Bloodline

Natasha Blake Ancestor Detective #2

by Fiona Mountain

An anonymous note, the shooting death of one of her clients, and an elderly man investigating his granddaughter's boyfriend send ancestor detective Natasha Blake on a perilous quest in search of a the truth about a cold-blooded crime that has been hidden for generations. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Cozy Mystery, British Literature

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Fiona Mountain grew up in Sheffield and moved to London aged eighteen where she worked in the press office for Radio 1 for ten years, handling the PR for presenters including John Peel, Mark Radlcliffe and Steve Wright and traveling with the Radio 1 Summer Roadshow.

Her first novel, Isabella, tells the haunting love story of Bounty mutineer Fletcher Christian and his cousin, Isabella Curwen. It was short-listed for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2000, the first debut novel to reach the shortlist. It was followed with Pale as the Dead and Bloodline, which combine history with mystery and feature 'ancestor detective', Natasha Blake. Bloodline is the winner of the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award.

Fiona's novels have been published in America, Canada, Japan, Thailand, Italy, Germany, Holland and Australia. Though having enjoyed writing the mysteries, Lady of the Butterflies, published in 2009, marks her permanent return to historical fiction.

She lives in a seventeenth century house in the Cotswolds with her husband, Tim, a musician, and their four young children.

Her new book, 'The Keeper of Songs' out in 2021.

Reviews

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young genealogist takes on a client to look up a daily line that is not his own and finds that such a hunt has severe consequences. Charles Seagrove, a wealthy eccentric has Natasha Blake look up the bloodline of his granddaughter's fiancé and uses the information to break up the couple. But his actions ... and the information Natasha finds ... also sends someone else to kill Seagrove.

The family blames Natasha for what has happened and soon she becomes a part of the search for clues to who could have murdered because of what she found. The clues she follows lead in another direction entirely -- to Seagrove's own family line. Can Natasha find out who would kill because of family?

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing mystery, just wish Fiona Mountain continued with the series.

I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Natasha is a genealogist hired to trace a family tree by an older gentleman, Charles Seagrove, which ends up being the ancestral tree of his granddaughter Rosa’s fiancée, John.

Little does Natasha know she has just been drawn into an ancestral nightmare. Her work has led to a murder, a dead body, the Nazi’s perfect race, and uncovering the true and disturbing reality of Charles Seagrove.

Truly enjoyed!

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Natasha Blake is surprised to be hired by Charles Seagrove, a genealogist in his own right. He also adds restrictions to her assignment, keeping her from discussing it from others. And it isn't even his own family—so why is he interested? Soon after delivering her report, Natasha finds Charles murdered, and, naturally, tries to help in the investigation. She also suffers from insomnia and abandonment trauma. But as she digs, she begins to suspect the clues to Charles's murder lie back in the past . . . .

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles Seagrove hires Natasha, Blake, genealogist, to investigate his granddaughter’s fiancé and shortly after receiving her report, he refuses to bless the marriage. He is then murdered in his own garden. His son, Richard, insists that Natasha explore why Charles came to this decision. Reluctantly Natasha does as Richard asks,neither of them realizing the shocks that will be revealed by her investigation.

[Kathy KS · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this British mystery. Not only does it combine a murder mystery with genealogical research, but it also connects with World War II and the British homefront. Although I haven't done much English genealogical research, I learned about some sources that may come in handy some day.

It appears this may be the last in the series, but I'd love to see more about Natasha...

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genealogist Natasha Blake is hired to research the background on a young man who is marrying into a wealthy family. Her client is the grandfather of the girl he is going to marry. She has taken on more than she realized when he is murdered. However, his son asks her to expand her research on his own family.

[Katie Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another interesting mystery featuring an English professional genealogist. Natasha discovers a murder victim for whom she has done some genealogy work. There are several people who might want him dead, so she probes his past.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two of my favorite categories in one: Genealogy and WWII.

[Susan]

I really like this series: history plus mystery

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as good as Mountain's "Pale as the Dead", but still an interesting read. Disappointing number of typos throughout.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit different. I found the mysteries of the past more interesting that the recent murder. The historical information caught my interest.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the main character of Natasha because she was smart and articulate, but I really didn't enjoy the story. The writing seemed rather slow and dry with not a lot of dialogue. The ending was very predictable and melodramatic.

I should say I'm not a fan of genealogy, so all the detail she gave about looking up family history was lost on me. Plus, it was hard to feel sympathy for many of the characters because of the way they reacted to Natasha's work.

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an amazing mystery filled with twists and turns that you didn’t see coming. The main character is Natasha Blake and she is a genealogist by trade. She uncovers people’s ancestors and her latest client is quite mysterious. He wants a family tree done on his granddaughter’s boyfriend. What she uncovers leads to his mysterious death and Natasha must help the police find the true killer before the killer finds her. A brilliant British mystery and a must-read!

[Windy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second of this author's books to feature Natasha Blake "Ancestor Detective". As with the first one, Natasha is doing her normal job of researching family history and get involves in a murder investigation with roots in the past. Quite a complicated plot but easy reading although I was annoyed by a few small errors.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I'd enjoy this, but I didn't really. The mystery wound up getting so tangled up in different family trees that I couldn't keep track of who was who. When supposedly shocking or important revelations came, I was underwhelmed because I didn't know or care anymore how the people were connected. I finally just skimmed the last three chapters or so. I say skip it.

[Cleopatra Pullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating idea for a story which involves family history research.

It was a great to read on holiday as the story moves along at a pace and was very interesting.

This is the second story which features genealogist Natasha Blake and it works well as a stand-alone, I haven't read the first one. If you're interested in nature versus nurture and family history give this a go

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun mystery that I would feel comfortable recommending to anyone.
Sometime in a mystery, the author gets overly focused on the grisly details of the murder. That was not the case here. This was an engaging story. I enjoyed the book.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review of the same author's Pale As the Dead.
This book deals with some of the nastier uses to which genealogy has been put. I thought it was very good and hope that the recent appearance of a more "literary" novel by Ms. Mountain doesn't mean the end of the Natasha Blake series.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books that use genealogy and history to solve the mystery. I like her style of writing also.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since the protagonist was a genealogist (one of my hobbies) I enjoyed this book a lot.

[Ruth Kevghas · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best mysteries I have read recently! Thoroughly absorbing and intricate with lots of detail! Just the way I enjoy them!

[Britt, Book Habitue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love mysteries and genealogy, but this one just didn't quite click for me. Not bad, just didn't love it.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish. Got 10 chapters in and realised I didn't really care what happened. Shame, as parts of it were interesting.

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit creepy - and a look into a sick Nazi breeding program I had previously been unaware of. I still like the idea of genealogical sleuth, but this book was uneven.

[Rachelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better written and crafted than your average genealogical mystery.....hoping Fiona Mountain continues this series!

[Jean Liska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining author. This book combined mystery and genealogy that was set in England.

[Katharine Ott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bloodline" - written by Fiona Mountain and published in 2004 by Orion. An intricate, compelling genealogical mystery.

[Dianna Shimizu · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent mystery involving genealogy and a main character you really like.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natasha Blake #2

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the genealogy subject.