The Irish Inheritance (Jayne Sinclair Genealogical Mysteries Book 1)

The book introduces Jayne Sinclair, a retired police officer, now turning her hobby of genealogist into a business. She's employed to research an adoptee’s biological parents with only birth and adoption certificates and an old book to go on—the investigation is present-day mingled with narratives from the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland and its aftermath and through to late 1920s Yorkshire.The storyline combines Jayne's research, her family problems, and the dangerous situation she becomes embroiled in when she crosses a paramilitary organisation’s path, all with a hired killer watching her every move.The story flew by for me with crisp, no-nonsense dialogue and brief descriptive passages for the present day with a more in-depth narrative for past times. I liked the comparison and thought it worked well in this book.I found this a satisfying read, not only because it dealt with a period of history that I knew little about but because I somehow connected with Jayne’s character. I will certainly be looking for the next in this genealogical mystery series. I’ll also be looking at M J Lee’s DI Ridpath and Inspector Danilov series too.I would say that while I’m always interested in this genre, I can categorically state that nothing remotely similar to Jayne Sinclair's experiences has ever happened to me whilst I’ve been researching my family history. I thank whichever deity that watches over me for that!

This probably isn't a book I would go looking for but I am really glad it found me. I knew about people who research family trees by trawling through the records office but I never thought about someone researching a family tree in the way Jayne did, but I'm hooked. What a brilliant way to make a living.As someone who has dabbled in genealogy and who has a whole raft of Irish ancestors the title of this book immediately grabbed me. I have to admit I was intrigued and bought the book to find out more and to see if there were any clues that might help me when it comes to tracing my Irish ancestry.Sadly I didn't find any clues but I did get myself a cracking read! Jayne is a fantastic character. She was a policewoman but left the force after an incident that didn't go to plan. She was just at the stage of wondering how she was going to fill her days when she was contacted by a very rich gentleman who wanted to find out about his birth parents as he was dying. He had been adopted at age 4 and taken from England to America. All he had to go on was a photo of himself taken just before his adoption and an old book with a strange inscription.Jayne's husband was firmly of the belief that now she was no longer in the police force she would stay home and look after him and they would spend endless hours together, a thought that filled Jayne with horror. Her husband was against her helping the American, but she decided to do it anyway. I loved her honesty and her down to earthness. I appreciated the way she knew that her marriage wasn't working and that, by taking on this challenge, she was almost putting the final nail in it's coffin, but went ahead regardless.The challenge took her to Yorkshire, to Ireland, in planes, trains and taxis and gave her some of the most challenging situations she had ever faced but, face them she did, with bravery, courage and determination.I am looking forward to the next challenge that Jayne faces.

Read this on Kindle and, yes, did wonder about how it was published. On Kindle, there are some formatting errors, text sometimes justified and sometimes centred on the page. There are a few errors in consistency, not enough to detract from the story but there nonetheless. Plus a couple of possible factual errors - has Guy Fawkes night ever been celebrated anywhere in Ireland??? Reading it from the point of view of someone who has recently delved into family history research, couldn’t help but compare how the main character goes about it, and how much more info is now available online.I did feel the characters were stereotyped ... my main sympathy was with Jayne’s unloved and neglected husband.But, all that said, an easy and enjoyable read ... and one that takes itself a lot less seriously than some. The author also balances the past and the present well, and avoids the trap of presenting two different stories to the reader’s attention

I got this through a Bookbub promotion and was intrigued by the blurb and the opening chapter. I enjoyed it.There's nothing ground breaking in the family mystery genre, but there's a decent enough story (not spoilt by a few errors here and there) and a bit of action. Female protagonist with 'a past' though it didn't get too cliched, thankfully. It also dealt with the political aspect of the history in a fairly neutral manner, which was appreciated. I often find myself skimming books these days, but this one held my attention and I read it from cover to cover over the course of about a week.

This is a great story and a real page turner if you forgive its faults and just enjoy the ride. I am fairly familiar with the events of the Easter Rising and liked the way he brought in quite a bit of the details of the event without labouring it. I think he was fairly successful in bringing it to life.The plot with regards to the modern day events are fairly weak but you still want to find out what happens. It isn't great literature but good fun if you want to be entertained and are not too critical.Many of the reviews have pointed out the weaknesses so I won't go over that ground.

Filled the gaps in my knowledge about the events surrounding the Easter Uprising. Appreciated the factual notes the author provides at the end of the book and the whole of the story when it deals with those facts.Not enthused with the use of genealogy as a means of explaining the story and the use of the mercenary ex police character in carrying out the investigation. Seemed cold and not empathetic, which didn't fit my feeling about the unfolding tragedy.