When Victory O'Shea, the resident historian, genealogist, and tour guide for the town of New Kassel, Missouri, begins researching Norah Zumwalt's family tree, her client turns up murdered, and with the help of the local sheriff, she sets out to investigate the killing.

Family Skeletons (Torie O'Shea Mysteries, No. 1)

Literature & Fiction

MacPherson, Rett

United States

St Martins Pr

Torie O'Shea investigates the tangled roots of an ancient family tree. Torie O'Shea-- genealogist and amateur sleuth-- is having a killer of a day. The town gossip spreads the word that her sweet wheelchair-bound mother is having an affair-- with the sheriff! Then quiet Marie Dijon is found dead at the foot of her basement stairs. Did she fall? Was she pushed? All Torie knows is that Marie had a family tree with royal roots completely foreign to a folksy Middle America town like New Kassel, Missouri. As foreign as, say...murder. But nosiness in New Kassel is as native as the upcoming Oktoberfest. To Torie, the open door to Marie's house is more tempting than chocolate. Finding a hidden key and old documents in French make further investigating irresistible. But while juggling her growing suspicions, a hectic job at the historical society, two kids, and a sexy husband, Torie overlooks the obvious. Curiosity killed the cat. Someone killed Marie Dijon. And now Torie might know too much to live...

A Veiled Antiquity

Minotaur Books

Genealogist Torie O'Shea gets more than she had bargained for when she researches her own family tree, unearthing information about the murder of her great-grandfather, a crime in which her great-uncle was the prime suspect, and discovers that long-buried secrets can have deadly implications for the present.

Comedy of Heirs: A Novel

A ten-hour car trip with your eighty-year-old grandmother is never much fun, especially if you're seven months pregnant. But when Torie O'Shea's longtime family friend Clarissa Hart Campbell insists that she and Grandma Gert come for a visit at her West Virginia boarding house, they just can't say no to the 101-year-old dynamo. Upon their arrival, Torie and Gert find Clarissa has called together her entire family for the reading of her new will. But everything's happening too fast, even for Clari: the next morning, she's found murdered in bed. The new will stands, and her lawyer follows through on the old woman's wishes to settle an eighty-year-old debt to Torie's great-grandmother: The Panther Run Boarding House now belongs to Torie. Mystified, Torie must put her genealogy skills to work to determine what secrets worth killing for may be hiding in the dilapidated boarding house and the Campbell family story-before it's too late. A comical blend of history and homicide, A Misty Mourning is another delightfully witty entry in Rett MacPherson's popular cozy series.

A Misty Mourning (Torie O'Shea Mysteries)

After the recent birth of her third child, Missouri genealogist Torie O'Shea is itching to get back to work. When she's approached to research and write a book about a recently deceased local woman who attained fame in the thirties and forties as a jazz singer, Torie figures she's found her new project. But her preliminary research turns up a startling piece of the woman's past: her infant son was kidnapped from his cradle in 1938 and never seen again. Back in the present day, the mayor of New Kassell, Bill Castlereagh, is fixing to legalize riverboat gambling in the small historic village, which has Torie and her neighbors up in arms, terrorized by visions of neon lights and dancing girls invading their quaint, picaresque town. Torie knows she has to do something to stop the mayor's plan before it gets started, but she's finding it hard to tear herself away from her research. She just can't stop herself from wondering what happened to that little baby all those years ago. And then a stranger in town turns up dead, throwing the town further into an uproar. Torie's got plenty on her plate, but with her knack for small town politics, expertise in genealogical research, a lot of perseverance, and a little luck, Torie might ferret out the truth behind a bizarre crime from the past with a dangerous reach into the present.

Killing Cousins (Torie O'Shea Mysteries)

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

Torie O'Shea investigates the tangled roots of an ancient family tree.Torie O'Shea-- genealogist and amateur sleuth-- is having a killer of a day. The town gossip spreads the word that her sweet wheelchair-bound mother is having an affair-- with the sheriff! Then quiet Marie Dijon is found dead at the foot of her basement stairs. Did she fall? Was she pushed? All Torie knows is that Marie had a family tree with royal roots completely foreign to a folksy Middle America town like New Kassel, Missouri. As foreign as, say...murder.But nosiness in New Kassel is as native as the upcoming Oktoberfest. To Torie, the open door to Marie's house is more tempting than chocolate. Finding a hidden key and old documents in French make further investigating irresistible. But while juggling her growing suspicions, a hectic job at the historical society, two kids, and a sexy husband, Torie overlooks the obvious. Curiosity killed the cat. Someone killed Marie Dijon. And now Torie might know too much to live...

A Veiled Antiquity: A Torie O'Shea Mystery (Torie O'Shea Mysteries, 2)

Contemporary

In Rett MacPherson’s charming cozy mysteries, genealogist Torie O’Shea always seems to be right in the middle of it all in the goings-on in New Kassel, Missouri. When a drought hits the tiny river town and the depth of the mighty Mississippi lowers, Torie is one of the first on the scene to see what the water has revealed: the decades-old wreckage of a riverboat. Soon, the rumors that surrounded its sinking have resurfaced as well and are swirling all over town, most notably about the existence of a cache of diamonds thought to be on board that was never recovered. Before long, a trove of treasure seekers flocks to town, and inevitably, tragedy strikes amid the feverish competition of the treasure hunt. Meanwhile, Torie is staggered by another discovery---the existence of a half sister she never knew she had. Shocked and surprised, she looks around for a distraction, and decides to dig into what really caused the wreck, as well as the location of the missing diamonds. All in all, the combination of personal intrigue and cold-blooded murder makes Blood Relations a sparkling addition to a terrific mystery series.

Blood Relations (Torie O'Shea Mysteries, No. 6)

When genealogist Torie O'Shea gets an invitation from her favorite aunt, Sissy, to come and spend some time with her in Minnesota she jumps at the chance. She piles her husband and her father-in-law into the car, leaving her two daughters in the care of her mother back home in Missouri, and hits the road, looking forward to some relaxation and some family bonding. Once they arrive, Torie finds out that her aunt's invitation was not so innocent: Sissy has uncovered a 150-year-old diary in the attic of her home and is dying to find out who wrote it and where it came from. Certain she won't be able to find anything, Torie reluctantly dives in. She is immediately riveted by the author's story; a young Swedish woman living with her family in 1850s rural Minnesota, she had fallen in love with a man she couldn't have. When the diary ends abruptly with hints of brutal violence, Torie becomes enmeshed in a deadly mystery passed down through generations-and still festering today. Fans and newcomers to Rett MacPherson's cozy genealogy mysteries will delight in the inventive story and engaging characters that have come to characterize this wonderful series.

In Sheep's Clothing (Torie O'Shea Mysteries, No. 7)

When genealogist Torie O'Shea returns home to New Kassell, Missouri, from a vacation in Minnesota, she finds two surprises: first, her mother-in-law is coming to town, and second, her mentor and boss, Sylvia, has finally passed away at the age of 102. Grief-stricken and further distressed by her mother-in-law's unannounced visit, Torie is dumbstruck when she learns that Sylvia has left all of her worldly possessions to Torie including the Gaheimer House, which houses the local historical society. With gigantic boxes of artifacts and paperwork dating back to the 1920's to sort through, Torie is quite overwhelmed. But cleaning out Sylvia's things, she finds something strange: an old postcard from the late twenties, addressed to Sylvia, with a photograph of a little girl on the front and an ominous message on the back. Torie quickly becomes determined to uncover the truth behind the mysterious photograph. Who is the little girl? And where was the photograph taken? Unable to make sense of her discovery, Torie's suspicions deepen when she learns that Sylvia hired a private detective and installed a security system just prior to her death. Was Sylvia's death natural or intentional? As Torie resolves to find out the truth, she learns that some of the people in her town are not necessarily what they seem to be, and it becomes clear that somebody wants her silenced. Filled with the intricate stories and engaging characters that have come to characterize her mysteries, once again, Rett MacPherson delivers a fascinating story that promises to delight fans and newcomers alike.

Thicker Than Water (Torie O'Shea Mysteries, No. 8)

Torie O'Shea has her hands full. Aside from her new duties as president of the Historical Society in New Kassel, Missouri, and her interest in genealogy, she's having a new house built, coordinating the town's Oktoberfest, and coping with her teenage daughter, who's beginning to date. Then at the request of a local journalist, Torie takes on an assignment to research the families of her hometown's two mayoral candidates: incumbent Bill Castlereagh and his challenger, Sheriff Colin Brooke, who happens to be Torie's step-father. Before she can get anywhere on the politicians' genealogies, though, a body turns up and spoils the Oktoberfest parade. Sheriff Brooke discovers some disturbing information about the dead man. Meanwhile, Torie's research into Castlereagh's genealogy is turning up more questions than answers. As the case unravels, the mayor flees town and Torie is left with a shocking discovery that might lead to her own demise. Once again, Rett MacPherson's charming characters and twisting plot keep the town of New Kassel--and the reader--on edge, making Dead Man Running a delightful addition to the Torie O'Shea series.

Dead Man Running (Torie O'Shea Mysteries, No. 9)

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