Death Brings a Shadow

Description

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 ... DEATH BRINGS A SHADOW In spring 1889, Prudence and Geoffrey set sail from New York Harbor on a private yacht bound for Bradford Island, where her friend Eleanor 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 ...

Rosemary Simpson is the author of two previous historical novels, The Seven Hills of Paradise and Dreams and Shadows, and three previous Gilded Age Mysteries- What the Dead Leave Behind, Lies that Comfort and Betray, and Let the Dead Keep Their Secrets. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and the Historical Novel Society. Educated in France and the United States, she now lives near Tucson, Arizona.

Outstanding praise for Rosemary Simpson and her Gilded Age mysteries! Let the Dead Keep Their Secrets "Gritty period details, including the involvement of famed tenement photographer Jacob Riis, draw this thriller closer to Caleb Carr's The Alienist than to Anne Perry's Monk series, but fans of both will enjoy Simpson's unusual historical mystery." -Booklist Lies that Comfort and Betray "Simpson further develops an admirable heroine who refuses to take refuge in the vapors but doesn't see that she's met a match in her partner-though neither does he." -Kirkus Reviews "Fans of Anne Perry will find Prudence a worthy American cousin to Charlotte Pitt." -Publishers Weekly What the Dead Leave Behind "Naturally I always gravitate toward any book set in old New York, and this one exceeded expectations. It has everything one could expect from a historical mystery: set against the blizzard of '88, a smart heroine pits her wits against an evil stepmother out to destroy her." -Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of the Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness mysteries "Launching an atmospheric new series set in Gilded Age New York, Simpson incorporates historical events and figures to add verisimilitude to this tension-filled story. For mystery readers who appreciate period detail, including fans of Anne Perry's Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mysteries." -Library Journal (starred review) "This is a story to savor ... Prudence is a stubborn, quick-witted American heroine who will remind readers of Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily Ashton and Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey." -Booklist "Richly plotted ... Simpson anchors an appealing detective duo in a colorful and well-researched depiction of period settings and personalities." -Publishers Weekly