Click on book to visit Amazon
FATAL FAMILY TIES by S.C. Perkins is another tantalizing addition to the Ancestry Detective Mystery series. From the very first page, the author weaves a fascinating tale containing a current day murder, a hunt for missing historical art, a civil war deserter, and a descendant intent on saving her family’s reputation. At the center is the delightful protagonist and expert genealogist, Lucy Lancaster. With southern charm, witty repartee, and a strong determination for finding the truth, Lucy draws the reader in and holds their attention with each passing page. Ms. Perkins descriptive voice brings the setting of Austin and Houston to life, along with the aspects of tracing genealogy and historical art restoration. I appreciate that there are enough details woven into the story which makes it obvious the author has done extensive research, yet those details are written in an effective manner without slowing the pace down.
I loved that her new boyfriend, special agent Ben Turner, is featured alongside Lucy this time. They make a great team and even though this is Lucy’s story to tell, Ben is there to provide assistance while he admires and respects her investigation skills. Not only is she talented in discovering minute details that have been buried in historical documents and family lore, but she’s quite adept at hunting down clues to unveil a killer. There were enough suspects to keep me guessing and several misdirects that I fell for, so when the big reveal came, I was left speechless… in a good way. The story wrapped up in a highly satisfying conclusion and left me waiting on pins and needles for the next installment in this intriguing series!
While there aren’t any recipes included in the book, Ms. Perkins certainly knows how to whet the readers’ appetites with delectable mentions of regional delicacies. She has kindly allowed me to share her mom’s melt-in-your-mouth recipe for Sour Cream Pecan Coffee Cake Muffins, which she has Lucy’s mom make in Fatal Family Ties. I know when a recipe is a winner when I catch my granddaughter eating not one, but two muffins, and wanting a third. This is one where she wanted to keep the entire batch (and it makes plenty) instead of sharing with other friends and neighbors. Rich and tender, thanks to a generous amount of sour cream, the addition of brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans layered in the center of the muffins make these extra delicious. A confectioners’ sugar glaze with additional pecans make these not only a tempting treat for breakfast, but suitable for dessert!
Amazon Synopsis
Lucy is just about to tuck into a plate of tacos at her favorite Austin joint, Big Flaco’s, when she gets an unexpected visit from her former—and least-favorite—co-worker. Camilla Braithwaite hasn’t gotten much friendlier since the last time Lucy saw her, but that doesn’t stop her from asking a favor. In her hand is a newspaper feature on an ancestor, a civil war corporal—and a liar, according to the article. Charles Braithwaite is depicted as a phony and a deserter, and Camilla wants Lucy’s help clearing his name.
Lucy would prefer to spend her free time with her new beau, special agent Ben Turner, but takes the case, making no promises that Camilla will like the outcome of her investigation. Camilla leads Lucy to the Texas History Museum, where their first clue is a triptych painting, passed down in the Braithwaite family for generations, one panel of which has disappeared. But before Lucy can get much further, a member of the Braithwaite family is murdered in his own bed, and another panel of the painting found missing.
There are no shortage of suspects among the Braithwaite clan—including Camilla herself. This case will take Lucy to Houston and back again as she works to find the truth, and catch an elusive killer.
A special thanks to S.C. Perkins for providing one lucky winner with a print copy of FATAL FAMILY TIES! Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Wednesday, July 28 , 2021 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pint sour cream
- 3/4 cup dark-brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup pecans coarsely chopped (walnuts also work well)
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup Pecans – either chopped or a half pecan for each muffin*
-
Line muffin with cupcake liners. This makes 18–24 coffee cake “muffins”.
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-
Combine butter and sugar and cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each egg. Stir in vanilla.
-
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
-
To the butter/sugar mixture, alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream. Mix well each time.
-
In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans and mix well.
-
Spoon one rounded tablespoon of batter into each cupcake liner. Then add 1 rounded tablespoon of the brown-sugar/cinnamon/chopped pecans mixture. Add another rounded tablespoon of batter on top.
-
Bake for 20 minutes, checking occasionally for doneness.
-
Make glaze, mixing ingredients well. Drizzle glaze over each muffin while still warm.
-
*Note about glaze: You can either mix 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans into glaze and then spoon over each muffin. Or omit chopped pecans from glaze and place a pecan half on top of each muffin and then drizzle with plain glaze.
-
These muffins freeze and thaw well. Can be easily reheated in microwave. Start with 15 seconds. Add more time if needed.
-
I had some leftover brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecan mixture so I sprinkled it over the tops of some of the muffin batter just prior to baking, then omitted the glaze once baked.
Pin to Pinterest:
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I really enjoy this series.
I do research the ancestry on my maternal and paternal side. My paternal grandmother came over to the United States through Ellis Island. Through my research I have also found my paternal side of the family is related to the Woolworth ancestry line. It is interesting to see how far you can go back and the information to be found today.
Yes, which is one reason of many that I love this series. And I certainly want to try the muffins! Very hot again this weekend, so may wait just a bit!
Congrats on the new release! I find genealogy fascinating. Excited to check out this new book in the series (and those muffins look amazing). 🙂
I haven’t yet. My mom’s side has been thoroughly traced by my great uncle (grandma’s family tree) and my cousin (grandpa’s family tree). I’d be interested to find out more about my dad’s side but it would be very complicated with all the half/step/adopted members and name changes that resulted in his father’s family.
