Father Unknown

November 7, 2011
Near the start of Sampson’s enjoyable fourth mystery featuring British amateur genealogist Suzy Fewings (after 2010’s Those in Peril), Suzy, who’s been concerned about the odd behavior of her 14-year-old daughter, Millie, finds a pregnancy testing kit in Millie’s waste-paper basket. When Millie responds to her parents’ questions defensively, Suzy turns for help in this delicate matter to American widow Prudence Clayson, whom she’s befriended while assisting Prudence in researching an English ancestor who turns out to be a “base child” (i.e., born out of wedlock). While Millie opens up to Prudence, the girl’s revelations raise more questions about the circumstances of her pregnancy—and the father’s identity. A disappearance appears to elevate a family crisis into a matter for the police. Sampson does a nice job of offering multiple candidates for the mantle of bad guy, and the twists will keep most readers wondering what’s actually been going on.

December 1, 2011
Family researcher Suzie Fewings' peaceful world is about to descend into darkness. Come from America to England to research her ancestors, Prudence Clayson is shocked to discover bastards in the family tree. Suzie is happy to explain to Prudence that premarital sex is far from uncommon but knows that unmarried mothers suffered severe consequences. Finding the remnants of a pregnancy testing kit in her 14-year-old daughter Millie's trash is a big shock, but the truth may be even worse. The young woman who was testing herself was Millie's friend Tamara, who's now vanished, leaving her best friend frantic with worry. Strangely, her battered mother and controlling stepfather do not seem that concerned. But after Suzie's whole family poke their noses in where they are not wanted, they find themselves in a sticky situation. Their efforts to discover the father's identity leads them to some horrifying conclusions. Since her own family is doing nothing to trace Tamara, the Fewingses and Prudence join in a search for her that leads them into ever greater danger. Genealogical researching tips combine nicely with a fast-paced mystery in this latest saga of the Fewings family (Those in Peril, 2010, etc.).

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 15, 2011
Genealogy enthusiast Suzie Fewings meets Prudence Clayson, an American who is in England researching her family tree. Suzie agrees to assist Prudence in tracing the background of her husband's relative, a base (illegitimate) child born in the 1700s. At home, Suzie's teenage daughter, Millie, is worried about her good friend Tamara, who is pregnant and has been missing for daysher mother and stepfather apparently unconcerned about the situation. At Millie's insistence, the Fewings family delves into Tamara's disappearance while trying to determine who could be the child's father (Tamara has refused to reveal the father's identity). When Millie receives a card from Tamara that contains a clue to where she may be hiding, the family sets out to find her, leading to tragedy. Genealogy buffs will appreciate the research techniques shared and the information about the plight of unwed mothers and illegitimate children in England in the 1700s that is woven through the story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)