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Lottie Albright #2
Lethal Lineage
A sinister Episcopal Bishop shows up to confirm Lottie and Josie Albright's niece at the new frame church built on the corners of four Western Kansas counties. Suddenly, the Reverend Mary Farnsworth flees to the anteroom after dropping the chalice during communion. Josie, a psychologist, lingers after the service to comfort her, but Lottie orders her sister to leave when they discover Reverend Mary's body. As Deputy Sheriff, Lottie's duty bound to attend to the death. Back at the county-wide picnic, an elderly lady informs Lottie that a man kneeling next to her scared Reverend Mary into a heart attack. Lottie soon learns that the beloved Reverend Mary was a woman without a past, and that the rogue Bishop has unexpected ties to Western Kansas. A sheriff from an adjacent county, unaware that Josie is an FBI consultant, assumes that seizing control of the investigation will be easy and instead arouses the twins' wrath. Forgetting that the past is always present, Lottie's investigation into old documents riles up murderous century-old rivalries....
464 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2010
52 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Hinger
16 books16 followersCharlotte Hinger is a Western Kansas historian. She has a M.A. in history and lives in Colorado. http://www.charlottehinger.com/bio-me...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 28, 2011
Mysteries are tricky, both to write and to read. There has to be enough going on to engage the reader, with clues laid to be found, mulled over, and put into a coherent story. Mysteries that hit you with a gotcha at the end, showing they are not as mysterious as initially presented aren't the kinds of mysteries that I usually enjoy. Not that I don't appreciate the occasional red herring, but when the entire plot hinges on a huge one, that leads exactly nowhere, I get disappointed. There are a lot of small town politics, descriptions of the infamous Kansas wind, and petty revenge flowing through this book, none of which, unfortunately, adds to the conclusion, which feels both forced and rushed.
This isn't a bad book, but it's not one that I've wholeheartedly enjoyed.
(Prepublication galley from netgalley.com)
This isn't a bad book, but it's not one that I've wholeheartedly enjoyed.
(Prepublication galley from netgalley.com)
January 15, 2022
Did not finish. I enjoyed the first book in this series, but just couldn’t get into this one. Part of the problem was the audio. Some people can read well; others not so well. The latter should not be asked to be a narrator
June 18, 2017
Windy desolate western Kansas delight. The unrelenting wind and the vastness of western Kansas. Plot twists and turns. An evil Sheriff and his vicious inbred relatives. A scary Bishop and a brand new little country church. Toss all these together and you have an excellent page turner. Didn't suspect conclusion until the very end.
October 17, 2012
First Line: Happiness happens.
The Episcopalians in Lottie Albright's corner of western Kansas have worked hard to build a small church on a parcel of land that sits on the corners of four counties. The first day they gather together for a sermon, communion, and the confirmation of Lottie's niece.
The bishop gives an inappropriate sermon filled with hellfire and brimstone, and everyone is thunderstruck when beloved Reverend Mary Farnsworth drops the chalice during communion and locks herself in the anteroom. Lottie's sister Josie, a psychologist, stays after the service to comfort Mary, but Lottie orders her sister to leave when the locked door is opened and Mary's body is found on the floor. Frightened by the bishop's strange rituals for disposing of the spilled wine, Lottie would like nothing better than to leave, but as undersheriff, she must stay to attend to the death.
An elderly lady who attended the service insists that a man kneeling next to her scared Reverend Mary into a heart attack which gives credence to Lottie's belief that this was not a natural death. Calling in other law enforcement agencies, Lottie discovers many more questions than answers as the investigation moves forward.
The first book in this series, Deadly Descent, relied a great deal on Lottie's skill as an historian digging through old records, documents, and genealogical charts. In Lethal Lineage, Lottie finds herself focusing more on the oral histories of several county residents. She also realizes that she's bitten off more than she can chew in her work for the county historical society and as undersheriff. It is something on which both she and her husband must come to some sort of agreement while Lottie tries to find a killer and deal with a sheriff whose family has ridden roughshod over a neighboring county for decades.
