Rating: 3.8/5

If you like your reading material to start with a bang and then continue at a relentless pace throughout, then this historical murder mystery from Louise Hare is probably not going to be the right book for you. Set in the second half of the 1930s, the narrative plays out on board an ocean liner bound for New York interspersed with flashbacks to events in London prior to the ship setting sail. Lena Aldridge is a nightclub singer from a mixed race background. Events have conspired to make Lena leave her home city and head for the bright lights of Broadway - but her time on board the Queen Mary is set to be anything but plain sailing.

"Miss Aldridge Regrets" has a very different feel about it when compared to many murder mysteries. Rather than delivering instant gratification, this novel develops over time, like a fine red wine that needs to be allowed to breathe before the full roundness of its flavour is realised. Nor is this simply a murder mystery story - it also examines socio-political topics such as attitudes towards race and social class that were prevalent at the time. Louise Hare does a fine job evoking the atmosphere of the era. There were several times when it reminded me of the short-lived television drama, "The Halcyon", which touched on some similar themes and was set at a similar point in history (although in "The Halcyon" it was actually during WWII rather than the years immediately prior to it).

The plot is neatly constructed and holds together well. The narrative is provided predominantly by the central character of Lena, but there are also sections related by an initially unnamed protagonist, whose motives are clearly somewhat mischievous. The characterisation as a whole is engaging and relatable, though, perhaps understandably, none of the other players are as fully formed as the impressively depicted Miss Aldridge. If I had to level a criticism at this novel, then it would have to relate to the pace: Although it is appropriate to the style and setting, I fear that some readers may lose patience and give up prematurely, which would be a pity.

Overall, "Miss Aldridge" regrets is an intelligently written, well-rounded novel that is worth taking some time out for, so that you can settle down properly and immerse yourself into its content.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

I really liked Louise Hare’s first book so I was looking forward to this. However, I was a little disappointed, partly as I guessed who the killer was before the end and partly because the plot seemed too contrived. The crime element of her first book felt like a minor subplot to the wider issue of the Windrush settlers but here the plotting was the main element and I felt the characters needed more work. it was also a very long set up. On the whole it was an ok read, but I struggled to care much for the main character who was quite naive.

Miss Aldridge Regrets provides an Interesting perspective on the historical mystery, but unfortunately didn't quite live up to my expectations. I found Lena's experience of "passing", and her character development throughout, to be really engrossing - although she did come across as almost unbearably naive at times. I also liked the romantic subplot - it was nicely paced and expanded the characters well. The locked-room mystery side of things, however, was a bit lacking in comparison. I didn't enjoy the "villain monologues" at all - they felt intrusive and unnecessary, taking away from the intrigue instead of adding to it. All of that said, this was an enjoyable read, and I found myself keen to discover how it concluded (even if it wasn't the most complicated of mysteries!)

Lena is made an offer that seems too good to be true….
During the trans Atlantic crossing to New York she becomes involved in what seems to be a family drama.
Then the murders start.
The period setting is particularly strong and life onboard is vividly described. I really enjoyed this murder mystery.

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.

This is one of my most anticipated books of the year, mainly based on how much I loved her debut This Lovely City, but also because I loved the sound of this mix of historical fiction and murder mystery. It doesn’t disappoint and really has the feel of an Agatha Christie novel and not just from the plot either, but the glamorous location, the wealthy passengers and the sumptuous descriptions of their clothes and jewellery. The story has its period detail spot on whether it’s the latest bathing suit or 1930’s politics. Woven within this whodunnit are themes of identity, belonging, family and class division. It’s gripping without being showy or depending on shocks, or endless twists and turns. It’s elegant and allows it’s secrets to unfurl slowly.

