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    Deadly Descent
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    Deadly Descent
    Unavailable
    Deadly Descent
    Ebook329 pages5 hours

    Deadly Descent

    By Charlotte Hinger

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Layers of deadly intrigue bind generations of families in historian Lottie Albright's Western Kansas community. When false accusations threaten senatorial candidate Brian Hadley's political career, secrets whispered to Lottie as editor of the county history books spur a personal search for his aunt's murderer.

    Ignoring warnings from her twin, clinical psychologist Josie Albright, Lottie dons a badge to gain access to information. She delves into a horrifying cold case to prove her merits as a deputy and impresses Sheriff Sam Abbot with her ability to combine historical research methods and police procedure. Soon Josie and her sister add their helpful expertise in untangling the web of families bound by a lethal legacy of prideful secrets.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSourcebooks
    Release dateFeb 28, 2011
    ISBN9781615951000
    Unavailable
    Deadly Descent
    Author

    Charlotte Hinger

    Charlotte Hinger is an award-winning novelist and Kansas historian. The first book in her Lottie Albright series, Deadly Descent, won the AZ Book Publishers’ Award, Best Mystery/Suspense. Hidden Heritage won Kirkus Reviews 100 Best Mysteries & 100 Best Fiction Books of 2013. Fractured Families was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. Charlotte lives in Colorado.

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    Reviews for Deadly Descent

    4/5

    27 ratings6 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Holy smoke! Honestly I couldn't get past the idea of a woman who is a historian deciding that she wants to be a law enforcement officer in order to snoop around part-time into a murder, needing nothing more than to go buy herself a gun and a uniform and get the Sheriff to hand over her a badge. She doesn't like guns and doesn't know if she would ever be able to actually kill another person. She doesn't even tell her husband that she's done it (because she knows he won't like it) until she comes home lugging a box of newly purchased gear!!! Good thing she didn't have to pass a pre-hire psych eval. I'm pretty sure even the much-derided "Mall Cop" security guard gets more training than this.
    • 5/5
      As an amateur historian and genealogist myself, I found the premise for this book extremely of interest. Hinger uses this background very well to weave two family stories over multiple generations into a current time murder mystery with several worthy twists. While I don't care, personally, for the extreme physical "capture" of the murderer, it fits the genre well. The story is set in a fictional western Kansas county, but very obviously based clearly on the culture of that place and time. She has edited hundreds of family histories contributed to county history books. This background research serves her well in this book. A good, easy read.
    • 5/5
      Wow. This is a dynamite book with a fast paced story and great characters.

      Lottie Albright is a wife, twin, step-mother and historian. As she works in the historical society she created in a small western Kansas town someone is murdered, a local lady who also has a twin sister. From this Lottie gets involved in the murder but also dips into an old murder.

      There is a lot to like here, the interplay between twin sisters, the secrets of small towns, the dynamics of a step-family, and, of course, murder.

      I don't know if this is going to be a series but from the cover I think it will be (it is promoted as "A Lottie Albright Mystery") so I can't wait for more.
    • 5/5
      First Line: She was coming for me.Lottie Albright, director of the Carleton County Historical Society in western Kansas, is busy editing the family stories of the county residents. She's also the campaign manager for Brian Hadley, who is trying to win a seat in the senate.Although some of the residents have beliefs that Lottie does not agree with, their stories are historical documents, and she treats them accordingly. When Brian Hadley's mother, Fiona, comes to Lottie and insists that she suppress Fiona's sister's racist slant of their family history, Lottie disagrees-- even though the story could damage her candidate's chances in the coming election. Soon thereafter, Fiona's sister is murdered, valuable documents are stolen, and anonymous letters begin arriving.Believing that her work in historical investigation will help in finding clues to the identity of the killer, Lottie talks the local sheriff into letting her become a part-time deputy. The sheriff thinks it's a joke and gives her an old cold case to look at, and Lottie's husband thinks she's lost her mind, but both men soon learn that Lottie can tease the truth out of dusty old documents-- and the murderer doesn't like it one bit.I keep forgetting how historically rich the state of Kansas is, but I think Charlotte Hinger has given my memory the jolt it needed to remember this fact. She deftly weaves bits of history into her narrative in a way that adds detail and texture in addition to bringing her cast of characters into sharper focus.I was immediately drawn to the character of Lottie and to her family dynamics: a strong, cultured older husband who's a farmer and a veterinarian; a sophisticated twin sister who believes Lottie is wasted out in the hinterland; a step-daughter who loathes her. Having swiftly learned to care for Lottie as much as she cares for those around her, I actually enjoyed following all the emotional undercurrents that this family had swirling around it.Another element that I thoroughly enjoyed was how Lottie was capable of reading old historical documents-- bills of sale, inventories and the like-- and find solid leads into her investigations into both the cold case and the present-day murder. Having read many of those same types of documents in connection with my own family history, I can attest to the fact that there is a lot to be learned from reading them-- although they do bore most people to tears.The old cold case involving Herman Swenson was heartbreaking but rather easy to solve; however, the present-day case was not. I think it was due to the intricacies of the family trees and the fact that the generations and ages of various characters kept getting blurred in my mind.Hinger's skill in characterization and in bringing historical investigation to life have me excited to read the next book in this series. I spent a lot of time as a teenager reading old newspapers, going through endless reels of microfilm, and taking census in old, forgotten cemeteries. Charlotte Hinger has reminded me of how much fun-- and how fascinating-- history can be... and how much influence it has on the present. I want more!
    • 3/5
      A book of citizen reminiscences about their families and small Kansas town leads to murder. When town historian Lottie Albright manages to get herself deputized, the killer turns attention to her. The answer lies in the past, but Lottie must puzzle this out before she ends up dead herself. I find it difficult to believe Lottie was deputized so quickly without law enforcement training. It kind of reminds me of some episodes of Andy Griffith where Andy deputizes a citizen when Barney is out of town. Lottie's more intelligent than Barney, but she makes all the mistakes of amateur sleuths. Still this was an entertaining read, even if some parts lacked believability.
    • 5/5
      Best mystery I've read in a while!