MARY BUTASH'S REVIEW: As genealogists, we spend hours, and years sifting through record sets to try to piece together the bones of our ancestors' stories. Nathan Dylan Goodwin, in his fictional creation, The Last Ancestor, has given us flesh with the bones. By alternating chapters of present and past, Nathan gives us the search for information by Morton Farrier, Forensic genealogist as well as the story of "what happened to Mary" as it unfolds.

 

Morton reveals the genealogical process in a real life situation that removes the "textbook" feel. I found myself keeping notes for my own research. Especially helpful was the useage of sticky notes on a wall, not unlike a television detective's "murder board", to assemble bits of information to piece the "puzzle" together visually. Morton, and his fiancé Juliette who is a police trainee, find there are persons who don't want the truth of the past to come to light and Morton's research puts them at risk. On the flip side, the tale of young Mary in the early years of the 20th century brings you mystery, love, heartbreak and secrets. The format is well crafted allowing the research and the true story to travel neck and neck, like two horses in the same race. Ultimately, what matters in a novel is that the plot is intricate; the characters real; and the book riveting. For me, The Last Ancestor met all my criteria and I really enjoyed the read. The plot provided intrigue with multiple twists and turns. I really cared what happened to the characters. And finally, I couldn't put the book down until I saw it all come together. 

I will definitely look forward to reading more by this author. 

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PAT GESSNER'S REVIEW: I am a fan  of British TV shows and read British historical books, so I approached this book with a little background of British historical information. That may be one of the reasons that I found the sections of the book which dealt with the early 20th century, slow-moving and predictable. I knew what some of the characters were going to do long before the author revealed it on the pages of the book. 

In the 21st century sections of the book, the research done by the book's main character, forensic genealogist Morton Farrier, was surprisingly easy. He was able to get almost instant replies to emails sent to individuals and research questions sent to major repositories. It certainly moved the story along, but I would have enjoyed a little more suspense.

Early in the book, I guessed who was organizing the harmful activity and what was going to happen to one of the characters.  There wasn't much mystery for me in this genealogical crime mystery book.