The Blood Ballad by Rett MacPherson


Mar 17, 2010

I recently read The Blood Ballad, the 11th book in the Torie O'Shea mystery series by Rett MacPherson. While this series is made up of cozy mysteries that are very easy, mild reads (the exact opposite of my favorite Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly), I've chosen to read them because they combine three of my special interests: mysteries and genealogy and Missouri. Torie O'Shea lives in a fictitious small town just south of St. Louis. She is the resident genealogist, historian, tour guide of historic buildings, snoop, plus a harried wife and mother. She is usually able to solve crimes using her genealogy skills and intuition to understand family relationships, secrets, and grudges. The author's photo on the book jacket looks just like I picture the main character. While I would not say Rett MacPherson writes mysteries that keep me on the edge of my seat or unable to put the books down, I do think they would appeal to readers with some of the same interests as mine and who like the cozies.

Reviewed by Library Staff