I bought this book at a used bookstore, so the price was right, and it was a nice, quick read. Since I like mysteries and genealogy, it was a good fit during busy times. ( )

I had lost touch with local historian and genealogist Torie O'Shea in recent years, as well as her little town of New Kassel, Missouri. I'll certainly have to go back and pick up the volumes I've missed after reading THE BLOOD BALLAD.

In this one, Torie deals with every genealogist's nightmare -- the possibility of what is euphemistically termed "a non-paternity event." In other words, a man shows up claiming to have evidence that her grandfather was actually the son of a well-known local musician. What's more, he has tapes that appear to show that the musician stole songs that Torie's grandfather wrote and copyrighted them as his own.

Meanwhile, Torie is working busily on events for the town, the main business of which is tourism. During a "Birding Olympics" she's been roped into, shots are fired and then she and her partner literally have a dead body thrown at them. While she's investigating all this, another tape surfaces, with a song that appears to be a murder confession. The usual complications of family life and Torie's conflicts with her stepfather, the former sheriff, add to the mix.

Anyone who prefers their cozy mysteries with a bit of meat to them would do well to read THE BLOOD BALLAD. ( )

This cozy series just keeps getting better and better.

Torie starts out the book by attending a Bird Olympics with Eleanor as her partner! If you've read any of the earlier books you would know that this is not going to turn out well. Once dusk sets in Torie is writing down birds for Eleanor and Eleanor is sitting in a tree when they hear gunfire. Two or three sharp reports. Then bullets start flying toward them and they run to get away. They make it down to the river and then the dead body is introduced to the story.

It was quite an opening and just the start of a rollicking good story.

One of the things I like best about this series is the realistic family life that surrounds Torie. She has two teenage daughters who fight violently (including throwing things at each other) and yet they will help each other occasionally. Matthew, her son, is six now and is into bugs and dead squirrels as well as superhero's and swings. Rudy just tries to keep peace and keep Torie alive.

The mysteries in these books are good, well plotted and mostly very realistic but it is the characters who shine in the stories and it is the characters who will keep bringing me back. ( )

If you like mysteries and genealogy, you'll like this book.

Done in a day. It was okay. Not earth shattering but better than many of the romantic mysteries that I read so fast. ( )