Hinger brings sparsely populated western Kansas to life by seamlessly including details of how poor counties constantly battle budget constraints as well as how feuds, secrets and lies never seem to die out no matter how many decades pass. (Have you ever stopped to wonder how many fewer books would be written if people everywhere would simply tell the truth?)
Her three main characters-- Lottie, her sister Josie, and her husband Keith-- are strong, vivid people who care for one another deeply although they don't always see eye-to-eye. I feel as if I've known them my whole life.
In just two books I've fallen in love with the setting, the characters, and the way Charlotte Hinger can tell a story. Lethal Lineage stands alone quite well, but I think it would be best to start at the beginning so you can fully appreciate the fascinating work Charlotte does at the historical society, as well as the dynamics between the characters. This is a highly recommended book in a highly recommended series. I can't wait for book number three!
The Episcopalians in Lottie Albright's corner of western Kansas have worked hard to build a small church on a parcel of land that sits on the corners of four counties. The first day they gather together for a sermon, communion, and the confirmation of Lottie's niece.
The bishop gives an inappropriate sermon filled with hellfire and brimstone, and everyone is thunderstruck when beloved Reverend Mary Farnsworth drops the chalice during communion and locks herself in the anteroom. Lottie's sister Josie, a psychologist, stays after the service to comfort Mary, but Lottie orders her sister to leave when the locked door is opened and Mary's body is found on the floor. Frightened by the bishop's strange rituals for disposing of the spilled wine, Lottie would like nothing better than to leave, but as undersheriff, she must stay to attend to the death.
An elderly lady who attended the service insists that a man kneeling next to her scared Reverend Mary into a heart attack which gives credence to Lottie's belief that this was not a natural death. Calling in other law enforcement agencies, Lottie discovers many more questions than answers as the investigation moves forward.
The first book in this series, Deadly Descent, relied a great deal on Lottie's skill as an historian digging through old records, documents, and genealogical charts. In Lethal Lineage, Lottie finds herself focusing more on the oral histories of several county residents. She also realizes that she's bitten off more than she can chew in her work for the county historical society and as undersheriff. It is something on which both she and her husband must come to some sort of agreement while Lottie tries to find a killer and deal with a sheriff whose family has ridden roughshod over a neighboring county for decades.
Hinger brings sparsely populated western Kansas to life by seamlessly including details of how poor counties constantly battle budget constraints as well as how feuds, secrets and lies never seem to die out no matter how many decades pass. (Have you ever stopped to wonder how many fewer books would be written if people everywhere would simply tell the truth?)
Her three main characters-- Lottie, her sister Josie, and her husband Keith-- are strong, vivid people who care for one another deeply although they don't always see eye-to-eye. I feel as if I've known them my whole life.
In just two books I've fallen in love with the setting, the characters, and the way Charlotte Hinger can tell a story. Lethal Lineage stands alone quite well, but I think it would be best to start at the beginning so you can fully appreciate the fascinating work Charlotte does at the historical society, as well as the dynamics between the characters. This is a highly recommended book in a highly recommended series. I can't wait for book number three!
October 18, 2018
+++Lottie has too many jobs, ranch wife, under sheriff, county historian and the latest: coordinating the acquisition of land, materials and volunteer labor to build an Episcopal Church. Then during the very first official service, the unthinkable happens. In the following weeks with help? from her sister Josie and her shih tzu Tosca, her husband Keith Feine, sheriff Sam Abbot and the KBI as well as historical records things are finally settled very unexpectedly. Vandalism, murder, a recall election, obscure antecedents, and greed all happen.+++
April 12, 2022
The second Lottie Albright mystery once again provides an interesting who-done-it and a look at small town western Kansas. But there is more to this story than that: Episcopalian church politics, people with mysterious, unknown backgrounds, African civil war, and a recall election! The people live simple lives, but the issues at stake here are anything but simple.
