Family Tree Mystery

Winner of the 2018 Northeastern Minnesota Book Award!

When local cop Blake Giles witnesses a tense confrontation between Sheriff Preston Mansfield and a member of the hated Whitestone family, he begins to question the origins of the bad blood between the two families. He quickly finds that the feud has been going on longer and is more deadly than he ever imagined. The two families are linked by an ancient curse surrounding a centuries-old tree on the Whitestone Property which bears peculiar markings resembling a human face. Blake soon learns that the markings aren’t natural, or a coincidence. The tree is the resting place of the spirit of a ...

Liz Catalano is shocked when a DNA ancestry test reveals she’s adopted. But she could never have imagined trying to connect with her unknown family would plunge her into an FBI investigation of a notorious serial killer. The Tri-State Killer has been abducting pairs of women for 40 years, evading all police efforts and leaving barely a trace behind. Can Liz figure out who in her new family is the cold-blooded killer? And can she save his newest victims before it’s too late?

Meri's family has been producing doctors for so many generations that no one remembers why, so when she flunks out of medical school, she runs as far from her parents as she can get. In the small mountain town of Canyon Mines, Colorado, she takes a job at the Inn at Hidden Run B&B. And waits. It's only a matter of time. What she doesn't count on is genealogist Jillian Parisi-Duffy and her father, Nolan, having her back when it takes everything she has not to bolt again but to stay and face the truth that only unfolding her family's history will reveal....

Some people meet at the perfect time. Others meet at the only time that matters. Clara Lockwood has one plan: get through senior year and finally escape the secrets she’s been forced to keep. But a single storm, a moment in the woods, and a stranger who shouldn’t exist—none of that was part of her plan. Silas Everhart has his own ghosts. When he finds Clara beneath a tree struck by lightning, he knows he’s not just saving a life—he’s stepping into something far bigger than either of them can understand. As their worlds begin to collide, Clara and Silas must confront what’s ...

NEW to the Peridale Café series? This is the PERFECT jumping in point! The truth always rises to the surface... Julia South-Brown is thrilled to unveil her café’s latest creation—cruffins—at the grand opening of Peridale’s new community square. But her excitement turns to dread when Wendy Michaels, a sharp-tongued food critic and Julia’s former college nemesis, publicly accuses her of negligence, then dies under suspicious circumstances. As whispers of sabotage spread through the village, Julia’s café becomes the focus of scandal, threatening her livelihood and reputation. ...

Sometimes the greatest dream starts with the smallest element. A single cell joining with another. And then dividing. And just like that, the world changes. Annie Harlow knows how lucky she is. The producer of a popular television cooking show, she loves her handsome husband and the beautiful Los Angeles home they share. And now she's pregnant with their first child. But in an instant, her life is shattered. And when Annie awakes from a coma, she discovers that time isn't the only thing she's lost.

Chess has always been the protector over his younger siblings, Emma loves math, and Finn does what Finn does best - acting silly and being adored. They’ve been a happy family, just the three of them and their mom. But everything changes when reports of three kidnapped children reach the Greystone kids, and they’re shocked by the startling similarities between themselves and these complete strangers. The other kids share their same first and middle names. They’re the same ages. They even have identical birthdays. Who, exactly, are these strangers?

Harris County, Georgia, 1912. A White man, the beloved nephew of the county sheriff, is shot dead on the porch of a Black woman. Days later, the sheriff sanctions the lynching of a Black woman and three Black men, all of them innocent. For Karen Branan, the great-granddaughter of that sheriff, this isn't just history; this is family history.

For Julie Holt, travelling to the beautiful but ravaged coast of Biloxi, Mississippi, is a journey into a secret past, and a life she never expected.... Julie first knew loss at the age of 12, when her sister disappeared, never to be found. As her once close-knit family grew apart, Julie's mother obsessively searched for the girl, and when her mother died, Julie took up the search, never letting go of the hope. Then, at an art exhibition in New York, she meets Monica....

The gentle spirit's sixteenth adventure is a New York Times bestseller and as "cozy and charming as a cup of Earl Grey" (Bookpage.com). After a dizzying time Down Under, Lori Shepherd returns to Finch and finds that her wealthy father-in-law, William Willis, Sr., has just purchased a splendid ten-acre estate nearby. While William fends off local ladies intent on romance, Lori oversees the painstaking restoration of a peculiar painting found during renovations. It's nothing Lori can't handle-until moving furniture, strange sounds, and the theft of the painting prompt her to call on Aunt Dimity for help uncovering the estate's shadowy past.

