Miss Aldridge Regrets
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
‘A brilliant murder mystery with shades of Agatha Christie and The Great Gatsby . . . a glamorous and fun read’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘From the Art Deco feel to the murder mystery happening on board a passenger boat heading to New York this was the perfect cosy read’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Louise Hare does it again – fabulous! Absolutely loved it and it kept me guessing until the very end! Very highly recommended’ Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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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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Praise for 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
About the author
Louise Hare is a London-based writer and has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London. Originally from Warrington, she has found inspiration in the capital for much of her work, including This Lovely City and Miss Aldridge Regrets.
This Lovely City was featured on the inaugural BBC Two TV book club show, Between the Covers, shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize, and longlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award. Louise was selected for the Observer Top 10 Best Debut Novelists list in 2020, securing her place as an author to watch. Miss Aldridge Regrets is her second novel.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
British writer Hare makes her U.S. debut with an uneven Christie-esque mystery that unfolds during a transatlantic voyage on the Queen Mary in the summer of 1936. Lena Aldridge, a 26-year-old mixed-race London nightclub singer, is on her way to New York City, where she's been offered a role in a new Broadway show. She's ready for a fresh start. Her father, an African American piano player, recently died, leaving her with no family, plus her old boss was poisoned to death. While passing as Italian on board, Lena meets a wealthy white family from New York. Her traveling companion, Charlie Bacon, assistant to the Broadway producer, encourages her to charm them so they'll invest in the show. These are well-drawn characters: there's the elderly, ailing head of the family, Francis Parker; his aloof daughter, Eliza Abernathy; and her womanizing, alcoholic husband, Jack. Then Francis is poisoned just like Tommy, Jack is found stabbed to death, and Lena realizes she's being set up: "I felt as though I were trapped inside my own detective novel," she observes. Lena's amateur sleuthing and romantic interludes with the ship's handsome band leader are engaging, though the ending comes out of nowhere and Lena's final actions feel out of character. Despite the nice buildup, the payoff ends up being a bit disappointing.
