I was excited to learn that Nathan Dylan Goodwin has a new short story out. It’s a prequel to The Hidden Past and the adventures of Morton Farrier, forensic genealogist.

I first learned about the author last year at RootsTech 2018 when a friend and I made the rounds through the Exhibit Hall. She was already a fan of Nathan’s books  and we stopped to chat with him. Little did I know that I would also become a devoted reader.

If you haven’t yet read any of his works, here is a perfect opportunity to whet your appetite for a terrific series of genealogical mysteries. If you are already as much of a fan of his stories as I am, his new prequel might help tide you over until the next full novel comes out.

The Asylum opens with Morton Farrier called on the carpet by his client, accused of careless work. Morton’s worst mistake, according to the client, was attributing another earlier wife to the client’s father, who had only married once.

Morton, wanting to satisfy his own curiosity regarding the quality of his work, set off to investigate the couple named in the first marriage and, in doing so, uncovered a mysterious death at the local asylum, which happened a century ago. The father of Morton’s client did indeed marry twice.

Given that this is a short story, there isn’t much else to be said without giving away any surprises. However, true to Nathan’s writing style, there is a life-changing twist revealed to the client at the end.

For those who are already avid fans, there is the additional fun of learning how Morton met Juliette, who eventually became his wife.

Although this is a short story, I enjoyed The Asylum as much as I’ve enjoyed the full length novels. If you like genealogy and you like mysteries, you, too, will quickly become engrossed.

At this point, I need to disclose that I received a complimentary PDF copy of this book to review and you can, too. The book is currently available on Amazon for a 99¢ Kindle version, BUT for a limited time, you can download it directly from the Nathan Dylan Goodwin’s  website FOR FREE.

For new readers, The Asylum has the added bonus of including the Prologue and Chapter 1 of Hiding the Past, the first of seven books about Morton Farrier’s forensic genealogy cases.

If you will be attending RootsTech 2019 at the end of next month, be sure to stop by Nathan’s booth in the Exhibit Hall and let him know how much you enjoy his stories.