This audio version was easy to listen to.
I'll be reading the next in the series.
This audio version was easy to listen to.
I'll be reading the next in the series.
January 6, 2018
A genealogical mystery. Very well written and researched. Some genealogy involved, but no research helps.
January 26, 2022
Book 2 in the series, just as good as the first
February 24, 2011
This is the second book in the series but it was not necessary to have read the first one. This one is a stand alone mystery novel.
Opening with the first service in a newly built Episcopal church, the result of the united efforts of the Episcopalians in four counties of western Kansas, the congregation's day goes downhill from the first rapturous chords of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” sounding from a boom box-- they have not yet been able to afford a piano or organ. The intent was to celebrate the first service in the church including the confirmation of one of their number and then join for a picnic and day of music at Fiene's Folly. What actually happened was a dreadful combination of a thundering sermon from the visiting suffragan Bishop, the Right Reverend Ignatius P. Talesbury, that blamed the congregation for everything from the barren land to the sinking economy. This is followed by the spilling of the communion wine and a mysterious death.
The view point character in this first person mystery, is Lottie Albright, county historian and under sheriff. This dual position allows her to get first hand information about events as they occur. She also is involved in a dispute with an adjoining county sheriff, as she tries to gather information about the background of the murder victim.
With a few caveats, this is a good page turner. The western Kansas background is interesting and well done. The historian part of the novel has a feeling of authenticity-- as it should because the author is also a western Kansas historian. I was definitely intrigued by the information about the Episcopalian church-- spilled communion wine in the church I grew up in with would have simply been sopped up with a paper towel. There would have been no need to cut a square of carpet out. Lottie uses her skills as a historian to help solve the mysteries she is involved with.
Now to the caveats. I think the opening would have been stronger if there was some more showing rather than telling. Telling me that the sermon traumatized the congregation was one thing, but left me wondering exactly what the Bishop said that upset everyone. The villain was also two dimensional. A little more depth would have made the story stronger.
Overall though, an entertaining story that is likely to appeal to cozy fans with a penchant for Americana.
Opening with the first service in a newly built Episcopal church, the result of the united efforts of the Episcopalians in four counties of western Kansas, the congregation's day goes downhill from the first rapturous chords of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” sounding from a boom box-- they have not yet been able to afford a piano or organ. The intent was to celebrate the first service in the church including the confirmation of one of their number and then join for a picnic and day of music at Fiene's Folly. What actually happened was a dreadful combination of a thundering sermon from the visiting suffragan Bishop, the Right Reverend Ignatius P. Talesbury, that blamed the congregation for everything from the barren land to the sinking economy. This is followed by the spilling of the communion wine and a mysterious death.
The view point character in this first person mystery, is Lottie Albright, county historian and under sheriff. This dual position allows her to get first hand information about events as they occur. She also is involved in a dispute with an adjoining county sheriff, as she tries to gather information about the background of the murder victim.
With a few caveats, this is a good page turner. The western Kansas background is interesting and well done. The historian part of the novel has a feeling of authenticity-- as it should because the author is also a western Kansas historian. I was definitely intrigued by the information about the Episcopalian church-- spilled communion wine in the church I grew up in with would have simply been sopped up with a paper towel. There would have been no need to cut a square of carpet out. Lottie uses her skills as a historian to help solve the mysteries she is involved with.
Now to the caveats. I think the opening would have been stronger if there was some more showing rather than telling. Telling me that the sermon traumatized the congregation was one thing, but left me wondering exactly what the Bishop said that upset everyone. The villain was also two dimensional. A little more depth would have made the story stronger.
Overall though, an entertaining story that is likely to appeal to cozy fans with a penchant for Americana.
February 27, 2011
You might think life in a little Kansas town would be boring but Lottie Albright and her sister Josie can testify that sometimes it is just downright exciting to say nothing of being a little dangerous.
