Let The Dead Keep Their Secret is the third book in the A Gilded Age Mystery series.

This is a wonderful addition to this exciting series set in 1889 New York City.  The author does a wonderful job setting the reader in the time period with description a of the homes, the period clothing, and the city of New York.

The story centers around the investigative law office of Prudence MacKenzie and Geoffrey Hunter and their secretary, Josiah Gregory.  Claire Buchanan. A cover for the Met Opera company has come to their office to hire to investigate the death of her twin-sister Catherine, she feels that Claire’s husband, Aaron Sorensen.  When Claire returns from a tour of Europe, where she was performing in Aida.  She relates that Lucinda Pallazzo how Sorensen had vastly restricted her contact with anyone outside of their home during her pregnancy and how Catherine and their baby dies less than a day later.  Claire also lets them know that she was going to confront Sorensen, but as she was nearing his home, she notices a lady exiting the house who was addressed as Mrs. Sorensen and who was clearly with child.  When a sandbag falls from above the stage, as the cast is about to perform a rehearsal, and kills Lucinda, Claire is sure it was meant for her.

As Prudence and Geoffrey are into the investigation they begin to agree that Sorensen might have been instrumental in the death of his wife and the current wife may also be in danger, too.  They soon learn that both wives would inherit a substantial estate and Sorensen seems to always be in need of money to pay mounting gambling debts.  At this time, it was popular that people would have photographs taken of their deceased to help in the grieving.  Through devious means, Prudence and Josiah are able to get the glass negatives that were taken of Catherine and the baby and with help of a police photographer, Jacob Riis, they are pretty certain that they didn’t die a natural, but still another piece of proof before calling in the police.

This story is well-plotted and an interesting story with an exciting ending.  It was definitely a book that I found hard to put down.  There is a cast of wonderful and well-developed characters.  This series is one of my favorite historical mystery series.

I am eagerly looking forward to the next book in this interesting and exciting series.

A thriller with rather cardboard characters and a not-terribly-thrilling plot. Set in New York, the plot involves a man killing his wives for their fortunes, a post-mortem photographer and his sister trying to capture an image of a soul leaving a body, an ex-Pinkerton detective, a woman investigator, and a cast of other flat and boring characters including Jacob Riis, who is included because apparently you have to have a real-life figure in a book like this? The author doesn't seem to know how problematic it is to hold the Pinkertons up as examples of good detectives or people in general; nor that it is equally problematic to describe addiction as something overcome by strength of will. The plot was not tightly constructed and repeated instances of "intuition," easily overcome challenges, and coincidences led to a predictable end.

Let the Dead Keep Their Secrets by Rosemary Simpson is a Historical Mystery to savor.  I loved all the historical details of the culture, clothing, technology and surroundings. Close your eyes and you may glimpse the 19th century for a moment. Feel the emotions and know the thoughts of the all the characters. The criminals plot their evil deeds but are they mad or evil or both? How far will the investigators go to solve the murders? Who will find death and who will live?  Loved this intricate and fast paced story. I have enjoyed every book by Rosemary Simpson to date and hope to read more soon. My thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for making this book available to me to read and review.

A historical book of murder and mystery. This book is extremely well written, a little different in the fact that it does get into some of the minds of the times (and I won't enlarge as it would spoil the read) and the period of the book is well set - one can almost feel it around. 
I did enjoy the book, thought provoking and a little dark but a very good read. character where good and the thriller element on there.

While I'm sure this book will do well with historical readers, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Having said that, the story was sound, the characters well drawn out and complete and the ending well constructed.