This was my introduction to this series. I am going to go back and read the others. I really liked the author's sense of humor and her use of place. I started off the first 2 chapters thinking it was going to be a boring tale of how a 'superwoman-mom' managed to juggle EVERYTHING and solve standard mysteries with the cliche nods to supportative characters we could only wish existed in real life. But as I read more I found it harder to put down. I didn't find the book to be laugh out loud funny, but warm and optimistic despite the sadness dealt with. However, I can see where I might sometimes LOL with her writing - thus I am going to read more of it. For instance, I didn't really "get" the relationship between the main character, Torie, and the sheriff, although I could see where some of the funny lines might have been hysterical if I'd been "in the know". That's not a criticism. The sheriff and the main character have built a complex history over the previous four (?) issues of the series, although the writer reflects the offhand way they have to deal with each other on a daily basis, because each day only has 24 hours! I don't care for series where each new issue tries to encompass ALL of the relevant history between ALL the characters. So often that just bogs the flow down.This book was not flow-impeded at all. Just like any busy parent, the character of Torie was constantly active. Her reflections occurred more often while she was doing something (like helping her grandmother out of a chair or bantering with her step-dad-sheriff) than when she was sitting quietly observing nature. I was however, a little envious of the character Torie. Unlike this real Tori, she did not replace all of her primary interests with her joy in parenting. She added them together: she continued to be incredibly involved in her community (and her work) while still enjoying her children and her husband. Of course he was very supportative and even nurturing to her, but the author did show small amounts of frustration leaking out of his psyche on occassion. Of course, why shouldn't novels reflect live as we wish it was?I also liked that her use of setting was NOT a lesson in how to use setting as a tool in creating great literature. It was for the purpose of entertainment and moving the story forward! I liked that the talk about fronts coming on, and weather changes, and storm sounds, all led up to a deduction that moved the investigation forward by leaps and bounds. That was really very pleasing. There was only one place I can remember where setting was used otherwise, but it was still used for entertainment. There was a punchline about her (the main character) familiarity with the geography driving to/from the airport. All in all, I look forward to reading at least one more book by this author, because I expect I will find it warm and humorous.
This was another Torie O'Shea Mystery, the second one that I have read. Torie works for the Historical Society and has lived in the town of New Kassel Missouri all her life. Which does give her a wide variety of friends and knowledge of the town. This book starts out when she is on leave after having her third child. She is trying to stop riverboat gambling coming to her little town and when they start to tear down the house where they want to put the main casino, they find some strange things in the house and of course Torie gets involved and straightens everyone and everything out. It was another fast read and enjoyable. The author has a good sense of humor and does keep your interest. It was worth the time to read.
Do You like book Killing Cousins (2003)?
n the 5th installment of the Torie O'Shea Genealogical Mystery series, Killing Cousins, by Rett MacPherson, Torie got stuck into another genealogical puzzle. This time, it happened after she gave birth to her third child, Matthew, she had gotten back to work at the Gaheimer House. Besides being a mother of three had given her a full plate on her hands, she was more than thrilled to be asked to write and work on the biography of Catherine Finch, a famed jazz singer from the 1930s. Not only that, since her step-father Colin Brooke, the local sheriff, had brought her estate. This gave her easy access to look over her belongings, when the house was haunted by the discovery of a dead baby skeleton, and a man was found killed in a condemned warehouse only days before. Now it was up for Torie to link both murder cases together, and why someone wanted to cover up the shadowy past from the Finches as well.
—Kristen