St. Helena’s is a small Episcopal Church built on the corners of four western Kansas Counties. The church is the result of donations of money, land, and labor by members of the congregation who are anxiously awaiting the first service in their own church. What should be a joyous occasion suddenly turns into a tragic affair when Reverend Mary Farnsworth drops the sacramental wine and rushes to the anteroom. When the door to the anteroom is finally opened, Mary is dead. What is first believed to be a suicide is soon found to be murder. Mary has been poisoned.
Lottie Albright acts as undersheriff of the county as well as historian. Lottie soon discovers that although Mary has lived in town for years no one really knows anything about her history or if she has family. Lottie is at a loss as to who to notify about Mary’s death. Lottie’s twin sister, Josie, is assisting Lottie in her search for Mary’s identity.
The two sisters’s run up against a crooked sheriff from an adjoining county who tries to take control of the investigation and the battle is on. Lottie’s husband, Keith Feine, is not pleased with the sheriff’s action so he joins in the battle to unseat Sheriff Deal who has a lot of family to support him but he has run roughshod over the county too long so it is a bitter fight.
In Lottie’s role as historian, she is compiling family histories and Edna Mavery has quite a story to tell. Edna also insists that there was a man at the church that whispered to Mary right before she ran to the anteroom. Edna feels sure that this man gave Mary a heart attack. As Lottie learns more about Edna, she discovers that Edna has many secrets of her own.
Lethal Lineage is the second book in the Lottie and Josie Albright series. Charlotte Hinger takes the story in several different directions but the story comes together with a satisfying and surprising ending.
St. Helena’s is a small Episcopal Church built on the corners of four western Kansas Counties. The church is the result of donations of money, land, and labor by members of the congregation who are anxiously awaiting the first service in their own church. What should be a joyous occasion suddenly turns into a tragic affair when Reverend Mary Farnsworth drops the sacramental wine and rushes to the anteroom. When the door to the anteroom is finally opened, Mary is dead. What is first believed to be a suicide is soon found to be murder. Mary has been poisoned.
Lottie Albright acts as undersheriff of the county as well as historian. Lottie soon discovers that although Mary has lived in town for years no one really knows anything about her history or if she has family. Lottie is at a loss as to who to notify about Mary’s death. Lottie’s twin sister, Josie, is assisting Lottie in her search for Mary’s identity.
The two sisters’s run up against a crooked sheriff from an adjoining county who tries to take control of the investigation and the battle is on. Lottie’s husband, Keith Feine, is not pleased with the sheriff’s action so he joins in the battle to unseat Sheriff Deal who has a lot of family to support him but he has run roughshod over the county too long so it is a bitter fight.
In Lottie’s role as historian, she is compiling family histories and Edna Mavery has quite a story to tell. Edna also insists that there was a man at the church that whispered to Mary right before she ran to the anteroom. Edna feels sure that this man gave Mary a heart attack. As Lottie learns more about Edna, she discovers that Edna has many secrets of her own.
Lethal Lineage is the second book in the Lottie and Josie Albright series. Charlotte Hinger takes the story in several different directions but the story comes together with a satisfying and surprising ending.
September 28, 2011
Lethal Lineage is the second book of the Lottie Albright series by Charlotte Hinger. You don’t need to have read the first book to understand what’s going on in the small Kansas town where Lottie lives. This is a big plus, because I was introduced to the character with this book.
The first thing that impressed me was the sense of place. Hinger takes us into the vast Western Kansas plains and wraps us in the relentless wind that shapes her characters. Readers who have driven across Kansas can appreciate Lottie’s sister’s opinion of the drive and her husband’s remark about having heard all the jokes.
