Book Review: The Doll from Dunedin (Genealogy Mystery, #2) by M.L. Condike

The Doll from Dunedin by ML Condike
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fantastic new adventure in this fascinating genealogical mystery series.

The Doll from Dunedin is the second book in M.L. Condike’s wonderful Genealogy Mystery series featuring forensic genealogist RaeJean Hunter and the search for the missing heir of a wealthy New York woman she’s met while working on a previous assignment. Jill Harriet Hamilton had died earlier in the year. Per her will and the trust guiding her fortune, her attorneys had one year to locate her sole blood relation, purportedly living in New Zealand, before her considerable assets were bequeathed to Columbia University. With six months gone and no closer to locating the man, the firm turns to RaeJean for answers.

RaeJean is back, and this puzzling new case has a startling personal connection for her; she met the deceased client shortly before her death and subsequently rescued her beloved corgi, Eli, from an uncertain future. I love that her corgis have such a fun place in this series. Sam and RaeJean are anxious to start a family, and the timing of the case is a deciding factor on whether or not she even takes it on, especially considering the dangers she encountered on her last one.

The plot is intriguing, with secrecy and litigation-prone members of the deceased extended (and adoptive family) making RaeJean’s work tougher. Still, the high-risk case does offer an incredible payday should she find success. Besides the search into the adopted woman’s bloodline, another cold case from the distant past is wound throughout, and the questions about her runaway father are a recurring factor in the series. As in the series debut, an unusual antique with a mysterious effect on RaeJean embellishes the story.

I recommend THE DOLL FROM DUNEDIN to readers of historical mysteries, especially those with an interest in genealogical research and enjoy a touch of the paranormal in their stories.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through a Lone Star Literary Life Book Campaign.

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Copper Waters (Annalisse, #4) by Marlene M. Bell

Copper Waters by Marlene M. Bell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series keeps getting better and better!

When Verina announced that Alec Zavos was the father of her young son, Noah, Annalisse Drury felt she had to turn down his marriage proposal until the matter of paternity was resolved. She needed to step back and regroup before planning for a future together.

She was also burdened by questions regarding her own past; her mother had almost come clean about Anna’s parentage. The people Anna had thought were her parents turned out to be complicit replacements. But, before Kate revealed the truth about her real father, she took off again.

Soon after, a note from an old friend of her mother’s, the heir to a vast sheep station in New Zealand, arrived, inviting her to come for a visit; Anna decided to take him up on his offer. If anyone knew where her mother was, Ethan was most likely to be the one. Also, she and Alec could use a little time and distance to reflect on how to proceed going forward.

Alec, worried about Anna traveling alone (she’d proven to be a magnet for trouble in the past), arranged for his best friend, private investigator Bill Drake, to join her on the flight as a protective measure. Still, from the moment the two set down in Christchurch, trouble finds them with first one murder and then another dogging their every step.

Copper Waters is the fourth book in Marlene M. Bell’s captivating international mystery series, Annalisse. It seems that with each subsequent book, this series keeps getting better and better.

This time, our heroine, confused and hurt over her boyfriend’s refusal to take care of business regarding a paternity claim hanging over his head, spontaneously heads off to New Zealand in search of her mother and answers to her own origins. She and her traveling companion, Bill Drake, unknowingly walk into the middle of a situation that has resulted in the death of a local character and environmental activist. While Ethan Fawdray proves to be too distracted by station business to play host, his family makes it abundantly clear Anna and Bill are not welcome, and Anna’s mother has already flown the coop yet again. Still, Anna learns some critical details about her father.

Even after the rude welcome and Anna’s and Bill’s decision to try and make the most of their trip seeing the sights, the action keeps dragging them back into the drama on the sheep station. The author includes some wonderful descriptions of the countryside and small towns, which really gives the story a local flavor. Even the bach sounded charming! Poor Anna doesn’t come away unscathed, though. Between multiple bouts of indigestion and some tainted tea, there wasn’t a meal that went by that ended well. She was a trooper throughout, though. I liked that Alec and Anna didn’t take long to sort out their feelings for each other. I really like this couple. But Bill is a very sympathetic odd-man-out and needs to meet someone, too.

However, this book is ultimately a mystery, and there are some good suspects to consider who is behind the murders and mayhem. While one revelation was no surprise and a natural, another was a shocker and a well-done one at that! I will wonder what will happen with that situation for quite a while.

I recommend COPPER WATERS to fans of the previous books in the series and the complete series to mystery readers who enjoy international settings, romantic suspense, intrigue – both foreign and domestic, and stories involving art and ancient antiquities.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

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