The Hidden Branch by G. G. Vandagriff "Paul Mardian is a shining example of the American dream. The grandson of an Armenian immigrant who fled to the United States during the genocide of 1915, Paul is a self-made industrial tycoon and one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. But the dream is shattered when Paul turns up dead and his valuable collection of ancient Armenian artifacts goes missing. Hired to find the murdered man’s heirs, professional genealogist Alexandra Campbell and her sidekick, Briggie, are brought to the swanky beaches of Southern California and a community of Armenian relatives who all seem to be hiding a secret. When another family member is suddenly murdered, Alex discovers there is more at stake than an unclaimed fortune or missing antiques, but piecing together Paul’s complicated family tree may be more dangerous than she ever anticipated. Author G. G. Vandagriff combines mystery, suspense, and romance in this page-turning thriller!" (description from deseretbook.com)
I liked the change in Alex’s character, much less mopey and
more interesting to read about, now that she isn’t so angst ridden by her past.
I felt the mystery in this story wasn’t as compelling as the others in the series.
I think this in in part because the cast may be so huge or that the initial
stages of the mystery were so chaotic. It seemed like there were many random
clues and there were so many family members to keep track of and eventually
three different crimes that had to be linked together. So while the mystery
seemed frustrating to me at first I really did like how the author
characterized the family members and I found them all pretty interesting. The
setting made this book a perfect end of summer read, and I got caught up in the
plot despite my earlier feelings that it got off the ground slowly.
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