It’s genealogist Torie O’Shea’s turn to host her family’s annual holiday reunion. It’s been nearly ten years since she’s hosted her huge extended family, but no one in the small town of New Kassel, Missouri, has forgotten the havoc the last reunion raised. And it’s beginning to appear this one will be no different.

In the middle of juggling too many houseguests, her loving family and an unexpected pregnancy, Torie anonymously receives several newspaper clippings describing a fifty-year-old unsolved murder. The victim is Torie’s great-grandfather, who was shot on his front porch while his family remained trapped inside.

Torie’s stunned. As a genealogist, she’s always been a bit of a fanatic about her family’s past and everyone has always maintained that Great-Grandpa Keith was killed in a hunting accident. So why lie about the murder? Could her relatives be protecting another family member?

It’s clear someone wants Torie to do some investigating, and a family reunion seems the perfect place to start. But as Torie delves into her family’s past, she uncovers more questions than answers. Questions that cause her to doubt her very family history.

The strength of author Rett MacPherson’s writing is in her superb characterization. Torie’s family is loving, hilarious and real. I was so caught up in the character’s lives, I sometimes forgot there was a mystery to be solved. I was too involved in the details of Torie’s wheelchair bound mom’s affair with the local sheriff, or Torie’s long suffering husband Rudy’s hilarious reaction to the surprise news of her pregnancy.

Torie is my favorite type of heroine. She ably handles all that life throws at her, but not always graciously. If she doesn’t care for someone, she has no difficulty in letting that person know. She takes care of those she loves, and has a wonderful, quirky sense of humor. I can’t wait for the next book so I can spend time with these people again.

But A Comedy of Heirs is a mystery and a good one. It’s fast paced and kept me guessing throughout. I discovered the murderer the same time that Torie did and all the ends are tied up nicely. Except the bit about Torie’s pregnancy. But a sneak peek at an excerpt of the next book in the series has Torie uncomfortably sleuthing while eight months pregnant. I can hardly wait.

--Karen Lynch