"Poisoned Pedigree," by G. G. Vandagriff, Deseret Book, 2008, 261 pages, $17.95
Mystery, romance and genealogy take center stage in G. G. Vandagriff's "Poisoned Pedigree" as Kerry McNee, a famous singer, enlists the help of professional genealogist Alexandra Campbell and her sidekick, Briggie, to explore her pedigree. At the age of 37, Kerry wants to marry and have a family, but she is terrified by childhood memories that include whispers of a family curse.
The investigation leads to a remote town in the Ozarks and a strange woman known as the "Keeper," who seems to know secrets that no one else will share. But when the Keeper is suddenly murdered, Alex and Briggie are left to piece together the mystery from a 150-year-old scrapbook and tombstones in the local cemetery with cryptic references to a lynching.