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Lottie Albright #3
Hidden Heritage: A Lottie Albright Mystery
After a gruesome killing at the Carlton County, Kansas, livestock feedyard, Sheriff Sam Abbot, Undersheriff Lottie Albright, and her ranching husband deputy know their resources are over-stretched. Still, none of their team or neighboring law enforcement in Western Kansas welcomes the idea of a regional crime center.
Kansas Bureau of Investigation Agent Dimon suggests the murder may not be a simple local affair. Unconvinced, Lottie― still director of the historical society―calls for stories from families whose ancestors were part of groups colonizing Kansas. Doña Francisca Díaz is the ancient head of one such clan.
It turns out, Francisca’s great grandson Victor was the murder victim. Francisca, a fabled curandera with terribly damaged hands, insists she knows why Victor was killed. The key, she claims, is in ancient documents.
At Doña Francisca’s invitation, Lottie visits the Díaz’ property. In a drought-ridden area, the land is lush. Francisca wants Lottie to train as her heir. Reluctant yet fascinated, Lottie agrees.
Will Lottie be lost in this maze of magic? Does this family and its secret hold the key to murder and other terrible crimes?
Kansas Bureau of Investigation Agent Dimon suggests the murder may not be a simple local affair. Unconvinced, Lottie― still director of the historical society―calls for stories from families whose ancestors were part of groups colonizing Kansas. Doña Francisca Díaz is the ancient head of one such clan.
It turns out, Francisca’s great grandson Victor was the murder victim. Francisca, a fabled curandera with terribly damaged hands, insists she knows why Victor was killed. The key, she claims, is in ancient documents.
At Doña Francisca’s invitation, Lottie visits the Díaz’ property. In a drought-ridden area, the land is lush. Francisca wants Lottie to train as her heir. Reluctant yet fascinated, Lottie agrees.
Will Lottie be lost in this maze of magic? Does this family and its secret hold the key to murder and other terrible crimes?
- GenresMystery
288 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 2012
4 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Hinger
16 books16 followersCharlotte Hinger is a Western Kansas historian. She has a M.A. in history and lives in Colorado. http://www.charlottehinger.com/bio-me...
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 16, 2022
Actually 2.5*
This was the third Lottie Albright mystery and I didn't enjoy it as much. After re-reading my reviews of the other two volumes, it appears that the books keep moving further from the aspects that first attracted me. The actual research into a family's history was diminshed and the "mystery"-solving aspect was weak (even though all is explained at the end.)
The whole herbs and magical aspect of the Diaz family just seemed too "extra", the relevance wasn't shown, and I felt it obscured the mystery solving.
She did still do a pretty good job with living in northwestern Kansas.
This was the third Lottie Albright mystery and I didn't enjoy it as much. After re-reading my reviews of the other two volumes, it appears that the books keep moving further from the aspects that first attracted me. The actual research into a family's history was diminshed and the "mystery"-solving aspect was weak (even though all is explained at the end.)
The whole herbs and magical aspect of the Diaz family just seemed too "extra", the relevance wasn't shown, and I felt it obscured the mystery solving.
She did still do a pretty good job with living in northwestern Kansas.
February 14, 2016
I lost my original book by this author and my library didn't have a copy so I wasn't sure if I ever would get to read this book to get it off my start date of 2014 but while visiting my daughter her library had a copy so.........
A mystery set in present day Kansas Lottie Albright is a part-time Under-sheriff and the head of the local historical society She is married to a rancher who also serves as a deputy-sheriff to keep an eye on her. Into this town suffering from a summer drought a person was killed. Victor was the great-grandson of Francisca who stays at the Diaz property which one's could enter only by invitation. Lottie has been invited and was shocks when she entered this property which had lush flowers, large trees and green grass with no visible present of water. Dona Francisca not only was interested in finding the murder of her relative but was interested I getting someone to carry out the responsibility of continuing the fight with the Government over the properties deed. A deed which she didn't share but claim to have. but she did want to train Lottie to blend and prepare herbs and other items which could be used for spells as well as medicinal which she agues to do.
Francisca not only want revenge from the death of her great-grandson but from the persons who manned her hands so that she could not use them this was done because she refused to tell them where the deed was not getting the information they then killed her husband. Some strange things happened to Lottie when she sample some tea which was mixed from several plants ending with her sleeping for days. Although she was told not to continue with her search for the killer(s) she continued on and following a clue from a record at the historical society try to avoid another killing but wasn't able to save Francisca but ended up capturing the killers of her relatives.
The surprise comes from her (Francisca's copy of this Hispanic family land grant/deed was hidden for many years and its possible affect for the community) and receiver of the will and this Hispanic family land grant.
I would recommend the reading this book
A mystery set in present day Kansas Lottie Albright is a part-time Under-sheriff and the head of the local historical society She is married to a rancher who also serves as a deputy-sheriff to keep an eye on her. Into this town suffering from a summer drought a person was killed. Victor was the great-grandson of Francisca who stays at the Diaz property which one's could enter only by invitation. Lottie has been invited and was shocks when she entered this property which had lush flowers, large trees and green grass with no visible present of water. Dona Francisca not only was interested in finding the murder of her relative but was interested I getting someone to carry out the responsibility of continuing the fight with the Government over the properties deed. A deed which she didn't share but claim to have. but she did want to train Lottie to blend and prepare herbs and other items which could be used for spells as well as medicinal which she agues to do.
