annieb123's Review of Miss Aldridge Regrets

by Louise Hare

‘Charming characters, a cross-Atlantic setting, jazz, cocktails, sex and a brilliant murder mystery. You couldn’t ask for more! I loved it’ Harriet Tyce

‘This is a cracker. A thoroughly absorbing and thought-provoking historical crime novel that oozes glamour’ Cathy Rentzenbrink, The Last Act of Love

‘An engrossing read’ Guardian

‘Hare’s well-crafted second novel oozes glamour . . . Did someone mention Agatha Christie? Yes, but with the bonus of subtle reflections on race and class’ Observer

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London, 1936

Lena Aldridge is wondering if life has passed her by. The dazzling theatre career she hoped for hasn’t worked out. Instead, she’s stuck singing in a sticky-floored basement club in Soho and her married lover has just left her. She has nothing to look forward to until a stranger offers her the chance of a lifetime: a starring role on Broadway and a first-class ticket on the Queen Mary bound for New York.

After a murder at the club, the timing couldn’t be better and Lena jumps at the chance to escape England. Until death follows her onto the ship and she realises that her greatest performance has already begun.

Because someone is making manoeuvres behind the scenes, and there’s only one thing on their mind…

MURDER

Miss Aldridge Regrets is the exquisite new novel from Louise Hare. A brilliant murder mystery, it also explores class, race and pre-WWII politics, and will leave readers reeling from the beauty and power of it.

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WHAT AUTHORS ARE SAYING ABOUT MISS ALDRIDGE REGRETS:

‘A fabulous Christie-esque mystery. Brilliantly written, so evocative, and keeps you guessing all the way through’ Charlotte Levin, If I Can’t Have You

'Glamour and grit combine in this smartly plotted, wonderfully atmospheric historical murder mystery, with a heroine I won't forget. I loved it' Frances Quinn, The Smallest Man

‘A sublimely told murder mystery which oozes class in every sense. Fully deserves the Christie comparisons’ Trevor Wood, The Man on the Street

‘Clever, evocative and immersive. Smart plotting and a compelling heroine will keep you turning the pages at speed’ Adele Parks, Platinum

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Miss Aldridge Regrets is a well written standalone historical mystery by Louise Hare. Released 5th July 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 368 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

Told in first person PoV as well as through parallel diary entries from another PoV, this is a subtle and engaging mystery set in the 1930s. The author is especially adept at setting and the primary scenes onboard the Queen Mary on a crossing of the Atlantic readily call forth the golden age of mystery. Readers of Marsh, Christie, Blake, and Crispin will find much to enjoy here.

The writing is more than competent and the mystery, clues, and plotting are well engineered and intricate. The protagonist is out of the ordinary, a multi-ethnic singer/actress who is passing for white; which itself lends a frisson of danger to the story. There are several distinct plot threads and the isolation aspect of a ship at sea mirrors a lot of the greatest classic mysteries.

Four stars. This is an engaging and beautifully written mystery with a denouement which would've done E.C.R. Lorac proud.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Miss Aldridge Regrets

by Louise Hare

Reviewed by annieb123 on Jul 15, 2022

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