Lottie is a busy woman, working for the historical society, holding down a second part time job as county under-sheriff, and dealing with the problems of church, home, and family. Life gets complicated on all fronts when the minister drops dead during the first service at their tiny new Episcopalian church, St. Helena. The death sets us up with all the makings of a locked room mystery. Readers must untangle knots of family relationships and delve into grudges as old as the Kansas frontier before discovering what really happened at that fateful Sunday service.
One of the biggest problems with Lottie’s investigation is her prickly relationship with the sheriff of the adjacent county. She steps on his toes early and gets locked up in his jail overnight. From there, the relationship goes downhill.
Hinger is an historian and a talented writer. I was impressed with her firm grasp of the history and politics of Kansas. She also has a talent at creating complex characters. Mystery writing is a tricky art. I felt that the red herring on which her plot turns left me twisting a little in the Kansas wind. This is a small flaw in an otherwise perfect gem of a book. I look forward to seeing more from Charlotte Hinger and encourage you to read this book.
The first thing that impressed me was the sense of place. Hinger takes us into the vast Western Kansas plains and wraps us in the relentless wind that shapes her characters. Readers who have driven across Kansas can appreciate Lottie’s sister’s opinion of the drive and her husband’s remark about having heard all the jokes.
Lottie is a busy woman, working for the historical society, holding down a second part time job as county under-sheriff, and dealing with the problems of church, home, and family. Life gets complicated on all fronts when the minister drops dead during the first service at their tiny new Episcopalian church, St. Helena. The death sets us up with all the makings of a locked room mystery. Readers must untangle knots of family relationships and delve into grudges as old as the Kansas frontier before discovering what really happened at that fateful Sunday service.
One of the biggest problems with Lottie’s investigation is her prickly relationship with the sheriff of the adjacent county. She steps on his toes early and gets locked up in his jail overnight. From there, the relationship goes downhill.
Hinger is an historian and a talented writer. I was impressed with her firm grasp of the history and politics of Kansas. She also has a talent at creating complex characters. Mystery writing is a tricky art. I felt that the red herring on which her plot turns left me twisting a little in the Kansas wind. This is a small flaw in an otherwise perfect gem of a book. I look forward to seeing more from Charlotte Hinger and encourage you to read this book.
August 23, 2011
Lottie Albright has three jobs, a full-timer as wife to husband Keith Fiene, a part-time job as local historical for the historical society and a part-time as undersheriff for the county. Needless to say, Keith is not real wild about the last job but he wants Lottie to be happy and thus just grits his teeth and worries a lot.
When a local social worker is killed in a locked room and no murder weapon is found, Lottie is on the prowl to find out who killed her friend and good and kind woman. While investigating the murder a neighboring sheriff claims "custody" of the crime scene and proceeds to arrest Lottie and her twin sister Josie. Sheriff Deal makes mistakes, big mistakes and ends up on the wrong end of a YouTube video as well as losing a recall election. None of that explains the death of Mary Farnsworth and that death is eating at Lottie.
Lottie is also dealing with an elderly woman who is telling her life story to audio cassettes, telling Lottie things that she has not told anyone in over 50 years. The story is heartbreaking, the finish to the book ties up most of the lose ends, and the reader is carried away in a complicated, intricate story that keeps you turning the pages.
Then there is the issue of a new Episcopal church that has an amazing turn of events, one more mystery that keeps you reading.
Charlotte Hinger can write, and this book just confirms that fact as the 2nd in a series.
Looking forward to #3.
When a local social worker is killed in a locked room and no murder weapon is found, Lottie is on the prowl to find out who killed her friend and good and kind woman. While investigating the murder a neighboring sheriff claims "custody" of the crime scene and proceeds to arrest Lottie and her twin sister Josie. Sheriff Deal makes mistakes, big mistakes and ends up on the wrong end of a YouTube video as well as losing a recall election. None of that explains the death of Mary Farnsworth and that death is eating at Lottie.
Lottie is also dealing with an elderly woman who is telling her life story to audio cassettes, telling Lottie things that she has not told anyone in over 50 years. The story is heartbreaking, the finish to the book ties up most of the lose ends, and the reader is carried away in a complicated, intricate story that keeps you turning the pages.
