Book picks similar to
Family Shadows by John Nixon


genealogy
mystery
fiction
contemporary

Patience


Victoria Scott - 2021
    I could barely put the book down until its equally heart-wrenching and heart-warming ending. A wonderful, smart and funny book - I know readers will absolutely love it' Louise Fein, bestselling author of People Like UsThe Willows have been through a lot. Louise has devoted her life to caring for her disabled youngest daughter. Pete works abroad, almost never seeing his loved ones. And their eldest, Eliza, is burdened by all the secrets she's trying to keep from her overloaded family.Meanwhile, Patience observes the world while trapped in her own body. She laughs, she cries, she has opinions and knows what she wants. But those who love her most - and make every decision about her life - will never know.Or will they? When the Willows are offered the opportunity for Patience to take part in a new gene therapy trial to cure her Rett syndrome, they face an impossible dilemma. Are the very real risks worth the chance of the reward, no matter how small?'An extraordinary novel about love and hope and family and what happens in the space between the words. I adored it' Kirsten Hesketh, author of Another Us

Novels By Jodi Picoult


Hephaestus Books - 2011
    To date, this content has been curated from Wikipedia articles and images under Creative Commons licensing, although as Hephaestus Books continues to increase in scope and dimension, more licensed and public domain content is being added. We believe books such as this represent a new and exciting lexicon in the sharing of human knowledge. This particular book is a collaboration focused on Novels by Jodi Picoult.

The Famous DAR Murder Mystery


Graham Landrum - 1992
    Though the sheriff dismisses the body as a transient battered in a drunken brawl, one of the ladies, organist Helen Delaporte, has other ideas. First, there are the victim's finely manicured hands...and then there is the map dropped at the scene of the crime.Soon the members, including feisty, eighty-six-year-old Harriet Bushrow, are rebels with a cause, mounting an investigation of their own. Of course, when the press catches wind of it, they go to town. the coveted publicity for their chapter sets the ladies reveling...until Helen's windshield is showered with bullets...and it's clear that their new pet project could spell deadly ends for them all.Told in the alternating voices of chapter members and other colorful characters, Graham Landrum's stunning debut novel is the first in a delightful series narrated by members of the community of Borderville (smack on the Virginia-Tennessee line).

The Yukon Grieves for No One


Lynn Berk - 2012
    A skiff is rammed by a large power boat and an old, Inuit seal hunter sinks into the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean. Four hundred miles away Frank Johnson, a Yukon Territory homesteader, is killed and buried in his own trash pile. When American Lydia Falkner returns to her Yukon River cabin, she is unemployed, broke, and grieving for her father. She is seeking the peace and solitude that only her special sanctuary can offer. But her friend Frank’s death and the frustrating riddles he leaves behind make her a witness to an ever-widening conspiracy born of greed, deceit, and betrayal. Lydia’s search for answers carries her many miles through the magnificent landscapes of the Canadian north. She and her battered skiff ride the waves and riffles of the Yukon River. A remote gravel road carries her into the high Arctic of the Northwest Territories and into the orbit of an unscrupulous and dangerous business man. Each of Lydia’s journeys yields new revelations and each revelation puts her in greater danger. When she finally uncovers the piece of evidence that ties everything together, she is forced to run for her life.The Yukon Grieves for No One invites the reader to revisit the land of Jack London. There are Mounties and mountain men, grizzlies and wolves, Inuit and people of the First Nations, impostors and predatory entrepreneurs. But this is a thoroughly modern story with a little sex, lots of humor, a sidekick with a Brooklyn accent, and a plot that twists, turns, and deepens much like the mighty Yukon River.

Death on the Family Tree


Patricia Sprinkle - 2006
    Now Katharine's saddled with her Aunt's worldly belongings—mostly knickknacks destined for the dumpster. But there's a priceless Celtic necklace among the dross—and a diary written in German, neither of which Katharine's ever seen before.Determined to find out where these objects came from, Katharine unwittingly discovers a branch of her family tree she never knew existed—namely Aunt Lucy's brother Carter, murdered more than fifty years ago after a mysterious trip to Austria. And when Lucy's artifacts are stolen, and the main suspect turns up dead, Katharine realizes she must solve a burglary and two unsolved homicides separated by a half-century . . . before more than her family secrets end up dead and buried.

