Scan barcode
kimdavishb's review
5.0
LINEAGE MOST LETHAL is the second book in the Ancestry Detective Mysteries by S.C. Perkins. While I thoroughly enjoyed the first in this series, Ms. Perkins finds her stride in this newest release and her writing shines. From memorable and well-developed characters to an intricate and well-paced plot to WWII intrigue to murder, the author weaves an entertaining tale. The protagonist, Lucy Lancaster, is a genealogist working on a family project for 24-year-old hotel heiress, Pippa Sutton. I love how intelligent Lucy is and the author is meticulous in inserting enough of the research process in tracking ancestors (through a variety of methods) into the story that gives it a feel of authenticity. She also includes an opening scene that promotes the preservation of ancient tombstones while still allowing a person to access the engravings without causing damage. I found it interesting, especially for those who might be fascinated in tracking down their ancestors. This added scene weaves in another layer of authenticity.
As I turned the pages and lost myself in the story, I often had to pause to admire the level of research Ms. Perkins had to undertake to create this book. I’m an avid fan of WWII historical fiction, especially stories of behind-the-scenes heroes and heroines who sacrificed to bring freedom to Europe. When combined with Lucy unraveling the history and the role her beloved grandfather played in the war, along with a current day mystery, I just couldn’t put the book down. Added to my admiration of how the murder mystery plot intertwines with the historical aspect, Ms. Perkins’ characters add enjoyment. Lucy’s two best friends, Serena and Josephine, bring lighthearted humor with their banter, while Lucy’s 92-year-old grandfather brings heartwarming moments. His zeal for life and his support of Lucy makes me hope he is featured prominently again in future books. As Lucy unravels the cipher left for her by the victim and as she follows the clues, she finds secrets that could be hiding the killer. With an edge-of-your-seat reveal, Ms. Perkins brings all the threads of the story together with a highly satisfying conclusion that has me waiting on pins and needles for the next release!
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As I turned the pages and lost myself in the story, I often had to pause to admire the level of research Ms. Perkins had to undertake to create this book. I’m an avid fan of WWII historical fiction, especially stories of behind-the-scenes heroes and heroines who sacrificed to bring freedom to Europe. When combined with Lucy unraveling the history and the role her beloved grandfather played in the war, along with a current day mystery, I just couldn’t put the book down. Added to my admiration of how the murder mystery plot intertwines with the historical aspect, Ms. Perkins’ characters add enjoyment. Lucy’s two best friends, Serena and Josephine, bring lighthearted humor with their banter, while Lucy’s 92-year-old grandfather brings heartwarming moments. His zeal for life and his support of Lucy makes me hope he is featured prominently again in future books. As Lucy unravels the cipher left for her by the victim and as she follows the clues, she finds secrets that could be hiding the killer. With an edge-of-your-seat reveal, Ms. Perkins brings all the threads of the story together with a highly satisfying conclusion that has me waiting on pins and needles for the next release!
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
jennifermph's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
thisandthatwithkaren's review
I haven’t read book one but I really enjoyed reading this book and it can be read as a standalone. I love that the author uses genealogy as the backdrop for the mysteries, my aunt is really into this and researched our family back to the 1700’s. I have since bought her both books.
The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters which are well developed. This is a fast and entertaining read.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes genealogy and mysteries.
I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from St. Martins Press and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters which are well developed. This is a fast and entertaining read.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes genealogy and mysteries.
I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from St. Martins Press and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
peggyemi's review
4.0
Having done my family's genealogy since I was middle school, I picked up the first book in the series and very much enjoyed it. So, needless to say, I was looking forward to this next book in the series. I love that the main character is a professional genealogist. I think it brings a different perspective and added dimension to her sleuthing. Lucy Lancaster is a terrific character. She is smart and curious, with a good mind that is able to put clues together. She is surrounded by a returning cast of characters in her grandfather and two office mates/friends. I like that so far, each book introduces us to new characters that are involved with Lucy's current genealogy project.