Other members of our family sometimes research genealogy but I do not.
I don’t but I’m interested in it.
I haven’t yet, but I am halfway through the first book in this series and just LOVE IT! And it is making me want to research my family tree! The coffee cake muffins look delicious! Thanks for the chance to win!
Yes, I’ve done some genealogical research. Just recently, I was given some 100+ year old love letters written between hubby’s grandfather to his grandmother while courting. He was overseas during the war and the letters were those he wrote to her during that time. It was getting a glimpse of the past. It was even funny how it related to the present since they were dealing with the great flu epidemic back then. I only wish we had the the letters she wrote in reply to go with them. I’ve been preserving them by scanning them and then typing them up so the originals won’t be handled. Then putting everything in protective sleeves and then albums.
My only regret is not being able to trace my father’s side back past his father. When he migrated to the U.S. he left the past behind him refusing to talk about it. Besides the fact that he changed his name legally, I’ve also found my discrepancies in dates, ages and names of different forms like immigration forms. Regardless it’s fun to get a glimpse into the past which is all part of our makeup in the present.
What a treasured piece of history from your husband’s grandparents! And how wonderful you’re taking all the necessary steps to save the letters!
I have never researched genealogy.
I don’t research genealogy, but I have friends who do.
I don’t research genealogy.
Yes I do I have done my DNA and found out about a whole lot of places , people I didn’t even know.! Very fun and interesting.
Yes I do research genealogy. It’s very enjoyable to learn about my ancestors.
I have and I find it very interesting! These muffins look delicious!?
I have done some research and was recently contacted by a “distant” cousin who has also done some. I hope we can get together and share what we have. Who knows where it might lead us?
So happy for this recipe. My ARC did not have recipes. I was hoping they would be in the book.
Great story. Thanks for the recipes, Kim.
I try to research genealogy. It’s tough as there is little know on my mother’s side.
I haven’t done any research myself, but my cousin has. She’s learned some very interesting things. These books sound really good.
No my cousin daughter does
no i don’t. I enjoyed the other books in this series.
Yes I live in Iowa and my granddaughter lives in Ca so we did her dads side first just due to that he was in the room with her and I didn’t know any of his info. We are almost done with his side then we are moving to her moms side which includes me and I know a lot about she is doing it online and I am helping when she comes to a glitch it has been so much fun and her and I have spent a lot more time on the phone which i enjoy! I also enjoy your books Kim and also S.C.Perkins both are so expertly written!
I have researched genealogy for both myself and Cajun hubby. Research for me would mean a trip to Manchester, England to get any further than my aunt did when she was researching. I would love to get back into the research but lack funds to do any travel at this time.
My grandfather was the historian in the family many many years ago.
S. C. Perkins is my 2nd cousin and I love her books. My grandfather, her great grandfather, wrote our genealogy and published it back in 1952. He kept researching our families and S. C.’s grandmother (my aunt) continued with our genealogy until her death. But one of her sons is continuing as am I. So it runs in the family and she has lots of wells to research and know about genealogy. Kudos to her for writing really good and knowledgeable books.
I never have!
I haven’t done any research genealogy, but my great aunt did the paternal side of our family and gave everyone in the family a copy. Don’t know much about our maternal side.
Could you just send me a box of those!
No I have never research genealogy.
No, I do not.
Sounds like a very good book. I was adopted so am unable to do genealogy ?
No I never researched genealogy.
I don’t research genealogy. I have thought about it. I have information on my mom’s side but nothing on my dad’s side.
Omg, those muffins look divine! I have only done very minimal research so far, but plan to do more. My mom had done a lot of research when I was a kid, but gave that research to another family member…so now we’re back to square one. Fingers crossed! She did find out that she’s related to John Wilkes Booth, which would be cool if it weren’t for the murdery thing.
No, but I would like to.
We used Ancestry to see what we could find out about our foreign born adopted children.
I don’t but my oldest sister has done some research and found a few things, Thanks for the recipe!
I don’t but I have family members that do. Thanks for the chance!
My husband does so much research. I love to go along for the ride. So fascinating to learn about our past. My dad said we wouldnt find anything on his side. My mom said to have fun learning about her line. My husband found a lot on both sides. So much I didnt know about. But so cool When mom and dad died, my sister and I cleaned out everything. Oh my goodness, we found so much photos that were written on the back and letters, etc. on moms side. Nothing from dads side. This really helped my husband nail some things down and find other things. Wow what a treasure trove we found. On my husbands side, we got a lot of pictures and letters etc. We have put together scrap books full of family history. One of my ancestors was in the civil war and he was a sharpshooter. So much cool information.
no but my family does.
I don’t research geneaology
My family has researched geneology and I have read them.
It’s interesting to hear the attitudes of family members about genealogy. One of my family stressed that she didn’t want to know because you never know what you might find. LOL To me, that’s the exciting part. I don’t care if I find a criminal or someone who was insane or heaven forbid, someone who was “unacceptable”. I’ve done quite a bit of research but hit some stumbling blocks and just haven’t had the time to do more.