This is another genealogical crime/mystery by Steve Robinson, however this book was not up to the standard of his previous four books. It started off rather slow then picked up pace but it still wasn't as good as his other novels. This book had less genealogical research than the previous books and focused too much on overdone, boring Nazi trivia* and not enough on the main character. The main character struck me as something of a non-entity, especially if you haven't read the previous novels in the series, even though the whole story revolved around finding the main character's parents. This book would fit right in with all those silly Hollywood movies with limited plot, irrelevant scenes, a fair amount of unnecessary "action", a typical Hollywood villain that has to blabber too much, and lots of unrealistic, all too convenient happenings, making the book rather trite and on occasion unbelievable and silly. The end did have a rather interesting twist, but the rest of the book could have been better.



( )

This one was a bit of a stretch. ( )

This one was a bit of a stretch. ( )

Steve Robinson's genealogical sleuth Jefferson Tayte has uncovered many family secrets and solved many crimes throughout this series, and it was a pleasure to see that he was finally getting the chance to discover the identity of his own parents.

With a few chapters written from the perspective of 1940s wartime Germany, Tayte is quickly drawn into Nazi secrets and fascist organizations. If he finds the truth, it may not be what he wants to hear, but as Robinson (and hopefully everyone else) well knows, our ancestors are a mixed bag of good people and bad. No exceptions.

I've watched the author's storytelling skill grow with each book, and those skills were good to begin with. He's certainly become very adept at crafting well-paced, exciting action sequences. He's also created two strong and appealing characters in Tayte and Summer, and I enjoy watching them work together.

However, I felt that the bad guy hired the wrong group of henchmen because they seemed a bit inept in their attempts to silence our two heroes. If they'd had more skill, it would've ratcheted up the tension even more. I also recognized the main plot twist well in advance, but this did not ruin the book for me. Kindred is still an exciting read with a lead character that I've grown to care about during the course of the series.

If you like excitement, history, good characters, and a fast-paced mystery, I hope you'll join me in reading Steve Robinson's Jefferson Tayte mysteries. Good stuff! ( )

I was very excited to read this book from the very start. You know why? I’ve been a loyal fan of this genealogical series and after all this time, Jefferson Tayte (JT), with the help of Professor Jean Summer, is finally investigating his own family’s past. Up until his parents passed away, he’d had no idea they were his adoptive parents. But searching for and finding his own family, his own identity, had always eluded him. Once again, he’s afraid he may lose ground as the man he needs to speak with is very old … and dying. All JT had to go on was a picture of his mother from 1963 that she had left for him. His friend and mentor, Marcus Brown, who had died in a prior story, had been uncovering a lead on JT’s actual family. It is that research that prompted JT and Jean to travel to Munich to speak with Johann Langner, a former soldier in Hitler’s army. More than once, Johann asks JT if he’s sure he wants to know his past no matter what. Then, Jean’s life is threatened. Someone doesn’t want the secrets of the past to become unburied. What are they hiding?

JT’s research into his family’s past is layered against the historical time period making this as much a historical fiction as a contemporary story. In particular, it goes back to the Holocaust, war crimes, and events at Dachau concentration camp. His partner in research, Jean Summer, is also someone he’s developing a close relationship with. Yet this is not a romantic suspense. Perhaps romance will be in a future book in the series. I like their playful comradery and the author has crafted both of them with believable and likable personalities. The danger felt real and there was an unbelievable twist that left me breathless. This book can be read as a standalone, but I’ve come to love JT after reading the four prior books in the series. I would suggest picking up the first, In the Blood, and starting there. It is a clean series for those that prefer no harsh language. Rating: 5 out of 5. ( )