Second Cousin Once Removed

by Kenneth L Toppell

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

Thank you to the Write Reads for allowing me to be part of the blog tour for this book. It is available for purchase now.

What an interesting premise! The main character in this book is Henry Atkinson, a lawyer who is sort-of retired. He’s looking into his family tree, which ends up being the catalyst for all kinds of trouble. Henry’s second cousin, Shelley, sends some threats and the next thing he knows, Henry finds himself on the run. Enter Carolyn, a woman who gets tangled up in everything at a very inopportune time. She ends up fleeing a dastardly villain along with Henry. Can they survive long enough to bring the bad guy to justice?

The story is told from multiple points of view. That makes me nervous in thrillers, but it works out well in Second Cousin Once Removed. The book moves at a fast clip, and there’s never a boring moment. In fact, it moves quickly enough that the relationship between Henry and Carolyn felt…weird. It didn’t develop so much as pop up out of nowhere. That was just a little blip in the story to me, though, and not enough to dull my enjoyment of the book.

The plot was incredibly unique and well thought out. Who would have thought that genealogy could be so rife with danger? I really liked the pacing of the story, and Henry’s character was a blast to read. If you want a quick, entertaining thriller, pick this book up.