Lena is a sympathetic character, who has sacrificed the start of her own career to care for her father Alfie who has recently died after a long illness. In order to pay the bills Lena has worked with the club band, but she has ambition and has always wanted to work in the theatre, preferably the bright lights of the West End or Broadway. We get the sense that she’s good enough too. We meet her first as she embarks on her voyage across the Atlantic with a theatre producers assistant, strangely named Charlie Bacon. Charlie has offered her the chance of a lifetime, a part on Broadway in a new musical. This is a favour from Charlie’s boss who once knew Alfie and felt he owed him for an old transgression. The cabin is first class and Lena has never had such luxury, in fact she has a suitcase of clothes from Maggie because she didn’t own anything grand enough for the first class dining room of the Queen Mary. There’s a sense in which she doesn’t feel like herself, sailing on someone else’s charity, in grand society and not even in her own clothes. She then finds herself dining with the Abernathy’s. The head of this wealthy family is their father Frank, now disabled due to a stroke (apoplexy) he was once an absolute tyrant and still uses the family riches to manipulate his children and grandchildren. Alongside the family are Frank’s assistant Daisy and his own doctor.

At first Lena is a little intimidated by this entitled and often quite unpleasant bunch. This is a mix of knowing she isn’t of the same class, perhaps opting to gravitate towards Daisy and Dr. Wilding who are the help. However, Lena’s whiff of stardom seems to satisfy the family that she is suitable company and she’s certainly glamorous enough to fit in. However, theres also he question of race, brought to the fore when Lena encounters one of the ship’s band Will. Will isn’t fooled by glamour or the first class ticket when they meet out on the deck by accident. He doesn’t even ask, simply identifies her as black like him. At first she denies this, not wanting to be found out. Lena has always been able to ‘pass’ because she is so light skinned, but later when she sees Will again she trusts him a little more and owns her identity. It brings home to us the difficulties of being mixed race, perhaps worse for Lena who has never known her mother and didn’t grow up with that side of her identity explored. We can only imagine the taboo nature of a relationship between a black man and a white woman in the early 20th Century, a time when eugenics was gaining a foothold on both sides of the Atlantic. There is discussion at the dinner table of Adolf Hitler and his successes in improving German life after WW1, but this is the run up to WW2 and knowing what comes next in the name of racial purity made this a sobering experience as a reader. Lena isn’t just playing with identity here, in America it may have an impact on her ambitions and her place in society. As Will observes its okay for the black men of the band to entertain the rich and white, but not to fraternise with them and he’s very careful that he and Lena are not seen together. However, when Lena is asked down to steerage for an evening of music in the bar there, it is the most fun she seems to have on the whole voyage. It’s the only time she’s not on tenterhooks and can relax. She feels like she’s with her own kind - people without money and influence, people who scrape by, who play music and really let their hair down.

Yet, she is accepted upstairs and is a hit with both Eliza Abernathy and her daughter Carrie. Lena is invited to tea, asked to go bathing and meets up for drinks. She likes Carrie who seems so young and controlled by her family, desperate for some company of her own age. Eliza is Frank’s daughter, rather aloof at first and seemingly unaware that her husband is seducing Frank’s assistant Daisy when no one is looking. None of the family seem particularly happy, with a lot of sniping at dinner and all the vices of drinking, gambling and … It makes Lena nostalgic for her father and the easy way they got along, and also Maggie who despite her difficult marriage and the terrible drama of Tommy’s murder, has always been like a sister to Lena. It’s a huge shock when the family patriarch starts to choke at dinner. Dr. Wilding springs into action, but it becomes clear nothing is obstructing his airway and he starts to foam at the mouth. Lena is horrified, he’s acting the same way Tommy did and rather horrifically he dies at the table. An investigation is started immediately and everyone is interviewed. We are privy to Lena’s thoughts and she’s terrified that what happened at the club has happened again here. She didn’t poison him, but maybe someone knows something about Tommy’s murder. Are they taunting her? Is this something to do with her? Surely its too much of a coincidence. The proximity of the group and the inability to get off the boat adds to the tension of the novel. Who will be next?

