Lee Martin: Genealogy of Murder (USA 1997)

From the Publisher:
TWISTED ROOTS
For detective Deb Ralston of Fort Worth, the case begins with a call from her son-in-law, a medical intern, who discovers an extra corpse among the cadavers. The body is unidentifiable -- no teeth, no usable fingerprints.

A local genealogist, Marvin Tutwiler, is reported missing. At first, Deb hopes the body is that of Tutwiler. But when her close friend, a writer and researcher for the genealogist is kidnapped, Deb suspects something far more sinister.

As she investigates the bizarre case, she finds herself dealing with an organization that reaches deep into the past of the old American South, and with issues so explosive, they lead to murder.

"A believable sleuth in a superior series." -- Booklist
"Martin's fiction smacks of reality." -- Houston Post
"Deb Ralston is a compassionate, no-nonsense cop." -- Chicago Sun-Times

Lee Martin: Genealogy of Murder. A Deb Ralston Mystery. Worldwide Library, ISBN: 0373262396 (May, 1997), 251 p., $4.99.

Lee Martin: Genealogy of Murder (USA 1996)

From the Publisher:
When it comes to murder, mothering, and missing persons, Detective Deb Ralston is the woman for the job. In this, her twelfth case, Deb is called in to untangle a case of mistaken identity-or is it? First, an extra body is discovered among other cadavers that make up an ongoing forensics experiment. Then, Marvin Tutwiler, a local genealogist, turns up missing. Is the body his? If not, then whose is it? And where is the genealogist?

Before Deb can figure out this mess, Matilda Greenwood, her close friend and researcher for the missing Marvin Tutwiler, disappears herself. Tracing Matilda and Marvin's work only confuses the issue: It seems that Marvin has racked up quite a number of unhappy ex-wives, ex-fiancées, and ex-girlfriends. Could one of them have been involved?

It promises to take all of Deb's famous courage in the face of a crisis, her detecting instincts, and the help of her husband, Harry, to find her friend before it's too late. But then, this winning combination is what makes Detective Deb Ralston, as Booklist put it, "a believable sleuth in a superior series."

Lee Martin: Genealogy of Murder. A Deb Ralston Mystery. St. Martin's Press, ISBN: 0312139756 (April, 1996), 231 p., $22.95.