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A Lethal Legacy
Seductions, deceptions, and twisted roots in a family tree
A Lethal Legacy, a psychological thriller, takes the reader on a journey through Ed Townsend's twisted family legacy. He complicates the familial connection even more when he falls prey to the siren of his much younger cousin Kristina, who is beyond saving as she plots to get her fair share of the Townsend family legacy. Ed's best friend and cousin, Gary, struggles as he marries women he doesn't love all because he knows his father will never accept his homosexuality. It takes divorce, disease, and murder for Ed to realize that acceptance only comes from within once he is ready to face the truth.
A Lethal Legacy, a psychological thriller, takes the reader on a journey through Ed Townsend's twisted family legacy. He complicates the familial connection even more when he falls prey to the siren of his much younger cousin Kristina, who is beyond saving as she plots to get her fair share of the Townsend family legacy. Ed's best friend and cousin, Gary, struggles as he marries women he doesn't love all because he knows his father will never accept his homosexuality. It takes divorce, disease, and murder for Ed to realize that acceptance only comes from within once he is ready to face the truth.
- GenresMystery Thriller
264 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2013
5 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
About the author
P.C. Zick
51 books144 followersP.C. Zick describes herself as a storyteller no matter what she writes. And she writes in a variety of genres, including romance, contemporary fiction, and nonfiction. She's won various awards for her essays, columns, editorials, articles, and fiction. Currently, crafting fiction—mostly romances—occupies her time.
The three novels in her Florida Fiction Series contain stories of Florida and its people and environment, which she credits as giving her a rich base for her storytelling. "Florida's quirky and abundant wildlife—both human and animal—supply my fiction with tales almost too weird to be believable."
Her contemporary romances in the Behind the Love series are also set in Florida. The novels in her most recent series, Smoky Mountain Romances, are set in the fictional town of Laurel, North Carolina. She is currently working on a new romance series, Rivals in Love. Join the Crandall family of Chicago as the siblings find love despite their focus on successful careers. Her Montauk Romances are set in and around Long Island and feature simple, yet sophisticated beach houses designed with romantic intent.
Civil War Journal from the 2nd Michigan contains the reminiscences of her great-grandfather, Harmon Camburn, who joined the Union Army on April 20, 1861. The book contains his journal as well as annotations about the war in general. She’s also included several appendices that add local context to the journal. This is an expanded version of Civil War Journal of a Union Soldier published in 2013.
She has written several books of nonfiction on topics from gardening to travel to memoir. Her body of work contain stories set in a variety of places. Along with writing contemporary fiction and romances and creative nonfiction, Ms. Zick is also an editor, book formatter, and publisher.
She and her husband live in Tallahassee, Florida, during the winter. In the spring, they enjoy life in the Smoky Mountains near Murphy, North Carolina, where they enjoy gardening, kayaking, and golfing. And of course, in both locations,
Ms. Zick weaves stories that share her philosophy of living lightly upon this earth with love, laughter, and passion.
The three novels in her Florida Fiction Series contain stories of Florida and its people and environment, which she credits as giving her a rich base for her storytelling. "Florida's quirky and abundant wildlife—both human and animal—supply my fiction with tales almost too weird to be believable."
Her contemporary romances in the Behind the Love series are also set in Florida. The novels in her most recent series, Smoky Mountain Romances, are set in the fictional town of Laurel, North Carolina. She is currently working on a new romance series, Rivals in Love. Join the Crandall family of Chicago as the siblings find love despite their focus on successful careers. Her Montauk Romances are set in and around Long Island and feature simple, yet sophisticated beach houses designed with romantic intent.
Civil War Journal from the 2nd Michigan contains the reminiscences of her great-grandfather, Harmon Camburn, who joined the Union Army on April 20, 1861. The book contains his journal as well as annotations about the war in general. She’s also included several appendices that add local context to the journal. This is an expanded version of Civil War Journal of a Union Soldier published in 2013.
She has written several books of nonfiction on topics from gardening to travel to memoir. Her body of work contain stories set in a variety of places. Along with writing contemporary fiction and romances and creative nonfiction, Ms. Zick is also an editor, book formatter, and publisher.
