Killing Cousins - Softcover

Rett MacPherson is the author of four previous Torie O'Shea mysteries, most recently A Misty Mourning. She lives in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri.

Genealogist Torie O'Shea delves into a family's history...and ends up investigating a murder

Shortly after the birth of her third child, genealogist Torie O'Shea finds herself more than ready to get back to work. So when she's asked to write a biography of the late Catherine Finch, a famed 30's jazz singer who was a resident of the small town of New Kassel, Missouri, where Torie lives and serves as town historian, she jumps at the chance. In a lucky coincidence, Torie learns that her new stepfather-county sheriff Colin Brooke-has just purchased the contents of the Finch estate.

At first Torie is thrilled to have unfettered access to all of Catherine Finch's personal documents and belongings. But when she uncovers old newspaper clippings about the unsolved 1938 kidnapping of Catherine's baby boy, she becomes haunted-especially when a baby's skeleton turns up at a nearby, condemned building. To make matters worse, a dead man was found in the same building only days before. Torie suspects a link between the two murders, but could investigating the killings along with the shadowy history of the Finch family finally have gotten her in over her head?

"Entertaining." -Houston Chronicle

"With her characteristic blend of wit and sarcasm, MacPherson has delivered another winning whodunit." -Publishers Weekly

Praise for Rett MacPherson

Killing Cousins
"Torie is a warm, knowledgeable and thoroughly American heroine." -St. Petersburg Times

"Absorbing." -Romantic Times

"A fine series." -Library Journal

A Misty Mourning
"Unexpected and often amusing, another fine outing for Torie O'Shea and the oddballs she attracts without effort."-St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"[MacPherson] is generous with her wit, and her descriptions of the landscape of Appalachia and the people who live there are especially evocative."-Publishers Weekly

"Nothing, certainly not murder, dampens Torie's perkiness."-Kirkus Reviews

"MacPherson once again displays her mastery of the cozy form, adroitly mixing charming characters (both new and old), a plot steeped in family drama, plenty of humor, and just enough grit to keep the story grounded in the real world."--Booklist

A Comedy of Heirs
"Plenty of entertaining characters, and MacPherson skillfully connects the family's many subplots...A heartrending tale of family pride and the cover-ups to keep it intact."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Well paced...filled with intriguing characters and fascinating details about genealogy and quilting, and adorned with the picturesque atmosphere of a Mississippi Valley winter."-Booklist

A Veiled Antiquity
"The nicely evoked countryside, the fascinating details of a genealogical investigation, and an unusual protagonist make MacPherson a storyteller to watch." - Contra Costa Times

"Breezy and fun...[MacPherson] pioneers the excellent fictional entrée of genealogical research." - Kirkus Reviews

"Mark Twain seems reincarnated in the witty MacPherson, as she spins themes involving families with secret pasts, nobility in disguise, and hidden treasure." - Booklist