In the Blood (Jefferson Tayte Genealogical Mystery Book 1)

Intrigue,family secrets,love at it's best and worst,heartbreak & hero's. Throw in a hint of wit and you have "In the Blood" by Steve Robinson. This book was entertainment at it's best.Skillfully blending the past with the present, Robinson pulls us into both worlds with a reality that at books end, leaves you feeling as if you just arrived back home from a far-away journey. His characters are well defined. J.R. , the sleuth/"hero( tries to be,bless his heart) is endearing. In going from just trying to do a job well done to trying to do the right thing, J.R. becomes entangled in more (almost) than he can handle. But that doesn't stop him. A simple ordinary man, that has more depth than what meets the eye. It was a pleasure getting to know him and to watch his personality come to surface.Through-out the story, you will feel the agony of pure heartbreak, the sweetness of (possible?) awakening love's(leaves us ready to grab the next "in the story") the fury of raw anger, hope as well as despair.Robinson's grasp of genealogy is more than accurate. He clearly understands and has experianced the adrenaline rush that comes from finding that one date, that one name or clue that you know is going to help you build that bridge between the past and the present. You don't have to be a genealogy fan to enjoy this book. Robinson keeps details to a minimum so as to not over-shadow the mystery aspect of the book. It isn't like reading an instruction manuel on "how to ". But be warned. You just may have found a new,rewarding,interesting,addictive hobby by books end.Language at a minimum (which I greatly appreciate) gore at a minimum, violence with a definite edge but not razor sharp thriller (which I also appreciate) and a touch of sweetness in the form of subtle romance. The bit of wit in the book was very minimum which after considering this (I like humor) I believe was a perfect dose. Any more and it would have changed the distinct,vivid "Feel" of the story.Robinson has what I would think of as an undisputable talent for descriptive writing. He creates a vivid picture of places and people that become so real that I will be thinking of them for a while, as places I have recently had the pleasure of visiting and people that I have had the pleasure AND in some cases the displeasure of meeting.I do wish that Robinson had provided a simple map of Cornwall and its villages and rivers. It would have helped keep a clearer picture of his journeys from village to village . I printed a map off the internet and kept it with me while reading this book and I have to say, it added to the experiance. Also, there are many family members and other characters in this story. It may be a benefit to keep a notepad nearby and jot down their names and relationship to each other at the beginning. It won't take long to get to know these families and who is connected to whom but it makes a transition into the story easier at the beginning.I have read many reviews where several have done this and found it helpful.This book provided me with everthing I look for in a story. An emotional ride. Trips into places that I have never been (but many that actually do exist). Meeting people that are so realistic that you have to remind yourself not to look them up in the Family Search Census. Totally, pleasurable,vividly entertaining. I will be getting the next "Jefferson Genealogical Crime Mystery". Steve Robinson has a new fan.

I read a later book in this series out of order and enjoyed it more than this one, which I haven’t yet completed. But my initial reaction is that perhaps they have improved over time. I like the idea of a mystery surrounding genealogical research. And I think weaving bits from the past into the present story is very effective in adding clues and in deepening the mystery as it unfolds. What bothered me about this book was the inaccuracy about genealogical sources and terminology. The average reader with no experience conducting genealogical research probably won’t notice or care. But having experience in this area myself, I find the author’s genealogical errors and limited knowledge distracting. For example, in one chapter Tayte learns that a woman has no known heirs due to both her children dying in infancy. Then a couple sentences later, Tayte sets off to find the family estate to visit what are referred to as her ‘descendants’. At this point I had to reread the passages about the babies dying to make sure I read them right. A bit later it becomes clear that these are not technically descendants but more distant relatives of the person in question. The author just used the term incorrectly. The family line descending from your brother are not your descendants, genealogically speaking. That is easy to see from any family tree diagram. Then there is the issue of sources. Birth and death registration did not begin in England until decades after some events of the story took place. Other sources of this information are sometimes available but often not. And they are not as easily uncovered as government records. For example baptismal records might identify a birth from this era but they are not all compiled and online. Finding them can be hit or miss. Failure to uncover death information in the time period in question is not the least bit unusual, yet the entire mystery begins on the basis that the deaths were not recorded. No genealogist would find this unusual Lastly, while not impossible, a family story of an out of wedlock birth and suicide is very unlikely to be passed on over several generations. The rule with genealogy is we tend to lose almost all of our family stories after just a couple generations, especially the scandalous ones. I realize it is fiction but one does want some sense of realism to prevail.

Awesome story. I thought I had read everything in this series, not sure how I missed this first one. I am fascinated by Jefferson Tayte's story and the lengths some people will go to, to cover up the skeletons in their closets. Looking forward to more books in this series.

I just read this for at least a third time and was as gripped as the first.The author carried me along on a roller coaster ride of mystery, intrigue and unfolding discovery. Characters are strong and plot twists kept me guessing. Convincing genealogical research helped a lot too. I felt the familiar life of research and the mixed joy and frustration that often accompanied it. Though none of mine have been quite as dramatic. Poignant undoubtedly and it's very true that it doesn't matter how long ago things happened to ancestors, they matter and feel their losses, trials, tribulations and joy.The diminution of my memory has the compensation that I enjoy the twists and turns once more and almost As much as the first time. When my memory was uninspired by M.E. and age too probably, more recently, I would have enjoyed reading stories again but would have remembered exactly what was going to happen. Those days are long gone but such is life.As testament to the quality and how much I enjoyed this book - again, I'm going to read number two in the series next-generation again. I expect to enjoy it just as much this time. Thank you Mr Robinson.

This is a story that packs a punch or two! Having read some other reviews had me intrigued as it relates to family backgrounds and the history and how it is all repeated in this day and age. Also I had never heard of the author but I did like the intrigue of the story and it was played out between the present and the 1800. A very cleverly written story. The main character Jefferson Tayte is a genealogist on an assignment in Cornwall tracing the last know steps of a branch of the Fairborne clan, for his clients wife who lives in America. The story is played over a week almost and it is up to Tayte to sort out a family mix up that involves treachery, murder and deceit. There are some brilliant characters that come alive and you almost feel what it was like back in the 1800 in Cornwall. As it is you are pulled into the story as the author very cleverly takes you back in time as to what happened. Like I said a very well crafted story and I would highly recommend it, be prepared for long nights because after the half way mark you will not be able to put it down! I can't wait to read the next one!

Time shifting has a de-stabilising affect on many readers which can threaten the shear pleasure and skilled dialogue contained within. I need not have worried on this score as this book blossoms into an unusual, but very well written adventure. Our hero is Jefferson Tate, an American who specialises in research and divulging facts of family history. For this assignment he has to travel to England and, in particular, Cornwall. The circumstances of a shipwreck in the late 18th century and the subsequent murder of a main player leaves our American with a rather complicated puzzle. That the story keeps returning to the 18th-19th century is a way of relating what happened then, but in the present there is murder and severe misdemeanor in plenty and our hero, - for that is how he emerges - is kept busy preserving his life and helping others who he has met on the way. This story boils up nicely into a nail biting finish which makes the time shifting all the more understandable and rewarding,

I was so very impressed with this book! It’s not my usual genre and I was unsure of how interesting or intriguing I would find this due to it being linked with genealogy but it was wonderful and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I found the main character JT to be a surprisingly enchanting guy, an unlikely hero and I find I am also left with many questions regarding his own personal story (which I hope will be answered in the series as I progress through them). I’m impressed there are many other titles in the series and I look forward to reading them and seeing what other genealogical mysteries these involve and what else JT gets up to. I found the other characters in the books very interesting and well written about, the storyline was fast paced and I wasn’t bored at any point. I kept guessing what the twists and turns would be and every time I was wrong! I think it’s fabulous when a book isn’t predictable. The Cornwall setting was so wonderfully described that I really felt like I was there, local knowledge and traditions were well thought of and well written. I’m very pleased I took the plunge into this book and look forward to the next one!

Well, this was a strange one. It was described as a "genealogical mystery", but it was unlike any other genealogical mystery I have read - and unfortunately not in a good way.Yes, it had the split era format which is necessary in books of this type, but it was very disjointed, especially at first, and it was difficult to remember who all the characters were and how they fitted into the scheme of things.Once it settled down a bit, it became a very depressing and bloodthirsty tale, which I was not expecting. But then some of the scenes became so ridiculous that I began to wonder whether this was a serious book or a comedy. The hero had more lives than the proverbial cat and just couldn't be taken seriously.The gruesome and bloodthirsty scenes continued to be described in both eras, but not only did the hero, but also two other characters, make miraculous and speedy recoveries from near-fatal injuries; so I am sure this must have been written tongue-in-cheek, which makes a bit of a nonsense of this supposedly serious story.It was hard work to persevere with this book and I was glad when I got to the end. I don't think I shall be reading any more in this series.