Comedy of Heirs: A Novel [Hardcover]

Rett MacPherson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1999

LOCAL MAN SHOT TO DEATH ON FRONT PORCH
Nathaniel Ulysses Keith, 72, of Pine Branch, was shot to death on his front porch while his family was trapped inside the house. Authorities have no suspects at this time.

Goosebumps traveled down my arms and back. How could this be? My great-grandpa Keith died in a hunting accident. Everybody knew that.

Torie O'Shea is taking a week off from her job as a genealogist with the historical society in a historic river town in Missouri in order to plan for Christmas and her annual family reunion. Crazy cousins, multiple house guests, dinner parties--it's a lot of work for a mother of two. But in the midst of preparing for the influx of relatives, Tory discovers something about her own family tree that she's never known before: Her own great-grandfather was murdered, and the crime was never solved.

Torie can't help but do a little investigating on this fifty-year-old crime. But she never dreams that past history she thought was long buried could resurface in the present in such a deadly way.

A Comedy of Heirs is a creative and delightful entry in MacPherson's popular series for fans of Joan Hess and M.C. Beaton.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As a genealogist for a historical society in New Kassel, Mo., Torie O'Shea must examine her own family's history in this third entry in MacPherson's cozy series (A Veiled Antiquity, etc.). As she prepares to host her family's annual Christmas reunion, Torie is sent an anonymous packet of newspaper clippings. They reveal that her great-grandfather Nathaniel Ulysses Keith was shot to death in 1948 on his front porch while his family was inside the house. Because she had been told as a child that Keith died in a hunting accident, Torie now wants to know which story is true. Like a bloodhound on the scent, she scans library microfilm records to prove the veracity of the articles, then visits the county sheriff for further information. What she learns isn't pleasant: her ancestor was a brute to his children and publicly unfaithful to his wife. The list of people who wanted to kill him is as long as it is convincing. Torie's best sources of information, however, are the relatives about to descend on her home. When an aunt tells her that Keith's wife and children sat listening to his groans until he died, Torie is horrified. Could her great-grandmother have sanctioned the murder? Not according to another aunt who was inside the house that day. But since that aunt didn't see the killer, it's up to Torie to ferret out the culprit and clarify her family history. Torie's large, eccentric family provides plenty of entertaining characters, and MacPherson skillfully connects the family's many subplots (pregnancies, sibling rivalries, new romances) while keeping the murder at the center of the intrigue. Although the title promises comedy, there's much more than humor at stake in this heartrending tale of family pride and the coverups to keep it intact. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

-Torie O'Shea takes the first week of December off from her job as genealogist with the local historical society to organize the family's reunion and get a head start on the upcoming holiday season. Amid a house full of relatives, she receives a letter pointing out the fact that her great-grandfather was murdered, and not accidentally killed in a hunting accident. Why has the family done nothing to clear up the murder in all that time? Torie begins to search for the truth through the gathered family members, through research in old newspaper articles, and through notes left from her great-grandmother. An uncle's death adds to her burdens and acts as a red herring, drawing the focus away from the great-grandfather's murder. A drugged cup of tea eventually leads to the killer. MacPherson provides Torie with a large family full of some wacky characters and dreary perfectionists. Her relationships with the myriad family members add background to both the main plot line and details about the other relatives. Memories are everywhere, effortlessly and quickly adding familiarity with the major players. The setting, a Missouri river town, shows that small towns can be blessings as well as irritations to those who live in them. The logical plot and real-to-life characters result in a compelling skeleton-in-the-closet story. Teens interested in their own family's history will appreciate Tori's mystery, and those who are unfamiliar with genealogy may find themselves looking more closely at their own kin.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312205139
• ISBN-13: 978-0312205133
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,097,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as it gets, July 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Comedy of Heirs: A Novel (Hardcover)

In New Kassel, Missouri, genealogist Torie O'Shea wonders why she agreed to host her family's annual Christmas Party. Seventy relatives will soon invade the small town to attend the festivities. However, Torie's troubles take a wicked twist when an unmarked package of newspaper articles arrives at her house. The clippings claim that her great- uncle Jed murdered her great-grandfather. This contradicts the family account that her ancestor died in a hunting accident.

Though the incident occurred in 1948, Torie feels compelled to learn the truth. Being an expert at shaking a family's tree, Torie investigates her own kin. The documented evidence points to her relative as being an abusive individual commonly hated by all. First hand accounts from her living relatives affirm that information and add even more grisly accounts to the growing facts in which anyone alive five decades ago wanted Torie's great- grandfather dead.

The third Torie O'Shea mystery is a fabulous tale in which the genealogist looks inside her family for answers to an old mystery. The story line lives up to the title, COMEDY OF HEIRS, as the support cast are an eccentric, often humorous bunch. However, the plot actually goes beyond just a simple comedy as Torie never loses sight that murder may have happened with a conspiracy by her beloved family to hide the facts. Rett MacPherson provides readers with an innovative and entertaining who-done-it that readers will fully enjoy.

Harriet Klausner 7/27/99

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She Did It Again!, September 2, 2001

By 

Salgal - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Comedy of Heirs (Torie O'Shea Mysteries, No. 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

Rett has done it again, given us a great little mystery to enjoy. I felt right at home with Tori and her family. Cousins, aunts and uncles crawling all over Tori's house for a family reunion and her reactions made me smile. Of course, Tori's reunion wouldn't be complete without the family skeltons and a murder. I love this series and can't wait to read Misty Mourning. I am hooked!

4.0 out of 5 stars good mystery, August 6, 2008

By 

W. Skidmore (Charlotte, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Comedy of Heirs (Torie O'Shea Mysteries, No. 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

There is a lot to like about this book, which is the first one I have read by this author. I was drawn to it, 1/ because I love books where there is a decades old mystery to solve, and 2/ I love when that involves genealogy. I almost stopped reading it three times though, because I found the main character extremely annoying. I think the author intended to paint her as a 'zany' character of some sort, (and on that topic, I don't understand WHY it is that most Cozy Mysteries think there "HAS" to be zany comedy mixed in the story) but that part of it REALLY irritated me. Instead of a 30-something educated (historian/genealogist) mother of two (and one on the way), she came across (to me) as an immature, whiney, bitchy, redneck. At first anyway...she did seem to mellow a bit toward the end of the book. I liked all of the other characters though, but it's really sort of important that a reader like the "main" character. Ok, having gotten that out of the way, I'd like to say that I've read a LOT of mysteries in my day and this one had an excellent plot. Everything about this part of it, was top notch. The best parts of the book to me, were the detection scenes where Torie was delving into the past via her intensive research in libaries, old newspapers, etc. I did feel like the ending came together a bit too quickly, and a few things were explained in a rush, or not at all. There were two issues on which I felt I wanted more answers and explanation. But this didn't change my view that it was way, way above average. I'm really glad that I stuck with this one, because I'm looking forward to reading more in this series. I do hope however, that in future books Torie will act more like a classy lady, both in her speech and actions.