A book of citizen reminiscences about their families and small Kansas town leads to murder. When town historian Lottie Albright manages to get herself deputized, the killer turns attention to her. The answer lies in the past, but Lottie must puzzle this out before she ends up dead herself. I find it difficult to believe Lottie was deputized so quickly without law enforcement training. It kind of reminds me of some episodes of Andy Griffith where Andy deputizes a citizen when Barney is out of town. Lottie's more intelligent than Barney, but she makes all the mistakes of amateur sleuths. Still this was an entertaining read, even if some parts lacked believability. ( )

Holy smoke! Honestly I couldn't get past the idea of a woman who is a historian deciding that she wants to be a law enforcement officer in order to snoop around part-time into a murder, needing nothing more than to go buy herself a gun and a uniform and get the Sheriff to hand her a badge. She doesn't like guns and doesn't know if she would ever be able to actually kill another person. She doesn't even tell her husband that she's done it (because she knows he won't like it) until she comes home lugging a box of newly purchased gear!!! Good thing she didn't have to pass a pre-hire psych eval. I'm pretty sure even the much-derided "Mall Cop" security guard gets more training than this. ( )

It all begins when West Kansas historian Lottie Albright receives a submission for her oral history project. Written by Zelda St John, aunt of political hopeful Brian Hadley, the piece examines torrid racist attitudes in the family’s history. This is the sort of book you settle into and read with relish. ‘Deadly Descent’ by Charlotte Hinger is a mystery thriller which moves with steady detailed steps as the tension twists and twists like a screw being slowly turned.
A first murder is followed rapidly by a second, Lottie is sworn in as a deputy and balances her twin jobs of detecting and collating historical records. The two jobs fit neatly together until anonymous letters start to arrive. Lottie is ably supported by her quiet long-suffering husband Keith, and her clinical psychologist twin sister Josie. Remember the twin thing, it is important later. Sam Abbott, sheriff of the woefully-underfunded Carlton County police, welcomes the resources of the Kansas Bureau of Investigations and so distracts Lottie with research into an old dead case: the old Swenson murders. This feels like a massive diversion, but go with the flow of this book and you will be rewarded.
Hinger plots intricately and draws a totally believable picture of the historical society in a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s secrets. Lottie’s project involves everyone writing the story of their family: for some people, the shame is too much.
This is the first of the Lottie Albright series of family history mysteries. Hinger is a Western Kansas historian who edited more than 500 family submissions for county history books.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/ ( )

Wow. This is a dynamite book with a fast paced story and great characters.

Lottie Albright is a wife, twin, step-mother and historian. As she works in the historical society she created in a small western Kansas town someone is murdered, a local lady who also has a twin sister. From this Lottie gets involved in the murder but also dips into an old murder.

There is a lot to like here, the interplay between twin sisters, the secrets of small towns, the dynamics of a step-family, and, of course, murder.

I don't know if this is going to be a series but from the cover I think it will be (it is promoted as "A Lottie Albright Mystery") so I can't wait for more. ( )

First Line: She was coming for me.

Lottie Albright, director of the Carleton County Historical Society in western Kansas, is busy editing the family stories of the county residents. She's also the campaign manager for Brian Hadley, who is trying to win a seat in the senate.

Although some of the residents have beliefs that Lottie does not agree with, their stories are historical documents, and she treats them accordingly. When Brian Hadley's mother, Fiona, comes to Lottie and insists that she suppress Fiona's sister's racist slant of their family history, Lottie disagrees-- even though the story could damage her candidate's chances in the coming election. Soon thereafter, Fiona's sister is murdered, valuable documents are stolen, and anonymous letters begin arriving.

Believing that her work in historical investigation will help in finding clues to the identity of the killer, Lottie talks the local sheriff into letting her become a part-time deputy. The sheriff thinks it's a joke and gives her an old cold case to look at, and Lottie's husband thinks she's lost her mind, but both men soon learn that Lottie can tease the truth out of dusty old documents-- and the murderer doesn't like it one bit.

I keep forgetting how historically rich the state of Kansas is, but I think Charlotte Hinger has given my memory the jolt it needed to remember this fact. She deftly weaves bits of history into her narrative in a way that adds detail and texture in addition to bringing her cast of characters into sharper focus.

I was immediately drawn to the character of Lottie and to her family dynamics: a strong, cultured older husband who's a farmer and a veterinarian; a sophisticated twin sister who believes Lottie is wasted out in the hinterland; a step-daughter who loathes her. Having swiftly learned to care for Lottie as much as she cares for those around her, I actually enjoyed following all the emotional undercurrents that this family had swirling around it.

Another element that I thoroughly enjoyed was how Lottie was capable of reading old historical documents-- bills of sale, inventories and the like-- and find solid leads into her investigations into both the cold case and the present-day murder. Having read many of those same types of documents in connection with my own family history, I can attest to the fact that there is a lot to be learned from reading them-- although they do bore most people to tears.

The old cold case involving Herman Swenson was heartbreaking but rather easy to solve; however, the present-day case was not. I think it was due to the intricacies of the family trees and the fact that the generations and ages of various characters kept getting blurred in my mind.

Hinger's skill in characterization and in bringing historical investigation to life have me excited to read the next book in this series. I spent a lot of time as a teenager reading old newspapers, going through endless reels of microfilm, and taking census in old, forgotten cemeteries. Charlotte Hinger has reminded me of how much fun-- and how fascinating-- history can be... and how much influence it has on the present. I want more! ( )