Finding Eliza


Stephanie Pitcher Fishman - 2014
    What could go wrong?" When Lizzie Clydell agreed to join her grandmother at the church’s genealogy group meeting she expected nothing more than lemon squares and a few stories. Instead, an old diary leads Lizzie down a dusty road of lies, hidden family secrets, and a lynching that nearly destroyed her family. Still strug­gling with the loss of her parents two decades ear­lier, Lizzie must con­front a painful past that others hoped was forgotten. Her journey becomes even more difficult as she realizes those around her may not be as they seem. Can Lizzie make peace with the past or will it destroy the relationships she holds most dear? Joining her is a group of lifelong friends known to Lizzie as The Gals. Headed up by her own grandmother, the group of women guide her through the past with humor, encouragement, and tough love as she learns about grace and forgiveness. Set in small town Georgia, Finding Eliza is a contemporary story with flashes of his­tor­i­cal fic­tion as Lizzie digs into the 1930s of segregation, illegal interracial relationships, and fear of the KKK.

Deadly Descent: A Lottie Albright Mystery


Charlotte Hinger - 2009
    When false accusations threaten senatorial candidate Brian Hadley’s political career, secrets whispered to Lottie as editor of the county history books spur a personal search for his aunt’s murderer. Lottie dons a badge to gain access to information. She delves into a horrifying “cold case” to prove her merits as a deputy and impresses Sheriff Sam Abbot with her ability to combine historical research methods and police procedure. Soon Lottie’s sister Josie adds her helpful expertise in untangling the web of families bound by a lethal legacy of prideful secrets.

Peril Through The Panama: Book Two: The Cozy Cruise Mysteries


Lizzie Josephson - 2020
    

Ignoring Gravity


Sandra Danby - 2014
    She pulls the same face as her grandfather when she has to do something she doesn’t want to do, she knows her DNA is the same as his. Except it isn’t: because Rose is adopted and doesn’t know it. Ignoring Gravity connects two pairs of sisters separated by a generation of secrets. Finding her mother’s lost diaries, Rose begins to understand why she has always seemed the outsider in her family, why she feels so different from her sister Lily. Then just when she thinks there can’t be any more secrets… This is the first in a series of novels about Rose Haldane, identity detective.

The Pope's Suicide


Steve Richer - 2017
     It isn't old age or a disease. He is found hanging in a bathroom while on an official visit to New York City. All signs point to a suicide and NYPD detective Donnie Beecher is put in charge of the investigation. It's the last assignment he wants. Because of his tragic past, he has no love for the Catholic Church. His marriage is falling apart, his teenage daughter is getting mixed up with the bad crowd. But soon clues start piling up. What if the Pope was assassinated? In Vatican City, young and idealistic Father O'Dwyer is beginning to wonder the same thing. Why are the cardinals around him so secretive? Why do they keep whispering about the mysterious San Marino letter? With his superiors breathing down his neck for a swift resolution, Beecher teams up with Officer Emma Aldridge, a former nun. Failure means not just an end to his career but a shift of power in international relations which could lead to war. Together, they will need to find out what really happened to the Pope. ...and try not to get killed in the process.

The House Book


Susan Greenwood - 2018
    The house remains in the ownership of one family for three and a half centuries, each generation faithfully recording details of their household in The House Book. Eventually, the family line dies out. 1985 Oakwood Grange has new owners. Janie Whittaker feels an unaccountable attachment to the old place from the very first visit and, inspired by The House Book, decides it’s time she traced the estranged branch of her own family. But it’s Janie’s discovery of Alice’s diary in amongst some old papers which provides a more interesting link between past and present and soon she’s absorbed in Alice’s world. Meanwhile, Janie can’t help noticing one or two strange little occurrences in the house - even their foundling cat seems a bit odd - but none of this really fazes her. It’s true the witches’ marks over the fireplace are a bit unsettling, but then belief in witches was commonplace in the seventeenth century and now, surely, everyone knows... ...there’s no such thing as witchcraft? A perfect book club read for fans of Kate Morton, Rachel Hore and Katherine Webb

If I Could Remember


Vedant Saxena - 2021
    Only to find it was a dream. Or was it? He can’t differentiate between reality and dreams. And his memories lapses aren’t helping him either. Haunted by a past he can’t remember about, he stands at odd with the society, and his family—who favours their prodigal son, Yash.UNTIL! He discovers the session tapes of his classmate Ananya, in his psychiatrist father’s office. What’s in those tapes that incite fear in the school diva? When the tapes go missing from the office, he believes something sinister is being protected. Meanwhile, he is able to win the trust of Ananya, who reluctantly bares her traumatic past, revealing she was—RAPED & MOLESTED. It compels him to seek justice for her. But, the evils bestowed upon her stretch deep, even forcing her to—KILL.Will he be able to save her after the revelation of his family‘s involvement in her destruction? Or will the truth drive him to insanity?In this vicious dark thriller, everyone’s a liar. Everyone is hiding a secret which can’t come to light...

