Lucy Lancaster is the sleuth in the “Ancestry Detective” mysteries. One of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions. So, let’s get to know Lucy.
What is your full name?
My name is Lucy Lancaster.
How old are you?
I’m thirty years old.
What is your profession?
I’m a professional, accredited genealogist.
Do you have a significant other?
Well, I thought I was on my way to having a significant other, if one bat-watching date on Austin’s Congress Avenue Bridge two months ago with a man who used to annoy the ever-loving tar out of me counts. Then he left for what should have been a short trip to DC and I haven’t heard from him since. Yep, he ghosted me. Right after I researched his mother’s Daughters of the American Revolution patriots, too. How uncool is that?
What is their name and profession?
The ghoster’s name is Special Agent Ben Turner, and he works with the FBI. (I’m answering this question because, annoyingly, I still have feelings for the man.)
Do you have any children?
Not at the moment.
Do you have any siblings?
I have one sister, Maeve. She’s eighteen months older than me and married to a nice guy named Kyle. They live in Washington, DC.
Are your parents nearby?
I live in Austin and my parents live in my hometown of Houston, which is three-plus hours away. (That being said, for Texas, that qualifies as an easy trip.) However, my wonderful grandfather, George Lancaster, is much closer. He lives only forty-five minutes away in the small town of Wimberley, Texas. Grandpa is a World War II veteran and ninety-two years old, though you’d never know it by how young at heart he is. Grandpa’s my favorite person in the whole world and I see him as often as I can.
Who is your best friend?
I have two best friends, Serena Vogel and Josephine Haroldson, who are also my officemates. Serena is a personal shopper and lifestyle blogger; she and I have known each other since childhood. Josephine is a translator who was born and raised in London. These girls keep me sane and make me laugh every day, just like best friends should.
Do you have any pets?
Officially? No, but I am the second-favorite human to a big, fluffy tabby cat named NPH—which stands for Neil Patrick Housecat. NPH’s true human is my condo manager, Jackson, but NPH hangs out with me a lot. He even helped save me from a bad guy last fall, so I love him like he was my own cat.
What town do you live in?
I live in Austin, Texas.
Would you say you live in a small town or a big city?
Austin is a big city, and the capitol of Texas. It has a lot of small-town attributes, though, especially in my part of town, including quaint architecture and a lot of quirky-weird inhabitants—and I’m not being mean by calling them that. Austin is proud of its weirdness and strives to keep it that way. “Keep Austin Weird” is our unofficial slogan, in fact.
Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I own a little one-bedroom condo in the historic Travis Heights area of town, not far from Austin’s eclectic SoCo district, so named because it’s located on South Congress Avenue.
What is your favorite spot in your home?
My kitchen. I love to cook, and I love to eat even more.
Favorite meal and dessert?
Tacos, from Big Flaco’s Tacos, hands down. I could go on for ages listing my favorites, but Flaco’s beef tacos al carbon are pure comfort food for me. They’re similar to fajitas—grilled cuts of beef in a flour tortilla. Basically, the main difference is that tacos al carbon come already wrapped in the flour tortilla, while fajitas come with lots of condiments and tortillas for a do-it-yourself taco.
As for dessert? Oooh, that’s equally hard, but if I had to name just one, it would be sitting next to my Grandpa and eating bowls of chocolate-peanut-butter ice cream.
Do you have any hobbies?
Besides storing way too many genealogy-related factoids in my brain? (For instance, if you see the term “Cousins German,” it’s not referring to your cousins from Germany. Nope, it’s simply another term for your first cousin once removed.) Anyhoo, I don’t have any true hobbies, but I do enjoy baking, reading, dancing, and being outdoors as often as possible. Austin’s Lady Bird Lake Trail and Zilker Park are both favorites of mine.
What is your favorite vacation spot?
Give me a beach and I am one happy genealogist.
What music do you listen to?
I listen to a little bit of everything: rock, pop, country, classical, you name it, but I especially love the old standards. Grandpa gets a kick out of the fact that I enjoy the tunes from his era. He can still cut a rug like you wouldn’t believe, and taught me all the cool swing dance moves.
Do you have a favorite book?
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It’s got the kind of family we make instead of being born into. It’s got a swoon-worthy romance. And it’s set during and after World War II. Plus, it’s written mostly in letters, and I have a thing for things of an epistolary nature, if that wasn’t obvious from how I got involved in a murder last fall. . .
What is your idea of a really fun time?
Having a client tell me I’ll never find their ancestor because he or she has been lost to time, and then following the genealogical trail until I find said lost ancestor. Or a night out dancing, followed by some late-night tacos at Big Flaco’s Tacos. You know, either way.
If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
** Have Sass, Will Hunt Down Dead People **
Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I’m an accidental amateur sleuth. However, besides dealing with a certain FBI agent who has since gone radio silent, I’ve also worked with Detective Maurice Dupart of the Austin Police Department. I’d bet my last dollar that man has Louisiana Creole in his background, though I haven’t asked him yet to be sure.
In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I’m my own boss, so I can switch things up as I please, but most days I’m at the office pretty early. I spend my days doing various genealogy-related projects, including researching my client’s family tree, interviewing their relatives—usually on film to capture their family’s oral history—and creating a family record and/or website. Sometimes this means I’m offsite, or spending hours at the genealogy library. In the afternoons, Serena, Josephine, and I will have cocktails on our little office balcony. And since Big Flaco’s Tacos is not far from our office, well, let’s just say I’d embarrass myself if I told you how often I’m there!
Lineage Most Lethal is the second book in the “Ancestry Detective” cozy mystery series, released July 21, 2020.
In Lineage Most Lethal, the captivating second mystery in the Ancestry Detective series, Texas genealogist Lucy Lancaster grapples with a mystery rooted in World War II and espionage.
It’s the week before New Year’s Eve and genealogist Lucy Lancaster is ready to mix work and play at the beautiful Hotel Sutton, enjoying herself while finalizing the presentation for her latest client, hotel heiress Pippa Sutton.
Freshly arrived at the hotel—and determined not to think about Special Agent Ben Turner, who went radio silent on her after one date—Lucy is stopped in her tracks when a strange man comes staggering toward her. She barely has time to notice his weak, sweaty appearance before he presses a classic Montblanc pen onto her hand, gasps, “Keep them safe,” and collapses at her feet, dead.
When Lucy shows the fountain pen to her grandfather, an avid collector and World War II veteran, she’s in for another shock. Not only does Grandpa recognize the Montblanc, he also reveals a secret: he was an Allied spy during the war and the pen is both a message regarding one of his wartime missions and the key to reading a microdot left by the dead man.
On the microdot is a series of ciphers, some decrypted to form names. Could they be the descendants of Grandpa’s fellow spies? When two from the list end up murdered—including the chef at the Hotel Sutton—and Grandpa’s life is put in jeopardy, Lucy’s sure she’s right. And with Lucy’s and Pippa’s names possibly on the list, too, she’s got to uncover the past to protect those in the present.
With a secret Allied mission, old grievances, and traitors hiding behind every corner, Lucy must use her research skills to trace the list’s World War II ancestors and connect the dots to find a killer in their midst—a killer who’s determined to make sure some lineages end once and for all.
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About the author
S.C. Perkins is a fifth-generation Texan who grew up hearing fascinating stories of her ancestry and eating lots of great Tex-Mex. Her first book, Murder Once Removed, was the winner of the 2017 Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery competition, and an Agatha Award Nominee. She resides in Houston and, when she’s not writing, she’s likely outside in the sun or on the beach. You can find her at scperkins.com or on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and on Facebook.
All comments are welcomed.