Investigators Prudence MacKenzie and ex-Pinkerton Geoffrey Hunter discover all that glitters is not gold in the Gilded Age, whether on the island of Manhattan or an island off the coast of Georgia … Dickson is to be wed. The Sea Islands along the Georgia coast serve as a winter playground for the likes of the Carnegies, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and Dicksons. Despite her Yankee pedigree, Eleanor is marrying a Southern gentleman, Teddy Bennett, and Prudence is thrilled to be the maid of honor.
But days before the wedding, the bride is nowhere to be found. A frantic search of the island turns up her drowned corpse in an alligator-infested swamp. Prudence is devastated, but as they prepare the body for burial, she and Geoffrey discover evidence of bruising that indicates Eleanor was held under—most dishonorably murdered.
Determined to seek justice for her beloved friend, Prudence begins to investigate with Geoffrey’s help and is quickly led into a morass of voodoo spells and dark deeds from the days of slavery. As Prudence and Geoffrey pursue a killer, they soon discover that Eleanor will not be the last to die on Bradford Island …
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Death Brings a Shadow by Rosemary Simpson is a Historical Mystery Thriller Fiction set in the late 19th century. Within the first pages Ms. Simpson introduces scary components into her book. The bride is deeply in love but is uneasy about her new home. Is she being watched by someone with evil intent? The author brings interesting primitive religious practices and unusual events into her story which adds to the mystery. Each odd occurrence deepens the mystery of what is really happening. Disturbing relationships and the surprising actions of some of the characters make this an exceptional mystery to enjoy.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars
The writing is not fluid !
Flashback not well connected!
It is 1889, and Prudence is sailing from New York to Georgia to attend her friend’s wedding. Eleanor is to wed on Bradford Island, a private island in Georgia. Prudence will be her maid of honor. Just days prior to the wedding, however, Eleanor disappears. Finally, her body is found in a swamp. She had drowned. And it looks like she was forced under the water. The bruises on her body prove that. But who would have done such a thing?
Prudence and her friend, Geoffrey, are private investigators. As they begin investigating this murder, more murders are committed. Prudence and Geoffrey continue investigating, even as they find themselves in danger.
This is an unusual mystery, because it takes place in another time, and not long after the Civil War, an era when Georgia had seceded from the union. So, there was a huge difference between thoughts and values of the people in the south and of those who live in the north.
The characters were well-rounded and realistic. The mystery was exciting. Sometimes, though, it dragged a bit.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
Death Brings A Shadow is the fourth book in The Gilded Edge Mystery series.
This is a wonderful addition to this exciting and informative series.
Prudence MacKenzie and Geoffrey Hunter are heading for Bradford Island, Georgia for the wedding of Prudence’s childhood friend, Eleanor Dickson, at their winter home. On the trip down, Eleanor had confided in Prudence that she felt eyes on her after she and Teddy Dickson had announced their engagement.
The next morning Mrs. Dickson comes to Prudence’s room looking for Eleanor. A quick search of the house fails to turn Prudence. Prudence and Geoffrey, along with the Teddy and his family organize a search party and set out to scour the island. The body of Eleanor is found face down in the swamp, with the Bennett family calling it an accidental drowning. But Prudence and Geoffrey aren’t so sure and set off to determine what exactly happened for Eleanor to lose her life. The Bennett family isn’t used to the independence that Prudence shows and Geoffrey has to tread softly between the two. They will soon get some valuable information from some former slaves to get them going in the right direction.
I really enjoy this series and the main characters and how they are able to work out the solution without any of the current technology. Although Prudence’s independent thinking causes some problems, Geoffrey is able to correct the situation before either come to too much harm.
The book is well-written and plotted and has a cast of interesting believable cast of characters. The author doesn’t overdo the historical information, but just enough to enlighten the reader to how life was at that time.
I’m looking forward to the next book in this informative and interesting series.
It’s Summer 1889 and Prudence and her partner in investigation are more than a bit like fish out of water. While Geoffrey was raised in the South, it was pre-civil War and he has lived in the North long enough to be almost a newcomer to Georgia. Prudence is a New Yorker, born and bred and a very independent one, at that. Together they have traveled to Bradford Island to witness the marriage of their friend Eleanor. She and Prudence are almost like sisters and Prudence can’t wait to see her. Eleanor is also a Northerner and very much an outsider in this post war South. Her soon to be husband’s family has fallen on hard times and her money will make a big difference in the family’s future. Sad to say, before the wedding takes place, Eleanor is found dead in a swamp, the victim of homicide. Prudence and Geoffrey shift gears and start to investigate but find it hard to do without the resources they would have had if this had been in New York. Prudence has a hard time working to find a killer when the Southern culture is so alien to her. She is a woman ahead of her time and she speaks her mind, attributes that are not very welcome in the North and certainly not accepted in the South. This South is a whole new world to both of them.
This is one of the best historical series being written today. There is no sugar coating of the history of the South and the damage done by the Civil War. This mystery has an edge to it and sometimes I wanted to look away when it made me uncomfortable. Burt, uncomfortable or not, I enjoyed this entry in the series. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for Prudence and Geoffrey in the next book.
historical-fiction, historical-research, family-dynamics, friendship, murder, murder-investigation, prejudice, private-investigators, suspense
It was supposed to be a wonderful time with a marriage between two people who were deeply in love. Prudence and her fellow investigator, Jeffrey, came down on the bride’s family yacht from Manhattan to the barrier islands of the state of Georgia in the deep south where the groom and his family have a plantation home. But very soon the bride is found dead in the swamp and it really looks like foul play. But that is only the first murder. The others are long time residents and former slaves. Someone clearly thinks that the way to keep a secret hidden is to keep murdering. A riveting tale, and I plan to read others with these characters.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you for the new to me author!
The setting for this series in this 4th installment moves from Manhattan to a small coastal sea island (fictitious Bradford Island) in Georgia, 1889. Prudence & Geoffrey have travelled there for her best friend’s wedding when tragedy strikes (and a murderer continues to strike).
This story explores the history of the two island landowners, the Bennetts & the Dicksons and how that history has shaped the wedding couple’s lives (Eleanor Dickson & Teddy Bennett). Prudence gets a brutal and unforgettable lesson in post-war southern attitudes about slavery as she & Geoffrey struggle to untangle how past sins have affected the present. It’s a fairly tangled plot, and was actually more of an emotional read for me than her previous books.
We also begin to get a glimpse into Geoffrey’s conflict over his family’s southern background as well, as he is thrown back into a South that he has been scrupulously avoiding. I simply love these characters and this series.
Out 11/26.
Thanks to #KensingtonBooks and #NetGalley for providing the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.