Weaving together genealogy, sociology, and history, award-winning journalist Lisa Belkin explores the multigenerational tale of three families whose paths collide one summer night in 1960 with the murder of a police officer.  Genealogy of a Murder reveals how the perpetrators and the victims were influenced by forces out of their control, some set in motion long before they were even born.  

The result of nearly a decade of research, Genealogy of a Murder asks how one great grandson of immigrants becomes a cop, one becomes his killer, and one becomes Belkin's step-father, the Army doctor who inadvertently set this shooting into motion. She focuses not only on those directly involved, but also on the three generations that preceded them, the experiences of four striving immigrant families: the Tarlovs, the Cosentinos, the Troys, and the DeSalvos. Turning long-buried documents and archives into true and compelling narratives, she finds the commonalities, flaws, and strengths that pass from parent to child, uncle to nephew, generation to generation. 

Drawn from primary source materials and interviews with family members, Genealogy of a Murder is an adept work of social science, a painstakingly detailed piece of investigative journalism, and a heartrending and suspenseful true crime story. Belkin asks powerful questions about destiny, free will, and the human condition. Her conversation with genealogist Melanie McComb will shed light on the ways families and individuals are shaped by an unimaginably expansive web of histories and memories, opportunities and choices, causes and effects. 

Lisa Belkin is an award-winning journalist and the author of narrative nonfiction books, including Show Me a Hero, made by David Simon into an HBO miniseries. Her career at the New York Times includes stints as a national correspondent, medical reporter, and contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine.  

Melanie McComb, Senior Genealogist at American Ancestors/NEHGS, assists members and visitors with family history research; also, occasionally, reporters such as Lisa Belkin, who consulted with her in September 2019. She has particular expertise in DNA and Atlantic Canada, Irish, and Jewish genealogical research, and lectures internationally on various topics.