Brynn Bonner's second Family History Mystery, Death in Reel Time, once again delivers a great story with a real twist at the end. It's enjoyable not only for the genealogy theme but also for the great characters, some are familiar from the first book and others are new.

I enjoyed Death in Reel Time even more than I did the first book, Paging the Dead. There's a real chemistry between Sophreena and Esme, and the humor in their conversations with each other often made me laugh out loud. Esme's psychic gift of being able to hear the dead speak to her is not used to excess, and the books are so strong that I feel Esme could lose that ability altogether and it really wouldn't be missed.

Sophreena and Esme aren't the only game in town, however, because they are surrounded by a strong group of friends that I would like to see take a larger role in future books.

One of the main reasons why I enjoy this series so much is because family history actually plays an integral role. Those great-great-ever-so-greats prove time and again that history does repeat itself. That the murder of today could be rooted in the insult of decades past. Sophreena's researching skills are first-rate and fascinating. It's rare to find a cozy series that has a "hook" that's every bit as strong as its characters, and Bonner's Family History series is one of them.

In the first book, I learned about heritage scrapbooks. In Death in Reel Time I learned about video scrapbooks. I know I'll be enjoying the characters and the mystery in book number three, but I'm also dying to find out what I'll be learning about in the genealogy field. Bring it on! ( )