Nathan Dylan Goodwin. The Missing
Man. UK: Self-published,* 2017.
Forcing yourself away from your sticky,
stubborn, intensive family history research, what could be better
than curling up with Nathan Goodwin and Morton Farrier? Ahhh. One is
the creature of the other: Morton has become well established as a
fictional forensic genealogist in England. Author Goodwin can be
assured his man fills the bill for the kind of detective work
relaxation real genealogists enjoy☺.
But Goodwin's mysteries are well-crafted to appeal to a broad
spectrum of fans.
Anyone who has followed Goodwin's
previous books in the Forensic Genealogist series1
will know Morton's biggest personal brick wall has been his "lost"
American biological father ―
the missing man. His mother never knew that her father withheld
letters from her erstwhile lover, letters that Morton uncovered long
after the fact (in the previous The
Spyglass File). He
found them both curious and troubling. But now he has enough clues
for some serious research and interviews. His good-natured bride,
Juliette, agrees to spend their honeymoon in Massachusetts.
Each new document Morton finds only
deepens the mystery about his father Jack and his father.
Hoping that some of the older generation will still be alive, he
moves from one resource location to another in the Cape Cod area as
the records lead him. Local landmarks such as cafés
and restaurants are sprinkled throughout. Without being a
spoiler, I can say he does find a living relative. Family historians
will recognize the methodology he uses for tracking backward, and
sometimes forward, in time. One question: why did he trust a family
tree drawn by an unknown genealogist?
Alternating perspective is a device
Goodwin has used before to great effect; here, Morton's activities
contrast with those of his father forty years earlier. It's a deft
suspense-builder. The old saw "You can choose your friends but
not your family" applies as Morton discovers one unhappy fact or
individual after another. Will he ever know the truth behind the
actions of his ancestors?
Some one-liners might spice your
interest:
● The
shocked gasp of her neighbours and the stricken cries of the
firefighters on the lawn were lost to the appalling cacophony of
metal, brick, wood and glass crumbling together, crescendo-ing into
the night sky. (1)
● "I'm
afraid you're not listed here as family." (59)
● It
might have happened to someone at some point, but not
to his grandparents in Boston in 1946. (36)
● She had absolutely no dealings in
her husband's business and couldn't understand why knowing her maiden
name was a necessity on his investment paperwork. (106)
Beginning with a devastating house
fire, ending at an airport, The Missing Man is a novella, a
quick read. It's one you won't want to interrupt and will wish it
would continue. No worries; I'm sure Goodwin has further Morton
Farrier adventures up his sleeve or in his hard drive as we speak.
* Available at various Amazon sites;
links on the author's website nathandylangoodwin.com.
1. For example see reviews:
https://brendadougallmerriman.blogspot.ca/2015/10/book-america-ground.html
and
https://brendadougallmerriman.blogspot.ca/2016/10/book-spyglass-file.html.
©
2017
Brenda Dougall Merriman
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