In "Lineages and Lies," Jimmy Fox has created an intricate, gripping tour de force of genealogical mystery-a worthy successor to his acclaimed first Nick Herald novel, "Deadly Pedigree." Nick Herald doesn't go looking for trouble. Really. He's just a struggling, not-so-humble professional genealogist trying to make a decent, mostly honest, living in New Orleans, a city where masquerade is second nature, where for centuries secrets have grown on family trees like rotten fruit. Genealogy should celebrate life, allow us to pay homage to our forebears and their sacrifices. But that's not how...

Mystery, genealogy, murder Climbing Louisiana family trees can be deadly. Nick Herald, a professional genealogist working in New Orleans, searches for possible Louisiana relatives of a lonely Holocaust survivor. After the shocking murder of the elderly man who was his client, Nick fears that something much more sinister than innocent genealogical curiosity lurks in the shadows. He must find the truth What buried secrets haunt the present? To find out, Nick warily navigates a dangerous forest of mysteries with roots in Jewish and African American tribulations and triumphs. His investigation...

Four poems and more than two dozen photos capture the essence of our three beloved cats. "Ode to Potted Meat: A Poem for Andre" describes our sadness at the declining health of our black-and-white tomcat. Worsening kidney failure caused him to shun most cat sustenance, but, remarkably, we discovered several human food items that he ate with relative gusto. This poem blends our joy and astonishment at Andre's effort to rally from his illness and stay with his loving family for as long as possible. "Big Boi's Poem: A Portly Sonnet for 'Boo Boo Baby'" portrays our lovable hunk of a black cat. He...