Then there is the issue of a new Episcopal church that has an amazing turn of events, one more mystery that keeps you reading.
Charlotte Hinger can write, and this book just confirms that fact as the 2nd in a series.
Looking forward to #3.
March 10, 2011
The vastness of Western Kansas. The unrelenting wind. Plot twists and turns. An evil Sheriff and his vicious inbred relatives. A scary Bishop and a brand new little country church. Toss all of these together and you have an excellent page turner that is impossible to put down.
Lottie Albright made her debut in Charlotte Hinger's first novel in this series titled Deadly Descent. I wish I had read Deadly Descent first just because I know it would have been an excellent introduction to Lottie and her family. But not having read the first book did not infringe on my understanding at all of any circumstances in Lethal Lineage.
Lottie is both an under-sheriff in the county in which she lives, she is also the county historian. Through both of these occupations she interacts with everyone in her county in Western Kansas. It is through all these wonderful characters that the story evolves and keeps you from putting the book down. I really wasn't expecting the ending at all but of course once it was revealed it made complete and utter sense! I highly recommend this wonderful mystery.
Lottie Albright made her debut in Charlotte Hinger's first novel in this series titled Deadly Descent. I wish I had read Deadly Descent first just because I know it would have been an excellent introduction to Lottie and her family. But not having read the first book did not infringe on my understanding at all of any circumstances in Lethal Lineage.
Lottie is both an under-sheriff in the county in which she lives, she is also the county historian. Through both of these occupations she interacts with everyone in her county in Western Kansas. It is through all these wonderful characters that the story evolves and keeps you from putting the book down. I really wasn't expecting the ending at all but of course once it was revealed it made complete and utter sense! I highly recommend this wonderful mystery.
January 8, 2012
This is an amazing novel. Almost from the first line, one is interested, entertained, and enthralled. Lottie Albright is a first-class protagonist, a bright, wealthy, well-educated woman with a healthy measure of community sense and human empathy. The fact that she’s now living on the isolated windy plains of northwestern Kansas, second wife of a widowed farmer, only enhances her claim on the reader’s attention.
The author writes with such clarity, precision and verve, one is swept into the lives of these people with intimacy, with love, and with a clear eye on the realities of life in this place in the Twenty-first Century. As isolated as they are, and feel themselves to be, the citizens of four sparsely-populated counties will be touched in tender and horrific ways by larger events happening continents away beginning with a confirmation in a new Episcopal congregation meeting in a new church.
The novel’s sojourn into the world of historical research, especially Albright’s struggle to deal with the surprises of family history projects is a fascinating and relevant subplot. The characters are all well-laid on and consistent in their roles. All in all an outstanding effort.
The author writes with such clarity, precision and verve, one is swept into the lives of these people with intimacy, with love, and with a clear eye on the realities of life in this place in the Twenty-first Century. As isolated as they are, and feel themselves to be, the citizens of four sparsely-populated counties will be touched in tender and horrific ways by larger events happening continents away beginning with a confirmation in a new Episcopal congregation meeting in a new church.
The novel’s sojourn into the world of historical research, especially Albright’s struggle to deal with the surprises of family history projects is a fascinating and relevant subplot. The characters are all well-laid on and consistent in their roles. All in all an outstanding effort.
January 30, 2012
LETHAL LINEAGE
Poisoned Pen Press 2011
ISBN 978-1-59058-837-6
From the moment the community built Episcopalian church is opened, everything goes wrong. An unknown Bishop shows up for historian Lottie Albright’s niece's communion and delivers a frightening sermon. Worse, the Reverend May Farnsworth dies of what appears to be a heart attack, but turns out she was poisoned by an extract of exotic poisonous frog. And this is just the beginning. How Lottie, her husband Keith Fiene, her sister Josie, and Sheriff Sam Abbott connect all the dots on this mystery is a challenge, especially when an old time rancher in the area also turns up murdered via frog poison.