Francisca not only want revenge from the death of her great-grandson but from the persons who manned her hands so that she could not use them this was done because she refused to tell them where the deed was not getting the information they then killed her husband. Some strange things happened to Lottie when she sample some tea which was mixed from several plants ending with her sleeping for days. Although she was told not to continue with her search for the killer(s) she continued on and following a clue from a record at the historical society try to avoid another killing but wasn't able to save Francisca but ended up capturing the killers of her relatives.
The surprise comes from her (Francisca's copy of this Hispanic family land grant/deed was hidden for many years and its possible affect for the community) and receiver of the will and this Hispanic family land grant.
I would recommend the reading this book
September 19, 2013
Once again, Kansas history is what brings this book to life. Lottie learns that the murder victim is the great-grandson of Dona Francisca Diaz, the elderly head of one of the first groups to colonize the state. Dona Francisca insists that she knows why Victor was killed, and that the key to the murder can be found in ancient documents. A famed curandera with horribly crippled hands, Dona Francisca invites Lottie to their lush property and insists that she wants to train Lottie as the heir to her legendary cures. Although Lottie is extremely reluctant to do so, she sees this as a once-in-a-lifetime chance for incredible knowledge... and for the chance to solve a murder.
Solving crimes through old documents, ephemera, and stories has always fascinated me, and that's why Charlotte Hinger's Lottie Albright books have become one of my favorite series. Sure enough, the history and legends surrounding the Diaz family and their property grabbed hold of my interest and didn't turn it loose, but two other components were a bit lacking in this third book. The mystery was very slow-paced, almost plodding in places, and Lottie's family dynamics which have set off so many sparks in the first two books are a bit lackluster here.
Despite that, I still found the book to be very enjoyable. I have a button here at my desk that proclaims HISTORY MATTERS-- and it does. Seeds that were sown long ago can germinate and take hold down through generations. Families can have prejudices and yet have no clue that those prejudices had their beginnings eight generations in the past. Hinger understands this and shows us how to tease the answers out into the light of day. It's a process of which I never tire. I look forward to the next book in this series and hope that Lottie regains the spark she was lacking in this book.
Solving crimes through old documents, ephemera, and stories has always fascinated me, and that's why Charlotte Hinger's Lottie Albright books have become one of my favorite series. Sure enough, the history and legends surrounding the Diaz family and their property grabbed hold of my interest and didn't turn it loose, but two other components were a bit lacking in this third book. The mystery was very slow-paced, almost plodding in places, and Lottie's family dynamics which have set off so many sparks in the first two books are a bit lackluster here.
Despite that, I still found the book to be very enjoyable. I have a button here at my desk that proclaims HISTORY MATTERS-- and it does. Seeds that were sown long ago can germinate and take hold down through generations. Families can have prejudices and yet have no clue that those prejudices had their beginnings eight generations in the past. Hinger understands this and shows us how to tease the answers out into the light of day. It's a process of which I never tire. I look forward to the next book in this series and hope that Lottie regains the spark she was lacking in this book.
April 13, 2014
I enjoyed this mystery previously unknown to me, but I wasn't crazy about it. The main character, Lottie Albright, was interesting but I found it a bit contrived. Perhaps I should have read the previous two books -- but the beginning was slow going and the end rather dramatic and not completely believable. The cast of characters were well drawn and interesting -- his and her families. But, I think the author burdens her characters with two many roles, too many complex emotional situations, and some rather obscure moments never quite realized or explained.
That said, I did get involved, and I did read it to the end skimming a bit in order to finish. I'm not hooked, although I probably wouldn't pass up another in the series at some point in time.
That said, I did get involved, and I did read it to the end skimming a bit in order to finish. I'm not hooked, although I probably wouldn't pass up another in the series at some point in time.
September 14, 2014
I listened to the audiobook and though it was slow going (even starting out with a murder), but soon picked up. After the first disc I was hooked. I looked up Charlotte and like the protagonist was also a historian. I love the protagonist, part-time historian, part-time under sheriff. My only criticism and didn't notice until later on in the novel that the author dropped some characters and didn't pick up on their story until way, way later when you started to wonder what happened to so and so so. Great mystery and the added history made it better.
May 27, 2015
Cosy, intricate, interesting mystery with a smart female detective is typically right up my alley, and the series has won some awards. But the setting was tricky for me, and worse, while women-centered and (we're often told) feminist and anti-racist, there are some bizarre moments around overt racism (that are profusely excused by the protagonist) and violence (that are never confronted by the protagonist) in the narrative. Jarring.
March 22, 2014
Light western mystery set in present day Kansas during a summer's drought. Lottie Albright is a part-time Under-sheriff, head of the local historical society, and wife to a rancher. She and her vet/rancher/deputy-sheriff husband are drawn into a horrible death discovered at a local feedlot, which may have roots in the distant history of a Hispanic family land grant.
Good, enjoyable, but somewhat stretches belief during Lottie's sessions with an ancient curandera.
Good, enjoyable, but somewhat stretches belief during Lottie's sessions with an ancient curandera.
July 20, 2016
Author does a good job of creating a mystery with historical facts tossed in for intrigue. Easy read combines believable characters with depth.
September 10, 2014
Fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews