Join our genealogical sleuths as they strive, as always, to find out the real truth that is at the "root" of this family's dysfunction and fear, enabling it to take the first steps to healing.
Poisoned Pedigree - New Edition
What would you do if you were told you had “Bad Blood”?
Hire a genealogist, of course! Kerry McNee, a famous balladeer of Scots-Irish folk music wishes to marry and have a family, but has a superstitious fear of the words an old lady in her Ozarks hometown once whispered: “You should never have children, Kerry. You will pass the bad blood to your children.”
Kerry hires Alexandra Campbell and Brighamina Poulson (RootSearch, Inc.) to look into this mystery for her in the wilds of Southwest Missouri. She never dreams she is putting them into mortal danger from individuals who will kill rather than reveal the many secrets that have been held for generations.
No sooner do Alex and Briggie begin their investigation, than violence begins with the murder of the “Keeper,” a woman who knows the past of every resident of the town of Trotter’s Bridge. The genealogists call in reinforcements—Alex’s fiance, Charles, Briggie’s elderly swain, Richard—while Kerry and her psychologist, Daniel, (a former flame of Alex’s who is determined not to let her go) decide to join the hunt for the killer as well.
The danger only escalates, along with major trouble in Alex’s relationships with Charles and Daniel. She is unable to untangle her personal life, as murder has never stalked these genealogists so closely, nor been so nearly successful as it is in the woods and caves of this town that time forgot.
The Hidden Branch - New Edition
Heirs, Heirs, Heirs – Which one of these Armenians is the killer?
Could it be Vazden Mardian, II—the World Class surfing champion, with the piratical eye and the tattoo of an ancient Armenian coin on his arm? The coins belonging to the murder victim were the motive for his murder.
Or was it Henry Arkesian—the fanatical professor with an indefatigable lust for anything pertaining to his heritage? He was angry that the victim was leaving his ancient Armenian artifacts to a museum.
Or, perhaps, Gorgeous George, Henry’s brother—an Orange County Estate lawyer with a penchant for Ferraris and expensive real estate who is forever in debt?
Alex endeavors to keep her mind on the case so that the murderer will not benefit from his crime against Paul Mardian, the billionaire inventor of the pop-top can. Feelings run high amid this passionate, attractive family who live the style of the Orange County, California wealthy. However, while trying to find the perpetrator, she almost loses her life (again), and faces a crossroads in her personal life with a due amount of angst.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
G.G. Vandagriff is a traditionally published author who has recently gone indie. She loves the Regency period, having read Georgette Heyer over and over since she was a teen. She also has a great many fans of her earlier books, particularly the award-winning The Last Waltz and The Only Way to Paradise, who are anxious to read sequels! And her mystery fans are always urging her to write another book featuring her wacky genealogical sleuths, Alex and Briggie.
Obviously, G.G. likes to genre hop! In addition to her fiction, she has written two nonfiction works. She also writes a twice-monthly column for the on-line magazine Meridian as well as being a guest columnist for the Deseret News.
She studied writing at Stanford University and received her master's degree at George Washington University. Though she has lived many places throughout the country, she now lives with her husband, David, a lawyer and a writer, on the bench of the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. From her office she can see a beautiful valley, a lake, and another mountain range. She and David have three grown children and four delightful grandsons.
After playing with, reading to, and doing crafts with her grandchildren, her favorite pastime is traveling with her husband. She goes to Italy once a year for medicinal purposes (and research—read The Only Way to Paradise). She has recently added Istanbul and Barcelona to her list of favorite places. G.G.’s favorite classic authors are Tolstoy, Charlotte Bronte, and Jane Austen. Her favorite contemporary authors are A. S. Byatt, John Fowles, Marisa de los Santos, Emily Giffin, and Candice Hern.
Visit G.G. at her website http://ggvandagriff.com, where you can see pictures of her travels, read excerpts of her books, and sign up to receive her newsletter. You can also read her blog,ggvandagriff.com/blog, and sign up to follow. She has an author page on Facebook (G.G. Vandagriff-Author) and on Goodreads and Amazon. She loves to hear from her fans!
Acknowledgments
My excellent editor, Susan Helene Gottfried, gives me help all along the way, especially when I am discouraged. And then she does a terrific edit at the end. Thanks, Susan!
Thanks also to David, my husband for his very tangible help all along the chain of book production.
Copyright © 2013 by G.G. Vandagriff.
Cover design by Carol Fiorillo
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the publisher through its website, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator.”
Orson Whitney Press
Provo, Utah 84604
http://www.orsonwhitneypress.com/
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Book Layout ©2013 BookDesignTemplates.com
The Baron and The Bluestocking/ G.G. Vandagriff. -- 1st ed.
ISBN 978-0-9836232-7-4
Other Books by G.G. Vandagriff
Regency Romance
Lord Trowbridge’s Angel
Rescuing Rosalind
Miss Braithwaite’s Secret
The Taming of Lady Kate
The Duke’s Undoing
Historical Fiction
The Last Waltz—New Edition
Women’s Fiction
The Only Way to Paradise
Pieces of Paris
Suspense
The Arthurian Omen—New Edition
Foggy with a Chance of Murder
The Arthurian Omen
Alex and Briggie Mysteries
The Hidden Branch – New Edition
Tangled Roots—New Edition
Poisoned Pedigree—New Edition
Of Deadly Descent—New Edition
Cankered Roots—New Edition
Non-Fiction
Deliverance from Depression
Voices In Your Blood: Discovering Identity Through Family History
The Baron and the Bluestocking Page 20
