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!

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

This book is 4th in a series and does not read well as a standalone. The two main characters have been well developed in previous stories and I really felt I was walking into the middle of a conversation. I liked them enough to want to go back and catch up. I am not sure if the others in the series are as heavy as this one is. This one involves family secrets, drama and more than enough angst about the old south. I can't say I loved this but I enjoyed it enough to want to read more which I guess is every authors goal. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

This is the fourth entry in the series and it continues to be fantastic! Prudence and Geoffrey continue to be excellent, well written and multi-dimensional characters. The mystery aspect is as well done as always but what really made this book stand out for more was the very well written, realistic historical aspects particularly regarding the South. Because of this subject matter, it felt a little deeper than the past three books which made for a more engrossing read for me. I'll be watching for the next book to come out!

For those readers, like myself, who read historical novels to effortlessly learn a little history, DEATH BRINGS A SHADOW was less of a history lesson than a cultural immersion exercise. The south featured in this novel was not interested in accepting racial equality and was still struggling to accept the defeat of the Confederacy.

Those of us who were not Southern born and Southern bred may have a hard time grasping why or how some of those attitudes and prejudices are still prevalent today. This book, through its series of murders and family tragedies, exposes the pride of family, pride of place, and other traits that some of us have never experienced and never understood.

It was the mind-set, more than the history, that was illuminating to me and that is what brought the period to life for me through Ms. Simpson's mystery. I was not aware that this book is part of a series and it can stand alone very effectively. I think the strength of the novel was the oppressive atmosphere that the author created---you could feel the heat, fear the snakes (!!!), and almost crave the mint julep. The story itself felt drawn-out to me, but I appreciated the immersion in to the post-Civil War culture of Georgia's barrier islands.

NetGalley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. This is the fourth book in this series but is easily read as a stand-alone. This is a difficult book for me to evaluate. The writing is excellent; the stage-setting and character development are first rate; the mystery and period are well written. It’s also set in a horrendous time in American history and the situation that develops is difficult to read but is written true to the era and populations. Set 25 years after the end of the American Civil War, New York City’s Prudence MacKenzie and her investigative partner, Geoffrey Hunter, sojourn to one of Georgia’s coastal islands for the wedding of her closest girlfriend and the son of the island’s former owner/slaveholder. When a death occurs, the island’s inhabitants are either disturbed or dismissive of the incident as an accident. When more murders happen in the island’s black population of former slaves, only Prudence and Geoffrey are committed to solving them. Prudence is thrust into a different world, where the former owner’s family still believe in the Lost Cause and deeply resent the island’s purchase by the wealthy Yankee family. Geoffrey, raised in the South, who repudiated slavery and went north, returns to an environment in which he was raised and understands all the nuances of life with the ‘peculiar institution’ of slavery. Their upbringings cause interpersonal conflicts at the same time they’re trying to solve the murders and penetrate the closed world on the isolated Georgia Island. If you are able to read difficult situations and descriptions, this is a very, very well-written book.

In DEATH BRINGS A SHADOW, private investigators Prudence MacKenzie and Geoffrey Hunter leave Manhattan behind as they travel to one of the islands off the coast of Georgia so that Prudence can be the Maid of Honor at her friend’s wedding to a Southern gentleman. Not long after the wedding party arrives at Bradford Island, Eleanor Dickson confides in Prudence that the she is uncomfortable on the island and that she is convinced someone or something is watching her from the swamp. Prudence, as well as everyone else, assumes that Eleanor has a bad case of pre-wedding jitters. Then, mere days before the wedding, Eleanor’s lifeless body is found submerged in the alligator-infested swamp. While her parents and her fiancé’s family are willing to believe that Eleanor wandered off and suffered a terrible accident, Prudence is convinced that her friend was murdered. With help from Geoffrey and the heartbroken groom, Prudence seeks justice and answers. When more residents of Bradford Island are found murdered, Prudence realizes that she is uncovering the island’s dark history – and that she is in danger of becoming the next casualty of the person determined to keep the secrets hidden.

DEATH BRINGS A SHADOW takes Prudence out of her comfort zone of Manhattan, and thrusts her into Geoffrey’s former home in the South. Despite being a well-educated woman (for the time period), Prudence is nearly clueless when it comes to the ways of the South – especially the antebellum south. Geoffrey – a native of North Carolina – is practically back on his home turf, and he finds himself slipping back into his old ways. More of Geoffrey’s past is revealed in DEATH BRINGS A SHADOW than in the previous three books, and the reader (and Prudence) get to see a different side of him.

The mystery aspect of the novel was intriguing – why would someone want to kill a young woman on the eve of her marriage? While the suspect pool was limited to residents of Bradford Island, Simpson provided the reader with multiple plausible suspects and motives. Simpson encapsulates the history of slavery in the South, the ravages of the Civil War, and the post-war attitude of the impoverished Southern landowners. Aside from the plot getting a little twisted at times, DEATH BRINGS A SHADOW was an enjoyable read. I’m already looking forward to the next novel in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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.