She and her husband live in Tallahassee, Florida, during the winter. In the spring, they enjoy life in the Smoky Mountains near Murphy, North Carolina, where they enjoy gardening, kayaking, and golfing. And of course, in both locations,
Ms. Zick weaves stories that share her philosophy of living lightly upon this earth with love, laughter, and passion.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 11, 2014
***** A Dynamite Combo
Different books evoke different reactions. Lyrical books awaken our senses, important books broaden our understanding of major issues, and page-turners transport us into new worlds. In “A Lethal Legacy,” P. C. Zick has managed to combine all three of these areas. With phrases such as, “I married, made love, had children, and buried my relatives, but I did it while covered in a shroud of heavy moisture laden with coldness and despair...”and “...the fog surrounded my car, swallowing it in one bite...” it is obvious how polished a writer she is.
Added to that are two cousins, Gary and Ed, each from either neglectful and/or abusively dysfunctional parents and each trying to lead ‘normal’ lives while hiding their inner secrets––one, his homosexuality, the other, his descent into incest. Zick’s treatment of these two highly charged subjects is so deft, so thorough, we are totally absorbed by these characters and their families to the point that several times, I actually caught myself exclaiming out loud, “Oh no! Don’t do that!” Now, that’s page-turning material! In short, this is definitely a 5* read.
Different books evoke different reactions. Lyrical books awaken our senses, important books broaden our understanding of major issues, and page-turners transport us into new worlds. In “A Lethal Legacy,” P. C. Zick has managed to combine all three of these areas. With phrases such as, “I married, made love, had children, and buried my relatives, but I did it while covered in a shroud of heavy moisture laden with coldness and despair...”and “...the fog surrounded my car, swallowing it in one bite...” it is obvious how polished a writer she is.
Added to that are two cousins, Gary and Ed, each from either neglectful and/or abusively dysfunctional parents and each trying to lead ‘normal’ lives while hiding their inner secrets––one, his homosexuality, the other, his descent into incest. Zick’s treatment of these two highly charged subjects is so deft, so thorough, we are totally absorbed by these characters and their families to the point that several times, I actually caught myself exclaiming out loud, “Oh no! Don’t do that!” Now, that’s page-turning material! In short, this is definitely a 5* read.
September 24, 2013
"A Lethal Legacy" by P.C.Zick was a real surprise-find and treat for me. Knowing this superb author from her award nominated environmental novel "Trails in the Sand" I was not prepared for a psychological thriller so incredibly well written and breath-taking.
The powerful and to me entrancing narrative follows two cousins through their lives as teenagers and young adults, their first amorous affairs and their marriages. While writer Ed envies his good looking cousin Gary the women and the ease in his life, Gary is struggling with his concealed homosexuality and would probably happily trade with Ed who has all the qualities that Ed's father would appreciate.
I felt myself deeply engaged in the minds of these two men and was eager to find out where the story was leading, how the men would develop and if or how their many intriguing issues would be resolved. The powerful writing kept me almost entranced with the story and made for some compelling reading.
Gary's grown up daughter Kris re-appears in his life and gets re-acquainted with her father. Ed tells her (and us) more of the missing pieces of his and Gary's past. In small segments we learn more about the failed marriages and the friendship between the two. The narrative strands work extremely well together to keep the suspense and explain what needs to be told. Family secrets and background information add spice to the story and fairly late into the book a murder pushes the plot even further.
I am truly amazed at the author's versatility and the quality of the writing. This reads more like it is coming from an experienced thriller expert rather than from a newcomer to the genre. I found the depth of the characters, the continuous tension and the easy flow of the narrative outstanding and must give this book a very enthusiastic 5 stars.
The powerful and to me entrancing narrative follows two cousins through their lives as teenagers and young adults, their first amorous affairs and their marriages. While writer Ed envies his good looking cousin Gary the women and the ease in his life, Gary is struggling with his concealed homosexuality and would probably happily trade with Ed who has all the qualities that Ed's father would appreciate.
I felt myself deeply engaged in the minds of these two men and was eager to find out where the story was leading, how the men would develop and if or how their many intriguing issues would be resolved. The powerful writing kept me almost entranced with the story and made for some compelling reading.
