Death's Prelude

Check out the LESBIreviewed Goodreads Review here:

Absolutely Fantastic!

Heath, fresh from college and off on an adventure with Aunt Verbina to London meets the handsome Baron Simon Quimby. Upon being invited to Simon’s stately home, Heath has become quite smitten with Simon. With the Quimby family curse, which Simon had mentioned previously, Heath can’t stop thinking about what he knows happened to Simon’s family, and is desperate to prove Simon had nothing to do with it, despite everyone suspicious he is responsible for his father’s and sister’s death. Heath can’t help himself, piecing together the clues as the detective in him is born!

I absolutely adored this fantastic prequel to the Health Barrington Mystery series. It is only the second book by David S Pederson that I have read, but I was sold on this series with the first I read and now I am eager to find time and read the others as soon as I can. It is a fantastic mystery series, and this introduction to Heath gave great insight into how he has become the man we later meet in the series.

This story had everything and more and I was so excited when reading it. With each chapter, Heath was growing as character and that detective in him was starting to surface with each passing chapter. I loved his relationship with Simon! That first love, falling in love, and being completely smitten was something I could completely relate to and I could recognise each point of Heath’s falling for Simon, just like Aunt Verbina.

As usual, Aunt Verbina was her fabulous self and I was glad to see more of her in this story because the taste I’d had from the previous Heath Barrington Mystery just hadn’t been enough. She is amazing and a great ally to Heath, even if at times he has no idea how much so, but his respect for his Aunt shows just what a gentleman he is (even if Verbina insists he has much to learn!)

The mystery in this story was amazing! For a long time I just couldn’t figure it out but as Heath expertly started to question other characters, I started to piece everything together along with Heath. It was easy to get carried away on Heath’s passion and inquisitive nature, not only when it came to solving the murders, but for travelling and embracing the experiences he had. I just hoped my suspicions would be correct, but it really could have been anyone behind the murder, and even at times, I have to admit that unlike Heath, I did wonder just how much involvement Simon had in the murders.

I highly recommend this story, introducing Heath and giving more insight to his past, as well as setting up the series nicely. The most fabulous thing though was seeing Heath blossom into the detective I met in Death Overdue, and I can’t wait to read the next mystery he has to solve.

Check out the QueeRomance Ink. review

Genre: Mystery, Romance, Historical

LGBTQ+ Category: Gay

Reviewer: Maryann

About The Book

It’s 1937, and Heath Barrington is a naïve twenty-two-year-old about to set sail across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary. While on board, he meets the handsome Lord Simon Quimby, who invites Heath to his estate. Heath falls for Simon hard, but Simon soon becomes withdrawn and distant. Is Simon all he appears to be, or is there more to him than meets the eye? And what of the old gypsy curse Simon claims his family is under? Did it really cause his mother’s death, his sister’s suicide, and his father’s murder, or did Simon have something to do with it all? It’s up to Heath to uncover the truth, despite his heart telling him otherwise.

In this prequel to the Detective Heath Barrington Mystery series, Heath discovers that first love changes you forever and drives you to become the person you’re destined to be.

The Review

This is the sixth book in “A Detective Heath Barrington Mystery” series by David S. Pederson, one of my favorite mystery series. It’s a prequel – Heath Barrington hasn’t even begun to think about a career as a detective.

The story takes us back to 1937 and Heathcliffe “Heath” Barrington, at the age of twenty-two, has an opportunity he can’t pass up. He’s been invited by his Aunt Verbina on a cruise to England on the Queen Mary. Heath has just graduated from college, and he’s already made the trip from his home in Milwaukee to New York City. Now he’s boarding the great ship.

His aunt, Mrs. Verbina Partridge, certainly has her own views about love, marriage, manners and many other subjects. There’s also a special connection that she has with Heath, and she always shares some much needed advice with him.

There are many things going on aboard ship, and many odd people for Heath to meet.

He and his aunt get word that Lord Simon Quimby is aboard ship – someone Aunt Verbina had met previously. Heath and Aunt Verbina come up with a plan to meet Lord Quimby.

Both Simon and Heath are caught up in a forbidden love on board ship. But Simon is a dark and brooding man, and has had to make decisions to uphold what’s left of a tarnished reputation. Heath hates departing from Simon, but looks forward to the invitation Simon extends to him and his Aunt.

Heath has his mind set to help Simon and clear his stained reputation. For Heath, this will be his first time using his raw skills to gather information and find the truth, a nice foreshadowing of his later career as a detective.

I have to give Pederson praise for Aunt Verbina – she’s such an outstanding character. She’s an independent woman before her time, outspoken with her own ideas about love and marriage. She’s very caring and understanding when it comes to her nephew, Heath, too.

Heath cares about his mother but it’s apparent that he and Verbina have a closer relationship. And although Aunt Verbina seems well off financially, she still complains about the cost of things. It’s at times laughable – if only those prices existed today! But you have to remember this was at the time of terrible hardship during the Great Depression.

At the closing of this book is another “Mystery History” segment. Pederson supplies informative facts about people, places, and things of 1937 era.

Pederson transports his readers back to 1937. He nails it with his descriptive clothing, speaking manners, particular phrases, and proper manners. The mystery is well plotted too, and deals with a sad and sensitive subject. – another well-written novel with a great batch of suspects and a fascinating investigation.

Up next is book seven, “Death Foretold”!