THE DEVEREAUX LEGACY
“Hart fans will appreciate what were later to become the author’s signature elements: the Lowcountry setting, the vivid physical description, and surprising twists.” - Publishers Weekly
The Devereaux Legacy is available from your favorite bookseller
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound
In the new introduction to this Carolyn Hart classic reissue, Hart (What the Cat Saw) explains just how difficult it was for a woman to publish mysteries in the late 1970s (“New York believed in two kinds of mysteries, the hard-boiled private eye books written by American men and traditional mysteries written by dead English ladies”). Leah Devereaux Shaw’s quest to locate other family members after the death of the grandmother who raised her takes Leah to a historic plantation in South Carolina, where she finds a ghost, danger, and love. Despite the dated, formulaic plot, this “gothic romance” (as it was labeled on first publication in 1986) shows the promise of the future winner of multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. Hart fans will appreciate what were later to become the author’s signature elements: the Lowcountry setting, the vivid physical description, and surprising twists. ~ -Publishers Weekly, December 10, 2012
Over the years, Carolyn Hart has excelled at writing mysteries. It's obvious with The Devereaux Legacy that she had a knack for writing gothics as well. As a writer, she knows what the genre required - a young woman left alone in the world, a discovery of an inheritance and a family, a haunted and haunting house, a possible romance threatened by secrets, and someone determined to kill the young woman to preserve those secrets. Leah Devereaux is the perfect heroine, young, beautiful, and determined to find the truth. If you loved those gothic romances of the late '70s, as I did, you'll welcome the chance to escape into that simpler world again. Carolyn Hart's The Devereaux Legacy is the perfect vehicle into the past. ~ Lesa's Book Critiques
Although written nearly thirty years ago the setting feels surprisingly modern as the emotions and legacy of family secrets resonate through today. The romantic elements are introduced early but never intrude on the plot, surprising in this gothic romantic mystery. The pace and characters are well-developed and strong enough to keep the reader glued to the page to the suspenseful end. While fully in the spirit of the gothic romances by Victoria Holt and Elizabeth Peters, Hart puts on her own twist by keeping the mystery at the forefront. Fans of romances and mysteries will find much to enjoy as Hart reveals the early talent that will be evident through the nearly fifty mysteries that are to follow. ~ Kings River Life
Hart, Carolyn. The Devereaux Legacy. Seventh St. Bks.: Prometheus. (Carolyn Hart Classics). Feb. 2013. 190p. ISBN 9781616147044. pap. $13.95; ebk. ISBN 9781616147051.
Leah, a lovely young woman from Texas, shows up at the Devereaux plantation in South Carolina because she recently learned that she was born there. Her appearance causes a local sensation, because everyone thought she had died in a boating accident along with her parents when she was just a baby. Her maternal grandmother is shocked and thrilled, of course; Leah is the spitting image of her deceased mother. But some of her cousins react coldly, knowing their inheritance is at risk. Now Leah must contend with a Civil War–era ghost who haunts the grounds, two handsome strangers, and cold-fish cousins. VERDICT Turn up your gothic-romantic suspense meter for this spooky Low Country treat. Hart’s 1986 standalone has enough espionage and intrigue to keep readers guessing. Recommend this quick read to those longing for the old-fashioned romantic suspense novels of Phyllis Whitney or Victoria Holt. ~ Library Journal
Over the years, Carolyn Hart has excelled at writing mysteries. It's obvious with The Devereaux Legacy that she had a knack for writing gothics as well. As a writer, she knows what the genre required - a young woman left alone in the world, a discovery of an inheritance and a family, a haunted and haunting house, a possible romance threatened by secrets, and someone determined to kill the young woman to preserve those secrets. Leah Devereaux is the perfect heroine, young, beautiful, and determined to find the truth. If you loved those gothic romances of the late '70s, as I did, you'll welcome the chance to escape into that simpler world again. Carolyn Hart's The Devereaux Legacy is the perfect vehicle into the past. ~ Lesa's Book Critiques
Although written nearly thirty years ago the setting feels surprisingly modern as the emotions and legacy of family secrets resonate through today. The romantic elements are introduced early but never intrude on the plot, surprising in this gothic romantic mystery. The pace and characters are well-developed and strong enough to keep the reader glued to the page to the suspenseful end. While fully in the spirit of the gothic romances by Victoria Holt and Elizabeth Peters, Hart puts on her own twist by keeping the mystery at the forefront. Fans of romances and mysteries will find much to enjoy as Hart reveals the early talent that will be evident through the nearly fifty mysteries that are to follow. ~ Kings River Life
Hart, Carolyn. The Devereaux Legacy. Seventh St. Bks.: Prometheus. (Carolyn Hart Classics). Feb. 2013. 190p. ISBN 9781616147044. pap. $13.95; ebk. ISBN 9781616147051.
Leah, a lovely young woman from Texas, shows up at the Devereaux plantation in South Carolina because she recently learned that she was born there. Her appearance causes a local sensation, because everyone thought she had died in a boating accident along with her parents when she was just a baby. Her maternal grandmother is shocked and thrilled, of course; Leah is the spitting image of her deceased mother. But some of her cousins react coldly, knowing their inheritance is at risk. Now Leah must contend with a Civil War–era ghost who haunts the grounds, two handsome strangers, and cold-fish cousins. VERDICT Turn up your gothic-romantic suspense meter for this spooky Low Country treat. Hart’s 1986 standalone has enough espionage and intrigue to keep readers guessing. Recommend this quick read to those longing for the old-fashioned romantic suspense novels of Phyllis Whitney or Victoria Holt. ~ Library Journal
