Family Skeletons

March 3, 1997
New Kassel, Mo., historical society member and genealogist Victory "Torie" O'Shea lives by the Show Me state's motto in this strong debut cozy. Antiques dealer Norah Zumwalt hires Torie to compile a family treeDwith particular emphasis on her father, who never returned from WWII. Accessing military records, Torie immediately finds out that he is living in a nearby town. When she phones with the news, Norah says she will call back. But she doesn't. Worried, Torie goes to her house and finds the woman murdered. Feeling linked to the victim and wondering why Norah's father never got in touch with his only child, Torie continues with the family tree. With information gathered from Norah's children, she finds out the victim had a secret boyfriend and a wealthy ex-husband. Soon, Torie establishes a picture of Norah as an emotionally abused woman, which fuels her determination to find the killer. She unearths a similar local murder committed before the war and links it to the man who says he's Norah's father. With a slew of suspects, Torie follows up on every nitty-gritty detail, endangering herself and her family in the process. Torie's rich home lifeDtwo young daughters, a loving husband, a wheelchair-bound mother and a country musician fatherDadd appealing dimension to this new amateur sleuth.

March 1, 1997
Small-town Missourian Victory "Torie" O'Shea, happy mother of two, uses her genealogical skills to investigate the murder of a local antique-shop owner. Torie not only finds the lady's father, a man who went off to war (without marrying her mother) and never returned, but also her body. Continuing her family tree work, sometimes in tandem with the local sheriff, Torie questions old-timers, discovers similarities to another local victim murdered in 1942, and endures threats from various suspects. Rural flavor, sheriff-sleuth antagonisms, mistaken identities, and eccentric characters add vitality to a promising first novel. For most collections.