Dying Games by Steve Robinson

First Line: When the woman awoke, she was instantly aware of two things.

When a string of cruel and elaborate murders strike Washington, DC, they all have two things in common: a family history chart is left at each crime scene, and the victims all have a connection to genealogist Jefferson Tayte. 

Tayte is called back to DC in order to aid the FBI with solving the crimes, but even though he can crack the killer's clues, he never seems to be able to save the victims. Tayte is wracked with guilt, and his reputation and career are in ruins. With a killer running rings around him, how long will it be before Tayte himself is the next victim?

I have to admit that this is the first in Robinson's Jefferson Tayte series with which I've been disappointed, and it all begins with the plot. I was horrified at the game the killer created in which so many innocent people died horrible deaths. Normally when I have strong emotions like this, they transfer to the killer and heighten my desire to see the person brought to justice. But that transference didn't happen with Dying Games, and I'm not quite sure why.

The character of Jefferson Tayte himself didn't help matters at all. More than one scene had him losing his temper and behaving foolishly when people's lives were at stake and the clock was ticking. The man has shown in previous books that he knows better. 

I found myself reading and hoping that Tayte would get his act together. Stop reacting and use his brain to find the actual killer and get ahead of him. Stop playing the killer's game. Unfortunately, it took him forever. He seems to be the type of character who, once he has a happy and fulfilling personal life, starts having trouble keeping his professional life together. 

By book's end, Tayte experiences a major change in his personal life, and I wish him well. The previous five books in this series are very enjoyable, and I'm wondering what the future holds in store.

Dying Games by Steve Robinson

eISBN: 9781477848265

Thomas & Mercer © 2017

eBook, 322 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #6 Jefferson Tayte Genealogical Crime mystery

Rating: C-

Source: NetGalley  


 

Kindred by Steve Robinson

First Line: He wished now that he had taken the road.

For years, genealogist Jefferson Tayte has used his skills to reunite families and to uncover their pasts. There's been only one person he's been unable to help: himself. But now he's following leads given to him by his late mentor, and they've led him and Professor Jean Summer to Munich, Germany.

Once in Munich, they've barely begun to scratch the surface when their search leads them directly into some dangerous secrets of World War II-- secrets that someone is more than willing to kill for.

Steve Robinson's genealogical sleuth Jefferson Tayte has uncovered many family secrets and solved many crimes throughout this series, and it was a pleasure to see that he was finally getting the chance to discover the identity of his own parents. 

With a few chapters written from the perspective of 1940s wartime Germany, Tayte is quickly drawn into Nazi secrets and fascist organizations. If he finds the truth, it may not be what he wants to hear, but as Robinson (and hopefully everyone else) well knows, our ancestors are a mixed bag of good people and bad. No exceptions.

I've watched the author's storytelling skill grow with each book, and those skills were good to begin with. He's certainly become very adept at crafting well-paced, exciting action sequences. He's also created two strong and appealing characters in Tayte and Summer, and I enjoy watching them work together. 

However, I felt that the bad guy hired the wrong group of henchmen because they seemed a bit inept in their attempts to silence our two heroes. If they'd had  more skill, it would've ratcheted up the tension even more. I also recognized the main plot twist well in advance, but this did not ruin the book for me. Kindred is still an exciting read with a lead character that I've grown to care about during the course of the series. 

If you like excitement, history, good characters, and a fast-paced mystery, I hope you'll join me in reading Steve Robinson's Jefferson Tayte mysteries. Good stuff!
       

Kindred by Steve Robinson

eISBN: 9781503954694

Thomas and Mercer © 2016

eBook, 354 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #5 Jefferson Tayte Genealogical Crime mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley  


 

The Lost Empress by Steve Robinson

First Line: This would be his first murder, and he hoped it would be his last.

Genealogist Jefferson Tayte's client has an interesting ancestor. Every record Tayte can find insists that this ancestor drowned one hundred years ago when the Empress of Ireland sank to the bottom of the St. Lawrence River; however, his client's very existence proves that can't be true. He has to get to the bottom of the mystery, and the bottom is in England. Tayte's search will have him uncover secrets buried before the beginning of World War I, and-- once again-- he's going to be a part of an investigation into murder. Who says researching family history is dull?

