Let
The DEAD Keep Their Secrets by
Rosemary Simpson brings to life New York City during the 1880s
in a historical mystery. It is rich in the culture of the
time with a riveting Colombo type crime. Readers know who
has done it and seek clues with the characters to find the
proof.
The plot opens with New York opera singer Claire Buchanan
calling on the investigative services of Prudence MacKenzie
and her partner, Geoffrey Hunter. Claire shows up at their
door begging them to find out exactly how her twin sister,
Catherine, and newborn daughter died, believing it was not
from natural causes. Catherine’s husband, Aaron Sorenson,
is a scoundrel and appears to be marrying women, getting them
pregnant, and then having baby and mother die in childbirth.
Prudence and Geoffrey find that childbirth can be dangerous
to one’s health as they realize that Sorenson’s
current wife may also be in danger. His motive, both the late
wife and the current wife would inherit a substantial estate,
which will go to him upon their death. Sorensen seems to always
be in need of money to pay mounting gambling debts. As the
tension mounts the investigative team is putting themselves
at risk in attempting to expose the murder-for-inheritance
scheme.
The author noted, “Catherine was emotionally abused.
Women during that time period did not have much choice. Inthe
Gilded Age in New York women were still property of their
husbands. They were very limited to what their husbands wanted.”
One of the important clues is a photograph of the late mother
and child. Simpson weaves into the story a Victorian Era custom,
post-mortem photography. During these scenes readers learn
of the spiritualists who believe “about the possibility
of capturing an image of the soul leaving a body at the moment
of death.” It was during this time that Claire senses
something from her twin sister. The author commented, “During
my research, I read how twins separated by birth and raised
by different families still have the same likes and dislikes
and can sense how each other feels.”
Through the characters people learn of the Gilded Age era,
with a fascinating description of the homes, the period clothing,
and the city of New York. Unlike many women of the time, Prudence
is very unconventional, desiring to take the bar exam and
become a litigator. For now, she is content to be an amateur
sleuth to her partner, ex-Pinkerton agent Geoffrey Hunter,
as she learns on the job. “I wrote Prudence being raised
by a widowed father who looked at her as a replacement for
a son. He did not make an exception for her being a girl and
made sure she had a very well developed sharp legal mind.
She is determined to make her own way even though she inherited
wealth I read that the Pinkerton Agency hired a lady detective
during the Civil War and knew I wanted to make my heroine
an investigator who is constantly challenged by Geoffrey.”
The hero and heroine also have flaws. The author uses events
that happened during the Gilded Age paralleling them with
what is happening today. Simpson explained, “Geoffrey
has left his southern roots, abandoning his culture and family.
He has a lot of contradictions. Prudence must struggle with
her addiction to the drug laudanum. She was given it by her
family doctor to help her cope with her father’s passing
and then her fiancé’s death. She overcame the
reliance on laudanum but not without a terrible struggle and
the knowledge that she would never be entirely free of it.
I parallel it with the opioid epidemic today. People became
accidental addicts because they were given the drugs legally
to cope with physical and emotional pain.”
The antagonist, Simpson has no redeeming qualities. He is
a cold and calculating thief, a swindler, and bigamist who
victimizes rich women. “I wanted to write an absolute
villain. He is unscrupulous, uncaring with no conscience.
He had every vile habit known. I do not write cozy mysteries,
but historical noirs. My bad guys are really, really bad who
cause awful things to happen.”
The author definitely had done her homework. “I want
to feel I live in this world for awhile and to get the reader
to feel that also. I read the New York Times Archives and
fall into the rhythm of the language used, how they spoke,
wrote and thought. It puts me in the mindset of the character
I am writing about.” With her detailed descriptions
and gripping story Simpson has also drawn the reader into
the time period through an exciting and action-packed mystery.
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