[Genealogical Crime Mystery 01] • Genealogical Crime 01 - in the Blood

Family history was never supposed to be like this...

A dark secret locked in the past. A family historian trying against the odds to unlock it.

When American genealogist Jefferson Tayte accepted his latest assignment, he had no idea it might kill him. But while murder was never part of the curriculum, Tayte is kidding himself if he thinks he can walk away from this one.

Driven by the all-consuming irony of being a genealogist who doesn't even know who his own parents are, Tayte soon finds that the assignment shares a stark similarity to his own struggle. Someone has gone to great lengths to erase an entire family bloodline from recorded history and he's not going home until he's found out why. After all, if he's not good enough to find this family, how can he ever expect to be good enough to someday find his own?

Set in Cornwall, England, past and present, Tayte's research centres around the tragic life of a young Cornish girl, a writing box, and the discovery of a dark family secret that he believes will lead him to the family he is looking for. Trouble is, someone else is looking for the same answers and they will stop at nothing to find them.

"I enjoyed it very much - the mystery surrounding the old box is intriguing and the murder and deception that stretch back into the family history are too." Simon Schuster.

"I loved the backdrop here - it's full of atmosphere, landscape, sense of time and place - and I think it really feeds well into the suspense plot. Steve is a good story-teller, transporting you straight into the lives of the community as the several layers of the narrative add a more meaty, epic feel." Little Brown.

"In the Blood has a lot going for it, with a great concept, a strong main character and an intriguing mystery at the heart of it all." Cornerstones Literary Consultancy.

"I have just finished reading this and enjoyed it very much. You have a great easy writing style, and the novel has enough complexity in the mystery to keep the reader hooked. Jefferson is a strong character, and the Cornish setting is terrific." Tina Betts. The author's agent at Andrew Mann Ltd.