The Ties That Bind: A Mystery Crime Thriller (Max Plank Mystery Series Book 2)


Robert Bucchianeri - 2018
    He normally steers clear of cases involving family affairs, but the old woman is desperate to prevent a femme fatale from taking advantage of her young son and a large fortune. With the help of a fat envelope stuffed with cash, Max agrees to at least give it a cursory examination.But once Max catches the scent of the mystey, his curiosity and need for justice take over. Soon it’s unclear whether he’s the pursuer or the pursued until he realizes that he’s put at risk the people he loves most in the world. As the dead bodies pile up, the twists and turns explode into a stunning climax where a monstrous secret is finally unmasked and innocent lives are forever ruined.The Ties That Bind is a blistering mystery thriller by the author of the highly praised Stray Cat Blues. Look for the next Max Plank Mystery, Devil’s Arcade, coming soon!

All The Hidden Pieces


Jillian Thomadsen - 2018
    Within minutes, she and her family hastily pack up their belongings and abandon their home. Where did the family go and why? Det. Roberta Hobbs has been assigned to uncover the family's whereabouts. Hobbs is a confident, intelligent police veteran. However, each passing day brings her closer to her unresolved past. When Hobbs digs deeper into the mystery, all leads point to her own longtime ex-boyfriend - a former drug dealer turned philanthropist named Steven Vance -- as the primary suspect. This riveting dual-timeline suspense novel takes us back to 2004 -- the year Greta Carpenter first realizes something is wrong with her young son, John. Over the course of his childhood, John's learning disabilities become apparent. Greta's unfaltering advocacy on his behalf puts her at odds with the school system and strains her relationship with her husband Griffin. Eventually Greta and Griffin's marriage falls apart, and during the divorce trial, Greta reveals that she was a teenage runaway, and a local entrepreneur named Steven Vance rescued her from the streets. Vance is certainly a man of many shades - a local celebrity for his philanthropy, a cunning CEO who sits atop a questionable mini-empire, a benevolent former father figure to Greta and a lying, evasive former companion to Hobbs. It seems that only Vance has the power to make people disappear in this small town and he emerges as the most obvious suspect...but Hobbs remains uncertain of his role. While her colleagues question whether she can truly be impartial, Hobbs realizes she has a reason to suspect them as well. Nothing is obvious in this thrilling mystery...except that Hobbs must race to solve the mystery before it's too late.

Shoofly Pie & Chop Shop: 2 Bugman Novels in 1


Tim Downs - 2009
    So popular did Polchak become that author Tim Downs has now published five Bug Man novels. And now for the first time: the first two Bug Man novels under one cover.Shoofly PieWithin minutes of a murder, the first fly arrives at the scene. Soon there are hundreds, then thousands, and each one knows the victim's story...Thirty-year-old Kathryn Guilford turns to Dr. Nick Polchak, the Bug Man, to help her learn the truth about the apparent suicide of her longtime friend and onetime suitor. Polchak introduces her to a mysterious world of blood-seeking flies and flesh-eating beetles. But there's a problem...Kathryn Guilford has a pathological fear of insects.Now she must confront her darkest fears to unearth a decade-long conspiracy that threatens to turn her entire world upside down.Chop ShopYoung Dr. Riley McKay has worked hard toward her career in pathology. But her promising future is threatened when suspicious activities -- bungled autopsies, concealed evidence, and unexplained wounds -- incriminate her supervising pathologist at the Allegheny County Coroner's Office in Pittsburgh, Dr. Nathan Lassiter. When Riley is ignored by her seniors and threatened by Dr. Lassiter, she turns in desperation to Dr. Nick Polchak, the Bug Man, to help her uncover the truth.From a handful of tiny maggots, Nick and Riley begin to unearth the facts...The flies on the wall can talk.Forensic entomologist Nick Polchak is listening.