Forensic genealogist Morton Farrier looks into a 1911 disappearance for a dying man who wants to know what happened to his grandmother's sister. While Farrier explores archival, online, and other resources such as interviews, someone is determined to make sure he doesn't find out. He fairly quickly determines his life is endangered, but he does not know the threat's source. Readers also learn the story of Mary, the woman who disappeared, along the way with the dual storyline of which I'm not a fan. It did work a little better in this book than in many. ( )

Another great adventure for Morton Farrier. I got thru this one within 24 hours. Nathan Goodwin captures you within the first few sentences, and he doesn't let go until the final word.

There are 2 other authors who do this as well, Dean Koontz and Stephen King. ( )

Loved this series ( )

When forensic genealogist Morton Farrier is asked by a dying client to find out what happened to his great aunt, who disappeared in 1911, Morton doesn’t expect to find his own life threatened. ‘The Lost Ancestor’ by Nathan Dylan Goodwin is a moreish combination of mystery, history about the pre-Great War period, and family history research.
If you like ‘Downton Abbey’, you will identify with the 1911 sections about Morton’s great aunt Mary Mercer. In an effort to escape her rough, unemployed father and unpleasant mother, Mary takes a job as third housemaid at Blackfriars, a great house at Winchelsea in East Sussex. Little does she realize the love and heartache she finds there will shape her life. A dreamer who imagines she is the lady of the house, Mary has a rude awakening on her first day at work. She had no idea what the job of a chambermaid entailed. But the presence of her cousin Edward makes life easier to bear. When her parents fall ill, Mary gives them all her wages and so loses her chances of escaping to a better life.
Goodwin knows the Winchelsea and Rye area so well that I immediately felt I was there. His descriptions of Rye, where Morton lives and work, feel real: the streets, the old houses, and the Mermaid Inn are described with a light pen.
The story is told in two strands. Morton searches online and at local archives, and visits the real Blackfriars house, now open to the public. This story alternates with Mary’s in 1911. Goodwin weaves the two tales together so as we get nearer to the truth of Mary’s disappearance and why her mentions in all official records stop – did she die, was she killed, did she change her name and run away to Scotland, or emigrate – the threats on Morton’s life, and that of his partner Juliette, get serious. The mystery in both strands build as the family connections between past and present are revealed. I did not forsee the ingenious ending.
The Morton Farrier books are excellent. Although the cover designs are a little old-fashioned, don’t let this put you off reading them.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/ ( )

Nathan Dylan Goodwin, author of The Lost Ancestor, sent a review copy of his book to our library. It will be
placed on our lending library shelf. The Lost Ancestor is the second of Goodwin's Genealogical Crime
Mysteries featuring Morton Farrier, a Forensic Genealogist. Set in modern day East Sussex in the south of
England, Farrier has been hired by a family member to solve a mysterious disappearance more than 100 years
ago. It is an enthralling, fast paced story although I admit to a bit of eye-rolling over the heaving bosom,
romance novel cliches in the flashbacks to 1911. The parts I liked most were the details about how Farrier
systematically figured out what happened by using solid genealogical methods, both on websites that we are
all familiar with and with original documents. I particularly enjoyed the scenes set in The Keep, the brand new
record office of the East Sussex Council. They reminded me of the many hours I have spent in the new Devon
Record Office in Exeter. I'm looking forward to reading his two other books featuring Morton Farrier and highly recommend The Lost Ancestor.