DEADLY PEDIGREE
By Jimmy Fox
Top Publications - 2001
ISBN: 1929976089 - Paperback
Mystery
for some explicit content

Reviewed by: Nancy Mehl for MyShelf.com
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An old Jewish man comes to the office of genealogist, Nick Herald, with a proposition. Max Corbin, a Holocaust survivor, is interested in tracing his roots - or one "root," anyway. With instructions to look only for a connection to the name "Balazar," Nick begins a search with little to go on. His biggest hope is that he can make enough money to pay some of the old, ignored bills that have been relegated to his office desk drawer.

What seems to be a routine genealogical search takes a deadly turn when Nick's client Max is found dead. Someone has tried to make it look like a suicide, but Nick knows the old man has been murdered. What could have been so important that Corbin had to be silenced? Is the answer found in the research Nick is doing? Is Nick in danger, too? Someone else is connected to the family tree - and the branches are being pruned furiously in an attempt to keep Nick from following roots that lead back to a truth someone is willing protect at all costs - even murder.

Jimmy Fox has crafted an involved and engrossing story that is interesting and fresh. His writing skills are top-notch, and his characters are well drawn. I especially enjoyed the character of Hawty Latimer, a young African-American woman with a disability, who helps Nick to stay organized - even when he doesn't want to. In DEADLY PEDIGREE, Nick faces not only a physical threat, but something even harder to confront - the truth about himself.

Readers will enjoy the premise of this novel and want to stay involved with Nick Herald - and author Jimmy Fox.

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Nancy Mehl is the author of Graven Images and Sinner's Song.