This is the second of author Charlotte Hinger’s mysteries featuring Lottie Albright and her twin sister, Josie. Well plotted with many twists and turns, family histories always figure in the outcome of her stories. Speaking of family, Lottie’s relationship with her sister, her much-older husband and his children, are also factors in this series.The characters are exceptionally well-fleshed out, the Kansas setting atmospheric. Altogether an intriguing series.
March 21, 2011
This is the second book in the series. If you missed the first one like I did, then don’t worry. This is not the type of series where if you miss one book, you are lost. But since I am going to suggest that you run out to the store and get this one, then I am going to suggest you might as pick up Deadly Descent (book one) while you are at it.
This was a really great mystery that was so convoluted it was hard to tell who was supposed to be good and who was supposed to be bad.
I know that I was sitting on the edge of my seat right until the very end with this one.
First off you have the Bishop who is so scary that he makes the Clown Pennywise look like a cuddly toy. Then you have the Sheriff who will do whatever it takes to keep Lottie and Josie from poking their noses where he thinks they don’t belong.
In conjunction with the Wakela's World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.
This was a really great mystery that was so convoluted it was hard to tell who was supposed to be good and who was supposed to be bad.
I know that I was sitting on the edge of my seat right until the very end with this one.
First off you have the Bishop who is so scary that he makes the Clown Pennywise look like a cuddly toy. Then you have the Sheriff who will do whatever it takes to keep Lottie and Josie from poking their noses where he thinks they don’t belong.
In conjunction with the Wakela's World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.
September 29, 2011
This was a good little cozy that kept you guessing as to who the bad guy was and the twist at the end was great and unexpected! I found out after I was almost done that this is actually the second book in the series so I plan on going back and finding the first one. I enjoyed this enough to want to read more about Lottie and her little town. This one was a bit different from other cozies because Lottie is actually a police officer but some things were alluded to like how she became one that I’m guessing I will find out by going back and reading book #1.
I liked that she is a historian and undersheriff and how in this story she brought the two careers together to figure things out. So ,a little town, a historian turned police officer, and a dead body sounds like a great formula and I have to say this author pulled it off well some cozies you can see the end clearly but this really kept me guessing. I recommend this book if you enjoy cozy mysteries.
I listened to this one on audio narrated by the wonderful Karen White who as always does a great job!
3 ½ Stars
I liked that she is a historian and undersheriff and how in this story she brought the two careers together to figure things out. So ,a little town, a historian turned police officer, and a dead body sounds like a great formula and I have to say this author pulled it off well some cozies you can see the end clearly but this really kept me guessing. I recommend this book if you enjoy cozy mysteries.
I listened to this one on audio narrated by the wonderful Karen White who as always does a great job!
3 ½ Stars
March 9, 2015
Kansas is not often featured in contemporary novels. This series captures Kansas perfectly: the obsession with the daily weather, wide open spaces, the mood within the many small towns, tiny stores, the independent nature of its citizens, the extra mile people will go to to care for one another, wind power, and much more.
Lethal Lineage is a worthy successor to the first book in this series, Deadly Descent. A female sheriff who also serves as a Kansas historian, her rugged farmer husband, and her twin sister, a psychologist, must address a strange murder. A controversial female Episcopalian priest inexplicably dies in the middle of a church service being led by a man recently returned to the area after many years in Africa. Kansas history, African history and church customs come into play in a complicated plot with a charged atmosphere. This is a great whodunit with minimal violence and wonderful characters.
Lethal Lineage is a worthy successor to the first book in this series, Deadly Descent. A female sheriff who also serves as a Kansas historian, her rugged farmer husband, and her twin sister, a psychologist, must address a strange murder. A controversial female Episcopalian priest inexplicably dies in the middle of a church service being led by a man recently returned to the area after many years in Africa. Kansas history, African history and church customs come into play in a complicated plot with a charged atmosphere. This is a great whodunit with minimal violence and wonderful characters.
March 15, 2011
Lottie Albright, local historian, deputy sheriff nad wife to rancher-veterinarian Keith, is also a driving force behind building the tiny Episcopalian church St. Helena. The services are barely over when Lottie finds the priest, Reverend Mary, dead in the locked robing room. The autopsy shows that Mary was poisoned, not dead of natural causes as everyone had assumed. The only one who seems to be aware of a stranger in the congregation is the fragile old lady Lottie is helping with an oral history. But there's also no record of her existence in files of either Church or State. Meanwhile, Lottie and her twin sister Josie have gotten on the wrong side of the buffoonish sheriff of an adjoining county. The plot grows ever more complex, and it takes the full number of pages to disentangle it.
May 1, 2011
This second in the Lottie Albright series is a fine novel. Charlotte Hinger blends history and the modern world and sets it all in western Kansas, where she lived for years, a land and a people she knows and understands. The plot revolves around a puzzling Episcopalian priest, the ancient practice of granting glebes, and even ties to modern international events. You won't guess who done it--or how--until the last page, but Lottie Albright will intrigue. She's feminine without being dithery, strong yet never harsh. Lottie is a preservtionist, and her love of research reflects Hinger's love of history and her ability to research her topic thoroughly.
August 29, 2011
Simetimes it is just fun to grab a book from the library shelf! A simple book, a good read and rather fun. This is a gentle read mystery book. The book is centered in the absolute middle of emptiness - rural western Kansas. And yet the author makes that prarie land with its endless wind one of the character's in the book.
It's a mystery. So of course there is a death or two and the classic "who done it?" style with a few twists and turns makes the mystery such a joy for a quick read. I especially appreciated that the book is not gory. Good light mystery. Nice job ! to author Charlotte Hinger.
It's a mystery. So of course there is a death or two and the classic "who done it?" style with a few twists and turns makes the mystery such a joy for a quick read. I especially appreciated that the book is not gory. Good light mystery. Nice job ! to author Charlotte Hinger.
October 6, 2011
I had ... issues with this book. Rather than ranting on about them, I'll just say that I don't have much respect for the author's work with facts - there were points where I couldn't suspend disbelief enough to get past a reaction of "Things just wouldn't work out that way (in the real world)!" She does do a good job with setting; I've never been to Kansas, but got fully caught up in the expansiveness.
That having been said, I would give the author another chance, though the pressure's on for her to come up with more credible plot points.
That having been said, I would give the author another chance, though the pressure's on for her to come up with more credible plot points.
June 28, 2011
Good characters, interesting setting, and I loved the descriptions of the heroine's activities as county historian, a job that seems a natural for a detective--though in this book she didn't solve the mystery so much as watch it reveal itself. And the villain's behavior seemed a little unlikely towards the end. Still, an enjoyable page-turner.
December 5, 2011
I didn't think I would like this cozy as much as I did. The fact that the characters were interesting and the plot was a little different than what I'm used to were certainly factors. I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
June 14, 2011
Hate sentences with no subject. Or verb.
Totally.
Bad!
Poor excuse for book.
Totally.
Bad!
Poor excuse for book.
May 21, 2012
I didn't know "Western Kansas" was an actual destination! This book about a female law enforcement officer in the boonies just didn't ring true.
June 4, 2012
well, it kept me interested right up to the end, but this was just a little too farfetched for me. this was second in the series, I will probably look for the first
September 10, 2012
Just finished this tonight. Kept me guessing until the end. Since I like genealogy, I also enjoy the use of family history and the Kansas history I learned in this novel.
January 2, 2013
I liked it a lot. I plan to read more in this series.
September 18, 2013
Liked this book for the information it gives about life in Kansas. The plot is good and so are the characters. Hope the author continues this series.
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