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A review by abbie92g
Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
London, 1936. Lena Aldridge wonders 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 loved has just left her.
She's feeling utterly hopeless 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, but death follows her on board, when an obscenely wealthy family draws her into their fold, just as one of them is killed in a chillingly familiar way. As Lena navigates their increasingly bizarre family dynamic, she realises that her greatest performance won't be for an audience, but for her life.
Miss Aldridge Regrets is marketed as Historical Fiction, but with an air of "Murder on the Orient Express" about it, it is more suited to the title of Murder Mystery. Louise Hare writes an intriguing tale, spanning several periods in Lena's life, and jumps between these with apparent ease, and without losing the story's momentum. Lena is a believable protagonist, and relationships are developed well within the story.
I gave this 4 stars, purely because I felt the ending was a little rushed. It would have been nice to see a little more of what Lena found of her father's family in New York, as a central theme to the story is her late father and his life as a musician.
I enjoyed this book and it was a gentle read, recommended to fans of Murder Mysteries with a little bit extra!
She's feeling utterly hopeless 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, but death follows her on board, when an obscenely wealthy family draws her into their fold, just as one of them is killed in a chillingly familiar way. As Lena navigates their increasingly bizarre family dynamic, she realises that her greatest performance won't be for an audience, but for her life.
Miss Aldridge Regrets is marketed as Historical Fiction, but with an air of "Murder on the Orient Express" about it, it is more suited to the title of Murder Mystery. Louise Hare writes an intriguing tale, spanning several periods in Lena's life, and jumps between these with apparent ease, and without losing the story's momentum. Lena is a believable protagonist, and relationships are developed well within the story.
I gave this 4 stars, purely because I felt the ending was a little rushed. It would have been nice to see a little more of what Lena found of her father's family in New York, as a central theme to the story is her late father and his life as a musician.
I enjoyed this book and it was a gentle read, recommended to fans of Murder Mysteries with a little bit extra!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Classism, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, and Infidelity
Minor: Misogyny, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, and Grief