I thought the mystery was well thought out and unexpected too. There were a couple of moments where I wanted to shake Lena or shout at her not to do something. It really brings home to us that here Lena is alone in this new life. She’s without family and friends to protect or support her. As the bodies begin to pile up I was asking questions of everyone in the party, even Lena herself - could she be and unreliable narrator and be doing this without really knowing? It all seemed such a big coincidence, but then when the revelations started coming it all made sense. I can honestly say I didn’t have a clue what was coming for Lena’s private life, or who was next in the murderer’s firing line. I thought the pace was perfection and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the Queen Mary, however luxurious, really added to the tension. The opulence of the setting, the fashion and Lena’s new wardrobe are dazzling and so perfectly in tune with the time period. I loved the author’s depiction of difficulties in identity and the distinctions of race and class for these passengers. The contradiction that the band are allowed to entertain first class passengers, but not sit with them, is something that will stay with me. As will the idea of ‘passing’, an interesting part of my own identity as someone with an invisible disability who sits uncomfortably between people with disabilities and the able-bodied. I loved This Lovely City and I think with this novel Louise Hare has repeated her success. I’ve already ordered my special signed copy, because this is definitely a keeper.

Miss Aldridge Regrets is the second novel from Louise Hare, following on the heels of the superb and very successful This Lovely City. My hopes were high!

Lena Aldridge is a mixed race woman who passes as being of Southern European descent in 1930s London. A singer in a seedy bar which is owned by the husband of her best friend, Lena is a witness to a suspicious death in the club. Days before the death, Lena was given the chance of a lifetime. To travel on the Queen Mary to New York where an opportunity on Broadway awaits, funded by a friend of her late father.

We travel between the two timelines. Lena on the Queen Mary living the high life in first class and Lena’s final days before she leaves London. While both are strong story lines, her fellow passengers on the Queen Mary are hard to like.

Overall this is an enjoyable book. The pacing felt a little off, which could have been resolved with a more ruthless edit. The weak point is the reveal. It’s unfurled in extracts of a letter interspersed throughout the book, which jarred and was unnecessary. The final pages were a bit muddled. Highly reliant on coincidence and explained to the extent that it made it feel too much of a stretch of believability.

A rounded down 3.5*. Thanks to Harper Collins, HQ and Netgalley for an ARC.

Historical fiction at its best: immersive, emotional and absolutely golden.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A novel covering various aspects of the different social levels and life in the early part of the 20th century. The story line holds your interest all through with lots of twists on the way. At times you feel there is no way out for the main character and wonder if she actually was guilty! Nice descriptions of the way of life in the period. Good characters. Very enjoyable.

I love love love murder mysteries and I honestly don't read enough of them, so this was an absolute treat and has pushed me to invest more in the genre as a whole. I loved going back to 1936 with Lena Aldridge, she was a charming and stunning character with so much potential, if only she had been living in a different time. The murder mystery itself was absolutely delicious and had me second guessing every family member and associate involved. When the murder was revealed, I was completely thrown off track, not even having this suspect close to my mind. It was a fantastic plot-line, with a lot of historical context woven in surrounding race and raised some really interesting issues that had me thinking and learning along the way. I will now be investing myself in all of Louise' work because her writing and story-telling just did it for me.

My goodness, this is a lovely treat of a read. It’s London 1936 and Lena Aldridge is wondering when will it ever go right. Her beloved father has gone, her love life is more miss than hit and her theatre career has fallen ever so slightly flat (which is putting it mildly). That is until a stranger offers her a chance that she’d be a fool to refuse: a role on Broadway and a first class ticket on the Queen Mary, due to make its way to New York within days. It’s the right time to leave; Lena’s best friend’s husband has just died suddenly. Surely life on the ocean waves couldn’t be as chilling? Well, that is until it’s clear someone behind the scenes is doing all possible to secure Lena a nightmare ending to her story. It’s every bit as dangerous on board the liner than in London – potentially even more dangerous for a young woman wanting to make a new life for herself.

I really wanted to love this book but I just didn't enjoy reading it. Normally, It was a huge struggle to get to the end of the book and it took almost 3 weeks. I was so bored by the story and just didn't look forward to picking it up every night.

