The Marriage Certificate: The issue is a mystery Paperback – June 2, 2020

This book caught my eye some time ago. I kept going back to it on Amazon and finally downloaded it. Boy, am I glad I did! I have done family histories for both my husband and myself so I was intrigued by the process used in this story. The book is well written except for one little flaw that bothered me. When the author jumped between the early 1900's to the present time, there was no indication of that leap. A simple date like "1901" or "present time" at each jump would have been helpful. Maybe that is being too picky but something that simple gives you the right mindset for what comes next. Granted, it doesn't take more than a sentence or two to realize what time frame you are in but something other than 1.2, 1.3, etc. would have been nice. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole story and the final twist at the very end was wonderful! Kudos to the author - a priceless last page!!

This was a good read on several levels. It was a mystery with interesting sidelines such as about the South African War and early British rail travel and life in early 20th century England. There were many characters whose stories all came together satisfyingly. And of course there was the main character's quest to find out about the Marriage certificate he had found - all in a race against time with a firm of heir-hunters (unbeknownst to him.).As a genealogist, I could appreciate the steps he took and they were all accurately explained without being tedious. I wish I had the money to buy the number of certificates he did! I knew what he was doing but still found the story intriguing enough to keep reading.You will enjoy it and will feel encouraged to have a go if you've ever wondered what the thrill is about genealogy!

I enjoyed this book very much. The historical references were interesting. The twin factor added the intrigue that made the story complex. I found myself mentally rushing to get all the information turned in. And, of course, it was heartwarming to see the. of the sisters mer. Sad to discover that Louisa was so s selfobsorbed that she robbed Harry of the opportunity to lead a life He might have had, had she not been sodependent on him. Then, there's Rose. All that money her grand daughters could have inherited !!!

The plot of this book had me hooked from the start, wanting to know who the people in the certificate were and what had happened to their lives. I found it enjoyable to see researchers follow paths I may have chosen and make connections.The writing style had somewhat stilted dialogue, which I was able to mostly overlook as I was enjoying the story line. I felt that the characters didn't seem authentic when speaking to one another, too formal in some cases, especially between Peter and his wife.

I enjoyed this book and as a hobby genealogist for many years found the process of tracing the family really interesting. I felt that perhaps the characters could have been developed more, and sometimes I felt the author was writing the story from the outside rather than from within (hope that makes sense). One niggle I have is that with the way Rose's character had been portrayed with her strong inner drive for success, I found it unlikely that she would have linked up with Frank at such an early stage in the relationship, but I guess it had to happen that way for the story. The twist at the end was very well done and totally unexpected. I hope there are more books by this author.

A fascinating read for those interested in family history and genealogy, but I think others would enjoy it as well. It is rather fast-paced and pulls you through four different stories with different dates and locales. This complexity will drive your interest and keep you reading. The principal story takes place at the turn of the last century, with all of the customs and moral nuances of that period, but the backbone of the story is two competing genealogical detective searches -- one by professionals and another by a kind-hearted amateur researcher -- each working independently and unaware of the other. You will not be disappointed.

Getting started on this book was difficult. As with any genealogical project it went from the 4 people on the Marriage Certificate to many people in the blink of an eye. With all the flash backs of the different people it was hard to hold together to begin with. But like all research projects the back ground was necessary to make final conclusions of relationships. I liked the idea of finding and using the ephemera, post cards and telegram to help hold the original documentation together. Something like that is so hard to get a hold of in most cases, not that it doesn't happen, just that it is not a regular occurrence.Nice touch on not asking for money, but for heirs to make a charitable donation.All in all a good read. Great "blueprint" for " how to" of research steps and ideas.

Just the facts ma'am. The genealogy work is the thing...not some all knowing all powerful crime team who have access to all Cctv or who break into genealogists homes or hack into their computers, which underlies other genealogy novels!