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What Remains

by

R. Poole-Carter

Top Publications, Trade Paperback, Oct 2002, ISBN 1-929976-16-X

WHAT REMAINS is set on a rundown plantation shortly after the Civil War. In the shadow of live oaks and Spanish moss, Isabelle Ross, who has lost her fiancé to the war, joins forces with journalist Paul Delahoussaye to untangle a web of secrets, lies, and murder.

REVIEWS

The Historical Novels Review by Melissa Gaylon

This novel shows readers a dark side of plantation life in post-Civil War Louisiana.  With characters that are good, bad, or somewhere in the middle, it's never been quite known what the outcome will be.  At Belle Ombre, Isabelle Ross is a young woman who waited for her beau, Forest Brodie, to return from the war alive, only to be given the task of sitting with his body in the parlor.  Without concern for her mourning, the overseer, Samson, enters and demands information on Isabelle's Aunt Delora's treasures, which are supposedly hidden somewhere on the plantation.  When one of the servants has been found dead, apparently of a drunken fall downstairs, suspicions grow.

A reporter, Paul Delahoussaye, has been traveling across the South and interviewing former soldiers when one of his interviewees gives him Forest's letters.   Intrigued by Isabelle's touching writings, he brings them to the plantation to give them back.  Instead, he finds himself helping Isabelle discover the truth of Belle Ombre and falls a bit in love with her.  Poole-Carter's dark writing is sure to please fans of Old South mysteries and plantation scandals.  (Issue 24, May 2003)

Romantic Times Magazine Reviewed by Robyn Glaze   ****Four Stars . . . Compelling

Isabelle Ross is heartbroken. She had hoped that her fiancé would live through the war but her wishes went unheard. As she sits by his casket, the overseer at her family's plantation approaches her, threatening to kill her servant and favorite horse if she does not bring him a map of where the valuables are kept. She agrees, not knowing what else to do. A little while later, one of the workers is found dead. Everyone assumes that it must have been an accident but Isabelle wonders. On top of all this, a journalist named Paul Delahoussaye shows up, claiming to have letters belonging to Isabelle. He involves himself in her life, as well as this dangerous mystery.

WHAT REMAINS entertains with wonderful characters and superb, highly original writing. The descriptions of past events and characters are presented in a way I've never seen before, and the action is unpredictable and exciting. Ms. Poole-Carter's innovative talent makes her a rising star of the mystery world. (Sep., 271 pp., 14.95)

MyShelf.Com - by: Brenda Weeaks, MyShelf.Com  - "...one of those rare finds..."

Isabella Ross was orphaned young and raised by her aunt on Belle Ombre, a southern plantation. When the mystery begins, Isabella is preparing to bury her fiancé who died   just after the Civil War. The women, older men and slaves survived the war by hiding the family riches and animals. A Yankee captain continues to visit and help himself to any property he wants. He waits eagerly to get in to their personal business, so Aunt Dorla reminds everyone to be careful. Everything must be kept a secret, including any recent threats or unusual deaths. Recently a slave died falling through an air well. They assumed it was an accident until they found their dead overseer.

When the aunt realizes a killer is lurking about, she asks Paul, a journalist staying with them, to investigate. Paul is writing about war widows and came to the plantation to return Isabella’s letters that she had written to her fiancé during the war and were found on a battlefield. The two team up to discover what is haunting the plantation, bringing bad luck and violence upon them. As the story moves, Isabella reveals family secrets and Paul reveals his feelings for her.

What Remains is one of those rare finds, the kind of mystery that is hard to put down. The title is subtle and the cover simple, yet inside readers will find a complicated mystery and strong characters enveloped in the rich historical detail of the South. The author’s near-poetic descriptions of the South, the War, and slavery are sensitive and understated, making them stand out all the more. Although the murders are a bit grisly, the read, in general, is pretty tame. There’s even a little romance.

Midwest Book Review  - "...difficult to put down."

Set in the South just after the American Civil War, What Remains by R. Poole-Carter is a grim novel of murder, intrigue, lies, and buried secrets that begins in 1865. Isabelle Ross is a woman mourning the loss of her fiance and joins forces with Paul Delahoussaye, an intrepid journalist, to uncover the truth behind a murderous wall of deception and hidden secrets. Isabelle and Paul must combine their wits and resolve to discover the truth beneath dark and ruthless motives. One of those historical mysteries that are so easy to pick up and so difficult to put down, What Remains is an original, atmospheric, evocative, and deftly woven novel that engages the reader's total attention from first page to last.

Amarillo Globe-News by Deborah Elliott-Upton- Nov 3, 2002 "...a winning style,..."

Residents of Belle Ombre hope the end of the Civil War means an end to death at the plantation. Instead, as Confederate veteran Forest Brodie's body is laid out for burial, another death occurs in the mansion. When the crumpled body of the mulatto servant, Beryl, is found at the bottom of the circular stairwell the death is called accidental, but no such easy explanation is available when yet a third body is found in the smokehouse.

Forest Brodie's fiance, Isabelle Ross, took "her turn to sit with the body" and mostly tended to scoff at such stories as those told by her young cousin Euphrasie who insists she's seen Forest's ghost roaming among the live oaks, guarding the plantation.

The entire household welcomes Paul Delahoussaye, war correspondent from Missouri, who wants to meet Isabelle, author of letters sent to Brodie on the battlefield. Paul and Isabelle team up to unravel secrets and lies that have led to murder at Belle Ombre.

Rosemary Poole-Carter tells her stories of the Old South in winning style, and the Austin-based author knows her Texas and Louisiana backgrounds. She also is the author of "Mossy Cape," a play for young audiences, as well as "The Little Death," an adult drama set in New Orleans, and a short play "Inconvenient Women," which takes place in an asylum.