Joy Taylor has always believed home is the house she lived in her entire life. But then her dad lost his job, and suddenly, home becomes a tiny apartment with thin walls, shared bedrooms, and a place for tense arguments between Mom and Dad. Hardest of all, Joy doesn’t have her music to escape through anymore. Then a friendly new neighbor her age lets Joy in on the complex’s best-kept secret: the Hideout, a cozy refuge that only the kids know about.

Rod and Bryony Kane are back at it, solving another genealogy whodunit, this time in Wales! A title in question, an estate in dispute, and murder looms. Family secrets hold the clue to solving the mystery.

Del has had a crush on Kiera Westing since kindergarten. And now, during their junior year, she’s finally available. So when Kiera volunteers for an opportunity at their church, Del’s right behind her. Though he quickly realizes he’s inadvertently signed up for a Purity Pledge. His dad thinks his wires are crossed, and his best friend, Qwan, doesn’t believe any girl is worth the long game. But Del’s not about to lose his dream girl, and that’s where fellow pledger Jameer comes in.

Power lies in the shadows, and some secrets are too dangerous to uncover. Some are drawn to the mystery and allure of the forbidden dark thicket; Laurel is one such soul. When an ornate pendant left by her absent parents beckons her into the depths of an enchanted forest, she cannot resist the call. Her journey is fraught with peril and wonder, for this forest is no ordinary woodland; it is alive with ancient magic and concealed truths. The mystical tree elves, guardians of the forest, hold secrets that could change Laurel’s life forever. Their wisdom and enigmatic presence guide her ...

“…a twisted, fast-paced story of deception and intrigue, which proves both creative and unique.” — BookLife Prize They're Gone, But I'm Still Here Mandy’s life has become a complex labyrinth following the tragic death of her husband and twin daughters. Despondent and depressed, she withers away in a drunken haze on a glorious Maui beach, longing to turn back time, plagued by strange dreams of her family. Even with her in this state, handsome surfer, Chase, cannot stop thinking about the mystery woman he sees lying on the beach every morning, and he befriends her. A relationship is...

Three photographs. 1948: an unknown woman at the wedding of a miner’s daughter to a decorated war hero. 1943: a pale US airman, behind him Mary Mine, a drab-painted warplane destined to crash in flames. 1936: a handsome teenager, arm thrust in fascist salute as his black-uniformed idol struts through the East End of London. What is the link between these people? And what are their legacies? Introducing Jane Madden, an ex-police detective trying to build a new life after illness and divorce. She is commissioned not to solve an ancestral mystery, but to find one. Together with a reclusive ...

The first book in a NEW semi-cozy murder mystery series by mystery writer, P. Austin Heaton. Set in present-day San Juan Capistrano, California, a tea and scones shop owner finds a strange coffin in the shop's back parking lot. Shockingly, the body of a good friend is slumped inside. Like her celebrated great-grandmother, a famed 1915 reporter, writer, and reluctant criminal investigator, Sadie Siebert is unwillingly drawn into following the clues left by a killer — despite the danger to herself. Add a quirky group of amateur genealogists, a tarot and oracle card reader, one handsome and ...

The exciting conclusion to the series. Molly and Michael only have ten days before school starts. Can they use this time to expose Symbiotica and restore balance to the natural world? Join them as they meet the full Council of Guardians; the supreme and magical beings who have been caring for the land since Pangaea first broke up. Discover how Molly and Michael combine their super smart science minds with the magic of the guardians to finally defeat Symbiotica. And prepare yourself for the final twist as they discover the secrets behind the strange chemicals, plants and animals created by ...

Kate Lemanski's world has been shattered with one family problem after another. When she inherits her family's log home in West Michigan, she returns to the river property to make a new start and to put the pieces of her life back together. As soon as she meets the handsome stranger who lives through the wooded path, Kate immediately feels a connection, but is unsure of what it is. Living alone in the woods along a river presents some challenges, but it isn't long before she begins to feel like herself again. When she starts to dig into her family tree, a long-time hobby, she discovers some...