Gary's grown up daughter Kris re-appears in his life and gets re-acquainted with her father. Ed tells her (and us) more of the missing pieces of his and Gary's past. In small segments we learn more about the failed marriages and the friendship between the two. The narrative strands work extremely well together to keep the suspense and explain what needs to be told. Family secrets and background information add spice to the story and fairly late into the book a murder pushes the plot even further.
I am truly amazed at the author's versatility and the quality of the writing. This reads more like it is coming from an experienced thriller expert rather than from a newcomer to the genre. I found the depth of the characters, the continuous tension and the easy flow of the narrative outstanding and must give this book a very enthusiastic 5 stars.
October 31, 2013
“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” is a famous quote by Leo Tolstoy, a Russian master of realistic fiction. Even though this quote and the novel “Anna Karenina” in which that quotes appears were written in 19th century, that quotes applied to today’s families, happy and unhappy, and to the family shown in “Lethal Legacy” by P.C. Zick.
The novel “Lethal Legacy” by P.C. Zick illustrates that universal principle in an engaging and psychologically interesting way. It portrays a complicated family relationship of two adult cousins, Ed and Gary, tracing the problems each one is facing in his respective adult lives back to their upbringing and family history. An already interesting dynamic between the two cousins, each desiring certain qualities of the other, gets more complicated with the arrival of Kris, Ed’s long-lost daughter. Kris’s arrival is well-timed, and her motives for meeting Ed extend far beyond sentimentality and desire to restore familial connections. A scene when Ed wakes up to discover Kris standing in his bedroom in the middle of the night, her motives questionable and her explanations highly suspect, makes the suspense in this novel even higher. And that’s just the beginning.
The story takes on many interesting (and frightening!) twists and turns as Gary, the protagonist, continues his journey towards self-discovery, solace, and peace of mind. “If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content,” wrote Leo Tolstoy. As you read “Lethal Legacy,” you can decide for yourself if this quote applies as much to Gary, Ed, and Kris today as it applied to the characters and the times of Leo Tolstoy. You may be surprised at what you discover. An engaging, exciting book, and thought-provoking book. You’re in for a treat!
The novel “Lethal Legacy” by P.C. Zick illustrates that universal principle in an engaging and psychologically interesting way. It portrays a complicated family relationship of two adult cousins, Ed and Gary, tracing the problems each one is facing in his respective adult lives back to their upbringing and family history. An already interesting dynamic between the two cousins, each desiring certain qualities of the other, gets more complicated with the arrival of Kris, Ed’s long-lost daughter. Kris’s arrival is well-timed, and her motives for meeting Ed extend far beyond sentimentality and desire to restore familial connections. A scene when Ed wakes up to discover Kris standing in his bedroom in the middle of the night, her motives questionable and her explanations highly suspect, makes the suspense in this novel even higher. And that’s just the beginning.
The story takes on many interesting (and frightening!) twists and turns as Gary, the protagonist, continues his journey towards self-discovery, solace, and peace of mind. “If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content,” wrote Leo Tolstoy. As you read “Lethal Legacy,” you can decide for yourself if this quote applies as much to Gary, Ed, and Kris today as it applied to the characters and the times of Leo Tolstoy. You may be surprised at what you discover. An engaging, exciting book, and thought-provoking book. You’re in for a treat!
November 11, 2013
This powerful read is a real page turner, and I highly recommend this psychological thriller for all who are interested in being entertained. I'm glad I didn't pass this one by. Well done!!!
March 10, 2018
Spellbinding
A mighty strong story of greed and love of money. The incestuous twist is surprising. A very good and well written story.
A mighty strong story of greed and love of money. The incestuous twist is surprising. A very good and well written story.
March 29, 2014
I will say from the start, there’s no hero to root for here, and you won’t find one redeemable personality trait among the entire cast. Reading this book is like watching a bad accident, but you just can’t take your eyes away. You must keep reading. This is completely to the credit of the amazing writing of PC Zick. The characters, though not likable, are deep and profound. You find yourself hoping for something better for them. The story line, though making you want to grimace on nearly every page, is rich and descriptive with plenty of family dysfunction. It makes you glad you're not part of this family. Their past is painful, their future is uncertain, the ending is excellent. I finished the book and thought, “What a great story!”
October 16, 2014
Second dud this week I just couldn't finish reading. Supposedly a psychological thriller. I found the characters flat and the noir style narrative monotonous and boring.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews