The Chester Creek Murders

I published this review on my Librarything account and, this morning thought I should add it to Amazon, the place where I purchased it. Sadly I am not able to post a review there because I haven't reached the minimum spend to gain permission to write a review! As I am gagged on Amazon I am sharing my review here.

As a member of the Nathan Dylan Goodwin Fan Club with many other genealogists I have been anxiously waiting for the debut of this work. Now that I have read it I am disappointed that I will have to wait for Nathan to recharge his batteries and research and write another tale.

This book was Nathan's best work yet. It is an improvement on his other works on so many levels. I have been critical of the covers for Nathan's earlier books but I loved this one, it set the scene for a real page-turner that held my attention from the first to the last word.

Between the covers I found a believable story populated with interesting characters and many story lines that ended with a couple of cliff-hangers allowing for future works in the series. I felt for the main character Maddie, owner of a genetic genealogy firm who, in spite of issues in her personal life, was able to rally and support her team in identifying through DNA the serai killer in a cold case.

As a genealogist I appreciated the detailed description of the methodologies used to solve the case. Nathan who is an Englishman must have been on a steep learning curve as he learnt about all the resources during the research for the book. To his credit he deferred to some of the top genealogists in the US for assistance. For this Aussie with little knowledge of US resources reading this book gave me a sugar-coated way of learning more on that subject.

I loved that the work was set in the geneamecca of Salt Lake City, a place I have visited on many occasions. Nathan's descriptions of the weather and the areas around Salt Lake were spot on. I noted that he named one of his characters, Kenyatta. Was that a nod to US genealogist Kenyatta Berry? One of the homes he described in South Jordan sounded similar to a genealogists's home I have visited there! Those who haven't been to Salt Lake will get an accurate picture of the place from reading this story.

This work is easy to read with many descriptive phrases. Nathan's prose in US English lends authority to the story and made the characters more believable. Nathan's writing has certainly developed since his first novel.

This book was unputdownable, a riveting story combined with a lesson in genealogy research and a discussion of issues facing family historians.

Highly recommended for family historians, those who love a good mystery and people inquisitive about DNA.

I read the eBook version of this work from Amazon that was priced at just $AU7.50 - great value for 4 hours entertainment, I look forward to the arrival of my hard copy that I will read at a more leisurely pace.

Lost Sleep - thanks to Nathan

I like to read in bed before I turn in for the night. It is the fault of author, Nathan Dylan Goodwin, that I missed out on several hours sleep this week.

Nathan kindly sent me a review copy of his latest genealogical mystery, The America Ground - the third book in the Morton Farrier genealogical crime mystery series. Once I started reading it was hard to stop.

The book was attractively presented with an appropriate cover illustration, the paper was light enough that the book was easy to hold up in bed and the font a decent size for old eyes. I did find the narrow margins disconcerting and would have liked a bit more white space around the edges of the text.

I was quickly hooked by the story although at times I found the prose a bit stilted and thought that there was an overuse of adjectives in some places. But it's really all about the story and that hooked me in. 

Having read the first two books in the series I have become fond of Morton Farrier, the larrikin genealogist, and his long-suffering fiance. Will she ever get him to the altar? It was nice to reconnect with these characters but this book is suitable for anyone to read as a standalone. Anyone who likes a good whodunnit (not just genies) should enjoy this tale.

The story moves in time between 1827 and the present day with a short visit to the 1980s. I did not find this at all confusing as one does with some time travel tales. From a very early stage I was hooked by the story and just had to keep reading to see how Morton solved the mystery that was presented. With a few murders, some kidnapping and a touch of romance this novel kept me in suspense until its last pages. The subplot of Morton's search for his biological father added an extra dimension to the story. An added bonus for we genies is that Morton talks our talk and hangs out in the places we like to visist.

I would certainly recommend this book to fellow readers. Thanks Nathan for sending me a copy to read. I'm now hanging out for Book 4.

The America Ground is available as an ebook from Amazon Australia. I was pleased that I received a hard copy edition which it appears that Amazon.com will ship to Australia.

My mates overseas can buy the book in various formats here:

Buy The America Ground now! (UK)

Buy The America Ground now! (US)

Buy The America Ground now! (Australia)

Buy The America Ground now! (Canada)

I'm buying this one

My local library is beefing up its collection of genealogy books so recently I have been able to try before I buy.

I have been eyeing off The Family Historian's Enquire Within (Sixth Edition) by Janet Few on websites for quite some time, I even had a browse when I was last in England but I didn't purchase it. After perusing the library's copy I have realised that this is a must have reference book for someone with British ancestry.

I've never been averse to sitting down with a dictionary and, while I don't read them from cover to cover,  I enjoy dipping in and out of the pages as I soak up new and interesting words. Over the past ten days I have enjoyed doing this with The Family Historian's Enquire Within . I doubt that much of what I have read will stick but that's ok; it's been an enjoyable exercise. I have been amused to find lots of interesting words set out in an alpahbetical sequence with clear definitions and descriptions. This work is more than a dictionary, some of the entries are only a few lines while some take up a page or two. 

Having browsed the book I have learnt that Scrivener is not just a piece of software I use for writing, Muniments are nothing to do with warfare and Dexter was a dyer.

The book's purpose is "to  point you in the right direction so you can find out more" and it does that admirably. Haaving done a lot of dipping I realise that I need this book on my shelves as a reference book, a place to go when I need to know.

The book retails at £12.95 and is available from several sites in the UK; I could purchase it for $39.95 (plu spostage) in Australia and have it on my doorstep in a few days. I want to get the most bang for my geneabuck so I will buy it on my next overseas trip which is looming. I see that it is in stock at The Society of Genealogists, I hope they still have a copy when I arrive for my visit.