Book Review: A Dangerous Legacy (Empire State book 1) by Elizabeth Camden

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Summary: A Dangerous Legacy (Empire State #1) by Elizabeth Camden

Page-Turning Romance and Intrigue in Award-Winning Author's Next Historical Novel

Lucy Drake's mastery of Morse code has made her a valuable asset to the American news agencies as a telegrapher. But the sudden arrival of Sir Colin Beckwith at rival British news agency Reuters puts her hard-earned livelihood at risk. Newly arrived from London, Colin is talented, handsome, and insufferably charming.

Despite their rivalry, Lucy realizes Colin's connections could be just what her family needs to turn the tide of their long legal battle over the fortune they were swindled out of forty years ago. When she negotiates an unlikely alliance with him, neither of them realizes how far the web of treachery they're wading into will take them.

Book Review: A Dangerous Legacy (Empire State #1) by Elizabeth Camden

Lucy Drake works for Associated Press in New York, helping to distribute updates to newspapers all over America by Morse code.

Her brother Nick is a plumber working to supply tenants of New York multi story apartment buildings with running water. He does this in secret as Lucy and Nick have a longstanding lawsuit against their uncle concerning the plumbing invention their father did right before he went off to war. Their father’s invention makes Nick’s work in the apartment buildings technically possible but is considered illegal by the siblings’ uncle. He is fighting to squeeze as much money out of the invention as possible and keep it all to himself not leaving any of it to Lucy and Nick.

Colin Beckwith of British agency Reuters is Lucy’s friend. She confides in him about her legal struggles and he agrees to help her. That is the start of a dangerous drama to keep Lucy and Nick safe from their uncle.

I felt this story was well researched as it deals with technical inventions of the 1900’s, specifically the supply of running water in New York apartment buildings. As I have never been to New York myself, I have not really considered what kind of plumbing goes into supplying tenants of high rise buildings with hot and cold running water several floors up. The story doesn’t go into specifics of how the Drake invention made this possible, I enjoyed the part of the story that described some of the struggles between the money aspects of the invention versus the view that running water should be something supplied to all people of New York. Lucy and Nic’s uncle is willing to go to extremes to ensure that the invention makes him as rich as possible setting the price extremely high and making running water available to only the richest people of the city. Lucy and Nic have to protect themselves against dangerous threats and actions all through the plot. The constant danger from the uncle, I felt added to a sense of thrill while I was reading. I wondered all along if the siblings would be all right or their uncle would make good on one, or all, of his numerous threats. The siblings had lived with this lawsuit and these threats for years because they would not back down and give their uncle control of the invention. I felt relieved when Lucy’s colleague, British newspaper executive, Colin Beckwith stepped onto the scene and agreed to help them.

Another important part of the plot was descriptions of how mental health care might have worked out for some patients at the time. -And maybe for people with no ailments at all. I found it interesting in a creepy way, like I was reading a thriller. Quite horrifying to read about what was called “treatments”. This was expertly incorporated into the plot. I felt it really added to the drama of the story and the development of the plot.

Another interesting part of this story was the descriptions of how the news business operated and developed at the time. Lucy worked as telegrapher at Associated Press where she helped receive news updates and make sure they were passed on to various newspapers around the country. She had a somewhat strained relationship with Colin Beckwith from main competitor, British Reuters. As the plot developed, I was pleased their relationship changed for the better, on the personal level. Also they no longer worked for the two fierce competing news distributing companies because the news Cable under Pacific Ocean was completed which made Associated Press sole news provider to the whole American continent.

On the whole, I enjoyed this story a lot. The different research elements appeals to me as I wish to both learn something and be entertained. A Dangerous Legacy is I highly recommend for fans of Elizabeth Camden’s other work and for readers of historical fiction in general.

My rating 4,5/5 stars
(All opinions in this review are my own)

About The Author

Elizabeth Camden is best known for her historical novels set in gilded age America featuring clever heroines and richly layered storylines. Before she was a writer, she was an academic librarian at some of the largest and smallest libraries in America, but her favorite is the continually growing library in her own home. Her novels have won the RITA and Christy Award, and she lives in Florida with her husband who graciously tolerates her intimidating stockpile of books.
To learn more about the author, visit http://elizabethcamden.com/