Book Review: Blood Relations

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Blood Relations     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Rett MacPherson
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Victory O'Shea # 6
St. Martin’s, April 2003, $23.95, 288 pp.

Torie O’Shea loves living in the tourist town of New Kassel, Missouri with her husband and three children. She knows almost all the other residents and where the skeletons are buried because she is the Granite County archivist. What she doesn’t know she can find out which is why she is so good at solving homicide investigations.

Due to the drought the Mississippi River is so low that for the first time since 1919 the steamboat the Phantom is visible. Rumor has it that there was a huge amount of diamonds on it when it went down and the journalists and even a university professor are looking for a good story. One night when Torie and her friend are out walking she hears a groan near where the boat is located and discovers the body of the college professor whose skull is bashed in. Using her investigative skills and information gathered from interviewees and out-of-state contacts, Torie learns why the Phantom sunk over five decades ago, but who the killer is remains to be solved.

In addition to working yet another homicide investigation, Torie must cope with the knowledge that she has a half-sister she never knew about, but she does both with an aplomb that will make her the envy of readers. Torie is one of the most likable heroines a reader will find because she loves her family and friends and is not afraid to show and act on her feelings. Rett MacPherson is a talented writer who provides a complex, multi-layered mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner