Apr 19, 20172 min read

A Reader's Opinion: WHAT THE DEAD LEAVE BEHIND by Rosemary Simpson

A READER'S OPINION

The daughter of a dead judge and the prisoner of her stepmother, heiress Prudence MacKensie suffers another blowing loss when her fiancé's death during a horrendous blizzard on the streets of New York. Her stepmother and her slimy brother want to keep control of the money, and Prudence will no longer inherit now that Charles is done. She has two choices—give up or find the truth. With the help of lawyer and former Pinkerton agent Geoffrey Hunter, Prudence

WHAT THE DEAD LEAVE BEHIND by Rosemary Simpson is an intricately woven story of one young woman's determination to uncover the truth. This story is less of a mystery and more of a discovery on how someone got away with their nefarious actions. I would have liked a little more mystery to figure out, and the heroine was often inconsistent, though the reader is left wondering what Rosemary and Geoffrey will uncover next.

WHAT THE DEAD LEAVE BEHIND is a well-written depiction of late 19th-century New York City with its vivid details and a look inside life among the aristocracy and the lower classes . . . and their secrets. The first book in a new series, WHAT THE DEAD LEAVE BEHIND is worth reading.

Rating: 4 Stars | Content Rating: 0 Hearts | Reviewed by: Kathy Scott

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

Set amidst the opulent mansions and cobblestone streets of Old New York, this enthralling historical mystery by Rosemary Simpson brings the Gilded Age to life—in a tantalizing tale of old money, new love, and grave suspicion . . . WHAT THE DEAD LEAVE BEHIND As the Great Blizzard of 1888 cripples the vast machinery that is New York City, heiress Prudence MacKenzie sits anxiously within her palatial Fifth Avenue home waiting for her fiancé’s safe return. But the fearsome storm rages through the night. With daylight, more than two hundred people are found to have perished in the icy winds and treacherous snowdrifts. Among them is Prudence’s fiancé—his body frozen, his head crushed by a heavy branch, his fingers clutching a single playing card, the ace of spades . . . Close on the heels of her father’s untimely demise, Prudence is convinced Charles’s death was no accident. The ace of spades was a code he shared with his school friend, Geoffrey Hunter, a former Pinkerton agent and attorney from the South and a former Pinkerton agent. Wary of sinister forces closing in on her, Prudence turns to Geoffrey as her only hope in solving a murder not all believe in—and to help protect her inheritance from a stepmother who seems more interested in the family fortune than Prudence’s well being . . . Filled with richly colorful characters, fascinating historical details, and thrilling moments of suspense, What the Dead Leave Behind is an exquisitely crafted mystery for the ages.