Deadmans Lane

Browsing through some snaps of one of our last overseas holidays I cam across this image of Deadmans Lane in Rye, East Sussex.

Such a pretty image for a place with such a deadly name. This post on Flickr gives an explanation for the naming of this thoroughfare.

And why was I in Deadmans Lane? I was trying to make my way to the House with two front doors in which the fictional character, Morton Farrier, from Nathan Dylan Goodwin's series of genealogy mysteries is supposed to reside.

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.

Starstruck

Each Friday the organisers of The Genealogy Show 2019 share some news about the event. So far we have heard that genealogy megastars Judy G Russell , the Legal Genealogist, and Blaine Bettinger, DNA Guru, will be headliners at the event. I am so excited to be seeing these genies at the show in June 2019.

Today's announcement is another cracker , it's someone from a different field of family history. I was so impressed when I met and interviewed this chap at Rootstech, I was already a fan as I have read and enjoyed all of his books. It's Nathan Dylan Goodwin, Genealogy Mystery Author, another of my geneaheroes. Take a look at my video interview with Nathan to get a flavour of what he may share at the Show.

What impresses me about the content so far announced for the Show is the diversity of the speakers and their content. I can't wait to see who they roll out next week. 

Unputdownable

Last night I was dog-tired but thought I'd read a few pages of Nathan Dylan Goodwin's latest novella,

The Missing Man: A Morton Farrier novella, before retiring. Well that was the end of my early night.

The book was unputdownable, I just had to keep on reading right up to the last page. I don't know if Nathan has excelled himself with this latest adventure of Morton Farrier or, now that I have read all the previous stories, I am so familiar with the characters that they are like old friends and I have to keep up with their latest exploits but this story drew me in, I just couldn't put it down.

As with his other books I think that Nathan needs a bit of assistance to develop more attractive covers and layouts but one shouldn't judge ta his book by its cover.

In this tale we join Morton and his now wife, Juliette, on their honeymoon in Cape Cod. As well as honeymooning with the ever patient Juliette Nathan takes the opportunity to try and track down his American biological father. As we join Morton on this journey we learn about US research and repositories and are with Morton when he meets various members of his extended family. 

The characters in this story are believable and the mix of dialogue and prose seems to work well. Nathan's writing has developed and improved in this work.

I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.  Thanks Nathan for producing such a beaut story and for providing me with a review copy. I hope that there is another Morton Farrier story coming out soon.

If you would like to purchase a copy of the book it is available for Kindle and Paperback in the US from Amazon and from here in the UK. We folk downunder can find the Kindle version on Amazon.com.au here.

Morton strikes again

I was delighted to hear from author, Nathan Dylan Goodwin, a few weeks ago. Nathan offered to send me a review copy of the latest book in his Forensic Genealogist series, The Spyglass File.

As I had enjoyed the earlier books in the series I responded with an enthusiastic "YES Please."

My recent health problems have robbed me of the concentration needed to read books. I have started and not followed through with quite a few. This book was just the tonic I needed.

With its cliffhanger chapter endings and twists and turns this tale kept me reading right up to the last page. That it was a genealogical mystery from World War 11 added to my interest.

Having read earlier books in the series I have become quite fond of genealogist, Morton Farrier, whose character is further developed in this tale.  Following the relationship of Morton and his long suffering fiance, Juliette, adds an extra dimension to this series.

I enjoyed reading about the various real resources Morton used while researching Barbara Springett's ancestry and have added a few museums to my must visit list for my next trip to the UK. I was impressed that Morton used Ancestry DNA tests to confirm his traditional research. Of course Morton had more success in knocking down brickwalls than we ordinary genies have but The Spyglass File is a work of fiction.

While not a masterpiece The Spyglass File is competently written and engaged this reader right up to the last words. It is a page turner that provides a few hours amusement - just what I needed.  This is not just a book for those interested in genealogy I think that any reader who is fond of a good mystery would enjoy this book .... and, if you're into genealogy, you will definitely enjoy it.

I hope that it's not long before I can read of Morton's next adventure.

This book is available in print and ebook format - scroll to the bottom of this page for details.

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)