Face Down in the Gene Pool: A Brooke Roberts Mystery

Genealogy—how dangerous can that be? Pretty dangerous, as it turns out. During lunch break at a neighborhood genealogy conference, Brooke Roberts stumbles upon Jenna Henley floating like Ophelia in a fishpond near the center where the conference is being held. But unlike Ophelia, Jenna didn’t take her own life—she was murdered.
The fishpond belongs to Dr. Prescott Tillman, world-famous geneticist, spokesperson for the transhumanist movement and husband of Eleanor Tillman, celebrated author of numerous books about the bloodlines of European royalty. Dr. Tillman is a controversial figure, seen by some as a hero whose work has led to countless medical innovations. Others see him as a diabolical genius—a demon whose tampering with the human genome will ultimately destroy the very essence of what it means to be human.
Brooke shares everyone’s desire to learn how Jenna Henley ended up in the Tillmans’ pond. But unlike the media and unlike the detectives assigned to the case, she uncovers evidence that pushes her out of her comfort zone and into the watery depths of a gene pool that’s a whole lot murkier than anyone dared to imagine.

Nancy Labs lives with her husband, tech editor, author and fine arts photographer, Wayne Labs, in Bucks County Pennsylvania.The Brooke Roberts Mystery/Suspense Series springs from a lifetime fascination with historical puzzles, contemporary enigmas, theological conundrums and things that go bump in the night. Face Down in the Gene Pool is the third novel in the series.