As in his previous book To the Grave, author Steve Robinson tells his story with two narratives; one in 1914 and Tayte's in the present day. It is a technique he does well. I found both narratives to be equally interesting, and both kept me guessing at how all the pieces fit together. 

In addition, Robinson shines the spotlight on an almost forgotten tragedy: the sinking of the Empress of Ireland. With a death toll almost as high as the Titanic, the Empress of Ireland has long been overshadowed by the Titanic, the sinking of the Lusitania, and by the beginning of World War I. The Lost Empress does deal tangentially with the Great War and its centenary this year by focusing on some of the events that led up to it. This strong historical foundation adds a great deal to the past narrative in the book.

As someone who's read all four of Robinson's Jefferson Tayte mysteries, it's easy to see what a canny writer he is. One of the things I enjoy the most is his character's use of basic genealogist's tools to solve mysteries. Having lived with two of this breed, I know just how much information can be found in old records, be they census records, wills, photographs, newspaper accounts, or letters and diaries. To the uninitiated it may seem incredulous that Tayte can solve crime using these methods, but it's not. (Did you know that there's such a thing as forensic genealogy?)

Another thing that Robinson has done throughout this series is vary the action. From someone who blundered from one concussion to the next in the first book, Tayte has become calmer and more assured-- even to the point of dodging bullets in The Last Queen of England. Robinson knows that there aren't many genealogists out there who dodge bullets for a living, so there's no repeat of that in this book. Instead the focus is on that very puzzling ancestor and her story, and it's a very rich and satisfying mystery to solve.

This book can easily be read as a standalone, but as the story ends with Tayte being on the verge of making a life-changing decision, chances are excellent that this is one series you're going to want to continue following.

The Lost Empress by Steve Robinson

ASIN: B00K5HU3IC

Thomas and Mercer © 2014

eBook, 337 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #4 Genealogical Crime mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley 

The Last Queen of England by Steve Robinson

First Lines: Three months ago. Julian Davenport owned a penthouse apartment in Bermondsey, overlooking Tower Bridge.

When Jefferson Tayte's old friend is attacked and dies in his arms outside a London restaurant, he feels it has something to do with the secret Marcus Brown never really got a chance to tell him. Fortunately he has just the person to help him find out what that secret was. Professor Jean Summer is an historian specializing in all things royal and London, and she's the woman marcus was trying to set Tayte up with. Now instead of romance, they have to focus on a conspiracy that began in 1708 and has everything to do with Queen Anne-- the last Queen of England-- because there are people who will do everything to carry out their plan, and they will let no one stand in their way.

If you love a little history with your mystery, you're going to love Steve Robinson's Genealogical Crime series. If you're also interested in family history, well that's just the icing on the cake. Robinson knows how to spin generations of begats into an edge of your seat experience.

Jefferson Tayte is a genealogist who often finds himself in the UK researching his clients' family history, and you can learn a lot about the process from reading these books. (Don't grimace, it's far from being dull!) Tayte is much more forthright in his business life than he is in his personal life, and much of the reason for that stems from the fact that-- although he can seem to find all his clients' ancestors-- he's never been able to find his own parents. He can make waves when it comes to the people for whom he works, but he hangs back in his personal life. No wonder Marcus felt the need to set him up with Jean-- who turns out to be just the sort of partner he needs for this hair-raising investigation.

Robinson creates the perfect genealogical puzzle with Queen Anne and her inability to produce a living heir who would continue the Stuart line on the throne of England. It's just as much fun to watch Tayte and Jean work to solve it as it is thrilling to watch them dodge bullets and traps. Who knew Queen Anne still had the power to make some people so bloodthirsty?

This series continues to get better with each book. Robinson is becoming adept at blending history, characterization, and thriller-type action into an immensely enjoyable read. I'm certainly looking forward to reading book #4!
  

The Last Queen of England by Steve Robinson

ASIN: B00G3NAPLW

Thomas and Mercer © 2012

eBook, 324 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #3 Genealogical Crime mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from Amazon. 

