The Inheritance by R. Franklin James
Series Name: Johanna Hudson #1
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Release: April 2021
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A 30-year-old genealogist is forced to face the pain of her own past while discovering that her talents can be used to solve more than her clients’ ancestor family lines — including blackmail and murder.

Genealogist Johanna Hudson discovers that the intersection of unintended consequences and murder is unavoidable, and her determination to find an heir puts her in the path of a killer who is just as determined to stop her.

Johanna Hudson thrives in the past — that is, the past lives of her clients’ ancestors. Johanna and her business partner own a genealogy firm that researches and prepares family trees.

Johanna is introduced to Eloise Manley who wants to give her daughter, Ruby, a healthy future that Eloise did not have. She placed infant Ruby up for blind adoption.

However, Eloise discovers that she is entitled to a large inheritance from a father she never knew. Eloise wants Johanna to finder her father and locate Ruby’s adopted family. Johanna agrees, and she ignores escalating threats to stop searching.

Johanna scrambles against the clock to find Ruby and pushes forward when it is clear that greed is a motive that comes with its own rationalization — even for murder.

Dru’s Short Musing:
With this gem of a story, I was swept into a well-written drama that kept me in suspense and intrigue throughout the telling of this tale. The storyline quickly grabbed my attention becoming a pager-turner as I had to know how this was going to end. The mystery was nicely executed with a small list of suspects, but it was deciphering the clues that set the tone of what was to come.

With visually descriptive narrative, the stage was set with engaging dialogue, a solid and eclectic cast of characters and an all-around feel for what was transpiring as Johanna’s determination to uncover the truth by digging into her client’s past. The more she dug into the case, the more it became apparent that someone wants that secret left untold. As the story progressed towards its conclusion, the pacing ratchetted up a notch as the bits and pieces fell into place the identity of the person who committed the crime was revealed with a few more surprises that enhanced my reading pleasure. Overall a great beginning to this debut series and I can’t wait to see where we go next with Johanna and Trinidad, a favorite new character.