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 delves deeply into the unique history and complex ethnic gumbo of Louisiana. He struggles to unravel a tangled tale of betrayal, bigotry, lust, shame, and love spanning oceans and continents and two centuries of Louisiana's past, back to the Civil War, slavery days, and beyond. Ultimately, Nick makes courageous decisions to right old wrongs and expose the guilty, while fighting desperately to outsmart his foes, stay alive, and save all that he holds dear