The mystery in this book was well done. It involves some murders in the present that are driven by secrets from World War II. Lucy's grandfather plays a large role in her investigation with plenty of references to the secrets and covert missions carried out during WWII. The author did a great job of weaving a couple of different mysteries together with the main whodunit and tied them all up nicely in the end. I have to say that I surprised myself by figuring out the culprit early on. That said, I wasn't sure of motive until it was fully revealed in the end.
I am looking forward to more books in the series and given that I relate to the profession of the main character, the stories hold a lot of interest for me.
I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, St. Martin's Press, through Netgalley. The opinions expressed are my own.
The mystery in this book was well done. It involves some murders in the present that are driven by secrets from World War II. Lucy's grandfather plays a large role in her investigation with plenty of references to the secrets and covert missions carried out during WWII. The author did a great job of weaving a couple of different mysteries together with the main whodunit and tied them all up nicely in the end. I have to say that I surprised myself by figuring out the culprit early on. That said, I wasn't sure of motive until it was fully revealed in the end.
I am looking forward to more books in the series and given that I relate to the profession of the main character, the stories hold a lot of interest for me.
I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, St. Martin's Press, through Netgalley. The opinions expressed are my own.
thecozyrogue's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Car accident and War
eamily's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, War, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Car accident
Minor: Medical content, Stalking, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
katrinaburch's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really enjoyed this though I do wish there had been a bit more genealogy/archival work in it. The mystery had some great twists and turns.
The only thing that was annoying was that it was pretty easy to figure out that she DID see Ben at the hospital, that he's the one who helped her grandfather and the one that put the guard on him.
addy1991's review
3.0
Lucy's genealogical work tends to uncover unusual things during the jobs for her clients which kept reminding me of the joke where those who explore their past through mediums, hypnosis, regression tend to find out they're related to royalty. This doesn't seem plausible and the scope of things in Lucy's research sometimes feels that way, too. It was nice to learn more about Lucy's grandfather since a good bit of the mystery involved his past but it made me wonder if this series is always going to contain such convoluted plots that require FBI involvement because that will get really old, really fast as far as I'm concerned. I enjoyed the story and characters but think I would enjoy it more if the big picture gets fine-tuned a little bit.
karen_the_baroness's review against another edition
5.0
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Lineage Most Lethal by S. C. Perkins is another beautifully done historical book. I loved reading it and learning things about World War II that I never even thought of could exist.
Lucy Lancaster is back once again to solve a mystery that she stumbles upon unknowingly. She has been working diligently with this one client, but then once again, she gets wrapped up in another mystery. Just this mystery happens to also go into her own families' past, and Lucy is learning new things about her grandfather, then she thought possible. I loved how Lucy is shocked by what her grandpa was telling her and how that information helped Lucy solve the crime. Lucy is an excellent sleuth in that she solves crimes by looking into the past first before looking into the present. Doing this helps Lucy in so many ways. Especially if the past helps with the motive. What I like about her is that she knows that she isn't great at a lot of things but gives her something related to both history and genealogy; she is good to go. Another thing that I like about her is Lucy's relationship with her grandfather is everything. I still haven't found anything to dislike about her.
The mystery is in several different parts, but is each related, or are they all separate?
There are a lot more things going on, but most of it is spoilers. But wow is this mystery very multifaceted, which is probably why it was hard for me to tell who the killer was. I didn't see who it was because I did fall for a red herring, but then once that red herring was cleared, I had no one else to look at as the potential killer. Let's just say that Ms. Perkins has this mystery writing trick down well.
Lineage Most Lethal by S. C. Perkins is fabulously written and so well thought out. I loved how Ms. Perkins dug up information that I never thought could be true about World War II. At least with the spies. Learning about history even in a fun way of trying to solve a cozy mystery in the present that links to the past are super cool. Ms. Perkins does a great job of doing this with her books. Taking all of that into account and the fact that I was so into the mystery that I didn't catch the right clues right away that I am giving it five stars and recommending it to anyone that loves cozies.
Can Lucy figure out what is so significant about this pen?
