I thoroughly enjoyed this addition to the series. I liked the setting and enjoeyed learning about the lifestyle of the characters. ( )

I'm not sure Katherine Murray, heroine of Patricia Sprinkle's Family Tree mystery series, will ever get around to researching her own family, since she keeps getting caught up in other people's searches. This time out, it's Dr. Flo Gadney, retired Spelman professor, who asks her help in finding out whether some graves on a Georgia sea island belong to her ancestors. An amazing find of the type every genealogist longs for leads to murder and tragedy. Well-drawn characters and a thrilling plot make this a worthy second entry in the series. I especially enjoyed the setting. ( )

Katharine Murray goes along with her friend Dr. Flo Gadney to Bayard Island when a developer plans to disinter a possible relative of Dr. Flo's. The novel explores some of Georgia's coastal history and shows racial prejudice. I loved the genealogical portions of the novel. There were some great quotes such as this one from page 5: "She hadn't started researching her own family, so she hadn't yet experienced the excitement of finding a sought-after piece in a genealogy puzzle." However, the author did not do a very good job of dealing with an 1880 census record early in the book. (The 1880 census was the first to list the relationship of each person to the head of the household, and the author neglected to mention this.) I feel that the novel bogged down in many places with things that really had little impact on the plot. I think the author could have done a better job in developing the characters on the island, particularly in respect to the murderer. I'm not sure I really understand the motivation that led to the murder. A superficial motive was given, but it left the reader with more questions than answers. As a genealogist, I really want to love this series, but I'm finding that I don't really feel connected with the main characters. ( )

Several weeks after her house was broken into and trashed, Katharine Murray is spending most of her time seeing to repairs and shopping for new furnishings. Katharine hates shopping, so it didn't take much persuasion for her to agree to accompany her friend, Dr. Flo Gadney, to one of Georgia's islands to research her family history. The island's owner has plans to develop the island, but needs to move the graves in an old family cemetery. One of the graves may be the burial place of Dr. Flo's grandfather, and Dr. Flo may be a long-lost cousin. Just one problem. The Bayards are white, and Dr. Flo is not. How far will the Bayards go to keep Dr. Flo from digging into her family roots?

I liked the genealogy aspect of the story, but it wasn't strong enough to carry the whole book. The story got off to a slow start, spending more time than necessary on Katharine's frustration at having to shoulder most of the responsibility for putting her home in order while her husband spends his work weeks in Washington, DC. The "old boyfriend who recently moved to town" storyline is an unnecessary distraction from the mystery plot. Eventually a murder occurs, as well as further violence. There are several suspects on the island, but their characters are not developed, nor is the motive adequately explained.

I love this author's Thoroughly Southern mystery series. So far this Family Tree series hasn't grabbed me. ( )