To the Grave by Steve Robinson

First Line: Jefferson Tayte was sitting at the table in his hotel room, wondering how his latest assignment had come to this.

I'd be wondering, too, if someone had a gun aimed at me. Five days before, Tayte's client in Washington, DC, had received an old child-sized suitcase, and this is what led the genealogist to  board a plane for England. In order to reunite his client with her birth mother, Jefferson Tayte is going to need all his skill in digging through old records and family secrets to find Mena Lasseter.

Mena was a typical teenage girl who wanted adventure and romance and found both with one of the American soldiers of the 82nd Airborne stationed within a bicycle ride of her home in Leicestershire. As Tayte tries to find out what became of her, he discovers that he's not the only one looking for Mena. Somehow this young girl holds the key to a secret worth killing for.

Steve Robinson's books just keep getting better. Inspired by his own family history, To the Grave is told in alternating chapters and time frames. In the here and now, we watch Jefferson Tayte as he wades through old documents and speaks to as many of Mena's family members and contemporaries as he can. As interesting as Tayte's chapters are, I was quickly hooked by young Mena's story during World War II. Mena's smart and good-hearted, but her family life leaves much to be desired. Her mother is judgmental, cruel, and completely immersed in her religion. Her father is a very loving but passive man who's learned to survive with a modicum of peace by letting his wife have total control over the household. Mena's older sister is already doing her bit for the war effort, and Mena wants to do hers, too-- especially since that would mean she gets to escape the oppressive atmosphere at home.

So many mysteries center around long-buried secrets that genealogists make perfect sleuths. It's refreshing to watch someone solve a crime by researching old documents and talking to the elderly rather than with guns, handcuffs, and forensics. Jefferson Tayte still manages to find more than his share of danger, but he's learned from his experiences in the first book. (Oh oh. I mentioned the first book in the series. Do you have to read it in order to make sense of this book? Absolutely not. To the Grave stands alone very well.) What I found exceptionally well done was Mena's story. Robinson made that era come to life, and I almost regretted the times when the action switched back to Tayte.

After reading To the Grave, I'm really looking forward to the next book, The Last Queen of England. I wonder if I can sign on as Jefferson Tayte's research assistant?

To the Grave by Steve Robinson

ISBN: 9781781765418

FeedaRead.com © 2012

Paperback, 262 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #2 Jefferson Tayte mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased as Kindle eBook through Amazon 

In the Blood by Steve Robinson

Title: In the Blood, a Genealogical Crime Mystery
Author: Steve Robinson
ISBN: 9781908603944
Publisher: Feedaread, 2011
Paperback, 316 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Rating: B+
Source: Purchased as an eBook through Barnes and Noble.

First Line:  Mawgan Hendry was dying.

Professional genealogist Jefferson Tayte has a rich client who insists on having the research on the family tree completed in time to give as a gift. The trouble is, the trail's gone cold in America and the only thing left to do is to fly to England to see if he can find the missing pieces. Although he hates to fly, Tayte boards a plane and soon finds himself in Cornwall, where it becomes obvious that someone has gone to great lengths to erase an entire family from recorded history. Determined to get the answers to his questions, Tayte doesn't realize that someone else is just as determined to ensure that this is one puzzle that is never solved.

I enjoyed this mystery even more than I thought I would. Jefferson Tayte is an engaging character who has more lives than a cat. When the villain isn't trying to conk him in the head or throw him out to drown in a lake, Tayte works at solving the mystery the way a genealogist should: through lots of research poring over old records and documents. (And that's nowhere near as boring as it sounds.)

The mystery surrounding the Fairborne family was excellent. By book's end I hadn't figured it out, although with my knowledge of Cornish history and of genealogy, I should have. The scenes dealing with the 18th and 19th century Fairborne family members that Tayte was trying to trace gave a rich texture to Robinson's story. The fast-paced, engrossing plot and the winning character of Tayte more than made up for any momentary hiccups in writing style. This is the first book by Steve Robinson, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more!

In the Blood at Amazon (Prime members can read it for free on Kindle.)

In the Blood at The Book Depository.

In the Blood at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.