Benjamin's Ghosts is a work of genealogical fiction by American author, and genealogist, Sylvia Nash. This book is the first in a series of five centered on a woman, Enid Gilchrist, who lives in small town Tennessee and works as a genealogist in the public library. As such, she also solves mysteries related to family histories, southern history and American history.
The book opens with Benjamin, Enid's boss, researching several families in his area and seeking permission to present his findings at local historical society meetings which are open to the public.
Unfortunately, while these presentations are popular, someone who does not wish family secrets unearthed uses a bust during a heated moment as a weapon for murder, and Benjamin is no more.
His housekeeper is subsequently found dead following a call to Enid while his niece. kidnapped from her assisted living facility and left to fend for herself on a busy highway. is rescued by a driver who calls police. Soon, Enid, her lifelong friend, the chief of police and the niece's daughter, all find themselves in the crosshairs of a killer.
Focusing on the families who were the subject of Benjamin's investigations and hints for hiding places of related papers and journals left by both Benjamin and his housekeeper, a list of suspects and possible scenarios is developed, and the reader is quickly drawn into a civil war-era tale of family discord and disinheritance stretching into the present day.
Twists and turns lead to a killer's confession, and the eventual reunification of two lines in a family tree.
Having read this as the penultimate rather than the first in this series as I should have done, I was disappointed that motives came down to one son in a Confederate family supporting the Union and being thus disinherited and then killed by his brother for money, thereby aborting a planned reconciliation. However, the plot once again brings to light the ugly truth that people often do heinous things for money. The institution and support of slavery was indeed that and the racism remaining in its wake today is a running theme in this series, as is the "family secret."
On her website, Nash acknowledges her penchant for tackling issues in her writing though she doesn't set out to write on a specific issues or know where they will lead. A former English teacher, she is the author of several series, short stories and other works and resides in Tennessee.
If this isn't your cup of tea, there well may be another book along the way which sparks an interest as I read rather widely.
What are you reading this month?
