Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the book for review, which in no way affects my opinion presented in this review.

I’m always excited when Nathan Dylan Goodwin announces the publication of a new book, and, being a Morton Farrier (forensic genealogist) fan, it’s doubly exciting when the new crime mystery features Morton and his family.

The setting of this newest Morton adventure is an area of Kent, which for many years, had been the destination of London families eager to earn some extra money and get out in the beautiful British countryside at summer’s end by harvesting hops, which are cones of plants used in beer production.

Morton’s newest client asks him to investigate the disappearance of her uncle in 1920 while the family worked as hop pickers, hence the title of this book.

As always, there are multiple story lines threading through the book. In The Hop-Picker Murders, there are two additional sub-plots – a new development in Morton’s relationship with a long ago girlfriend, Maddie, who lives in Utah and a mysterious man who arrives at Morton’s door, punches him in the face and tells him he doesn’t want to know about adoption nor does he want Morton’s services. The oddity is that Morton has no idea who the man is and definitely didn’t offer him any genealogical services.

The hop-pickers story line is quite complicated due to a badly damaged century-old notebook and a fairly extensive cast of long dead possible murderers.

Nellie Partridge, sister to Ernest Partridge, who disappeared one night while the family was hop-picking in Kent, compiled the water-damaged collection of notes pertaining to her investigation of Ernest’s disappearance and her eventual belief that not only was her brother murdered, but that several other young men were also murdered.

However, the trail of clues goes cold with Nellie’s own death in 1920, unreported and unsolved until Morton accepts the case and eventually connects all the details found in the readable portions of Nellie’s notebook.

Morton’s progress is documented through both present research and the use of flashbacks in which Nellie tells her story and it is quite fascinating.

She was a young lady determined to clear her brother’s name of the robbery of which he was accused the night he went missing and to figure out exactly what happened to him.

Because of Nellie’s dogged persistence to solve the mystery, the list of possible suspects is narrowed to just a handful of people and Morton reaches the same conclusion that Nellie did just before her death.

I’m not going to reveal the word, but there was one particular description that tipped me off to the murderer. When I saw it, I said that’s the person and I was correct – I’m also quite pleased with myself for noticing and figuring it out!

Regarding the other two story lines, the unexpected contact from Maddie is revealed, but not dwelt upon, with more to come in the future, I’m sure.

The main subplot – Morton’s punch to the face – turns out to be an unknown person out for revenge who is trying to destroy Morton’s career. However, he is not the only one, as Morton learns. The police are close to identifying that individual. . . .

If you are new to Nathan Dylan Goodwin’s books, there are several series with multiple books in each. One is the Morton Farrier stories. While each book can be read as a stand alone, there are references to events in past mysteries which are better understood if you’ve read other books in the series.

I really enjoyed The Hop-Picker Murders. In addition to learning about a piece of early 20th century life in England, I enjoyed the story weaving from past to present with Morton trying to connect Nellie’s clues as I mentally did the same.

My only disappointment is having to wait for probably another year to read more of Morton Farrier’s adventures.

I’d also highly recommend that you check out the other ten books in the Morton Farrier, Forensic Genealogist series. They are all excellent!

Click on the links above to learn more about Nathan Dylan Goodwin and his lengthy list of excellent genealogical mysteries. He is an accomplished writer whose genealogical mysteries keep getting better and better!

The Hop-Picker Murders can be purchased as a download ($8.49 US) or hardback for $25.99 with delivery as soon as this Monday, November 24.