too. I'm looking forward to reading Torie's next adventure in family history.
Rating: 
Summary: Charming cozy, interesting debut for MacPherson
Review: When "Torie" is not pointing out the fine craftmanship of an antique writing desk to tourists or sandbagging around her home to keep the mighty Mississippi from sweeping her life away, she freelances in genealogical research. Local antique shop owner Norah Zumwaldt employs Torie to track the whereabouts of the father she never knew, believed KIA during World War II. Torie accepts the challenge; she is intrigued by the mystery of the project, but finds herself embroiled in a bigger mystery when Nora is murdered. Clearly for Torie it's one more death year to add to the tree and her family hopes she will leave it at that. If she did, though, there wouldn't be a story.The search for Norah's killer encompasses Torie's expertise in research, as it appears some "family skeletons" just won't stay in the closet, not to mention some long-lost relatives and a slew of unsolved murders from the past that may be linked to Norah's. Bolstered by Torie's witty yet sometimes exhausted point-of-view (what mother of two small children with a full-time doesn't get tired sometimes?), Family Skeletons is a light, cozy read one can finish rather quickly. Be warned, however, of a brief continuity error that may leave you scratching your head more so than the actual mystery: early on in the story Torie is talking to a contact and mentions that the last time she saw him was at his mother's funeral. A few sentences later she is threatening the fellow with telling his mother about a past affair of his unless he delivers some important information. I admit I had to read the passage a few times to get that straight. I'm sure it is just an oversight that didn't get corrected in the final editing (unless I read it wrong). It shouldn't, however, divert you from the main mystery.
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