Lucy Lancaster
Lucy Lancaster is back once again to solve a mystery that she stumbles upon unknowingly. She has been working diligently with this one client, but then once again, she gets wrapped up in another mystery. Just this mystery happens to also go into her own families' past, and Lucy is learning new things about her grandfather, then she thought possible. I loved how Lucy is shocked by what her grandpa was telling her and how that information helped Lucy solve the crime. Lucy is an excellent sleuth in that she solves crimes by looking into the past first before looking into the present. Doing this helps Lucy in so many ways. Especially if the past helps with the motive. What I like about her is that she knows that she isn't great at a lot of things but gives her something related to both history and genealogy; she is good to go. Another thing that I like about her is Lucy's relationship with her grandfather is everything. I still haven't found anything to dislike about her.
The Mystery
The mystery is in several different parts, but is each related, or are they all separate?
- The first murder happens to be of the guy that gives Lucy the pen that started this whole investigation on her part.
- The second murder didn't happen until the next day with someone else.
- In between those two was a woman who died on her walk.
There are a lot more things going on, but most of it is spoilers. But wow is this mystery very multifaceted, which is probably why it was hard for me to tell who the killer was. I didn't see who it was because I did fall for a red herring, but then once that red herring was cleared, I had no one else to look at as the potential killer. Let's just say that Ms. Perkins has this mystery writing trick down well.Five Stars
Lineage Most Lethal by S. C. Perkins is fabulously written and so well thought out. I loved how Ms. Perkins dug up information that I never thought could be true about World War II. At least with the spies. Learning about history even in a fun way of trying to solve a cozy mystery in the present that links to the past are super cool. Ms. Perkins does a great job of doing this with her books. Taking all of that into account and the fact that I was so into the mystery that I didn't catch the right clues right away that I am giving it five stars and recommending it to anyone that loves cozies.
First Book in the Series
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Lineage Most Lethal by S. C. Perkins.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
cj_mo_2222's review
4.0
Professional genealogist Lucy Lancaster’s latest client is hotel heiress Pippa Sutton. One of the benefits to this latest project is getting to mix business with pleasure at one of their local luxury hotels. Lucy barely gets checked in when an unknown man gives Lucy an expensive pen and a cryptic message, and then collapses and dies. The man’s death has an unexpected connection to her grandfather and soon Lucy is researching the family trees of several other people in order to solve a mystery and save lives.
I really like that the premise of this book is so unique. Some of my favorite parts of the book are when Lucy is doing genealogical research, either for a client or when investigating with her grandfather. I wish there was even more since I learned a lot from those scenes. Lucy is a likable character and I love the close bond she has with her grandfather. Spy stories aren’t my favorite, but eventually the “project” Lucy and her grandpa work on ties in with her work for Pippa. Although Lucy’s work for Pippa is complete, I really like that character and think she would make a great addition to future books. Lucy’s two best friends make an appearance, but don’t add a lot to the story.
The pace of the book is a little uneven but there are several exciting and suspenseful scenes. The resolution relies too much on coincidences which makes it hard to take seriously. However, I enjoyed the book and the very end, taking place on New Year’s Eve. Saying more could spoil it, but it was very sweet. This book is the second in a series, but stands alone for readers who didn’t read the first book.
I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Minotaur Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.
I really like that the premise of this book is so unique. Some of my favorite parts of the book are when Lucy is doing genealogical research, either for a client or when investigating with her grandfather. I wish there was even more since I learned a lot from those scenes. Lucy is a likable character and I love the close bond she has with her grandfather. Spy stories aren’t my favorite, but eventually the “project” Lucy and her grandpa work on ties in with her work for Pippa. Although Lucy’s work for Pippa is complete, I really like that character and think she would make a great addition to future books. Lucy’s two best friends make an appearance, but don’t add a lot to the story.
The pace of the book is a little uneven but there are several exciting and suspenseful scenes. The resolution relies too much on coincidences which makes it hard to take seriously. However, I enjoyed the book and the very end, taking place on New Year’s Eve. Saying more could spoil it, but it was very sweet. This book is the second in a series, but stands alone for readers who didn’t read the first book.
I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Minotaur Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.