The premise of the book is quite simple. Lena, a mixed-race singer in a nightclub, is offered a dream job in New York. She sets off on the Queen Mary ship and finds herself mixing with the rest of the first-class passengers. It all seems like heaven until a passenger is poisoned. It's an unfortunate event and a shock for everyone. However, it's even more disturbing for Lena because her former boss was killed in a very similar way only a few days before. What has Lena walked into?

I will say that there are some fun things about this book. I liked the way that it tries to bring in race and its place in society at the time. Plus, Lena's romance with the ship's Black band was a sweet distraction from the main plot. Normally, I wouldn't appreciate a romance that came about so quickly and lacked real chemistry. It just goes to show how little I was engaging with the rest of the book.

This book is way too long and lacks tension, mystery and danger. Despite the number of bodies that crop up, it never feels like there is any real threat. It doesn't matter how many asides you shove in from the killer. I never felt like Lena was ever at risk. Of course, it helped that I'd figured out who the killer was very early on in proceedings.

I don't have enough space to list all of the things that I didn't enjoy. The dialogue, the undeveloped characters, the senseless ending. What is worst is that the book renders the rest of the novel meaningless. Not everyone can write a murder mystery and this book proves that.

The book starts out in 1930s London and Lena Aldridge is a woman whose luck is running out. Her father has recently died, her best friend husband has just been poisoned and her landlady tells her to move on. So, the offer of a starring role on Broadway seems too good to be true. When Lena agrees to her bright new future, she gets to travel to the US first class on the Queen Mary, but amidst the decadence of first class, all is not as it seems.

In “Miss Aldridge Regrets”, we meet Lena, a young singer, bound for New York aboard the Queen Mary cruise ship in 1936. Lena has just witnessed the murder of her boss at the nightclub where she works, so escaping to Broadway on an all-expenses paid first-class ticket seems like a dream come true. However, once aboard ship, it becomes clear that Lena has been embroiled in more than one murder, and it is up to her to work out whether the crimes are linked, and who is committing them.

This is an interesting take on a cosy mystery. Lena is mixed race but passing as a white passenger, which gives a different perspective on this type of historical fiction. I also enjoyed the level of detail that is given, and felt the two timelines were handled well. The ending was perhaps a step too far to be credible, but the book as a whole was diverting nonetheless.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

The majority of the book takes place on board a transatlantic liner in the 1930s. Our main character, Lena, is a mixed-race, white passing woman who has been working as a singer in a dodgy nightclub in London, but following the murder of her boss and the offer of a starring role on Broadway, is headed to New York to begin a new life. Whilst on board she is thrown into socialising with the wealthy Abernathy family, who all seem to be hiding various skeletons. Soon, more drama ensues, and it appears that someone is trying to frame Lena for murder.

For me the best aspect of this book was the historical context. Portraying Lena as white passing was an original approach and raised some interesting issues which were well handled. I would have liked even more to have been made out of this setting, as much of the time the story could equally have taken place in another historical period or not on a cruise liner. Despite some rather over-the-top characters, the part I found least convincing was the romantic sub-plot, which seemed to be included mostly to provide an alibi for a certain event rather than because of any plausible romantic attraction.

The writing style was straightforward and clear, and there were plenty of twists and turns. However, parts of the book dragged for me, and whilst I did sympathise with Lena, ultimately the plot and characters did not engage me enough to care very much about the outcome. However, it was an entertaining read and I was curious enough to persevere, and unlike in many other whodunnits I did not guess the perpetrator, which was a positive surprise.

A cosy murder mystery set in the 1930s on board an ocean liner. Lena Aldridge is ready to start a new life in New York and perform on Broadway when mysterious and deadly events start to happen on board the Queen Mary as she starts to make friends with the wealthy Abernathy family. There were lots of twists and turns and I like the dual timeline in the book with flash backs to the week before as Lena decides to leave her life in London. I would recommend for fans of Agatha Christie.

This cosy mystery set aboard the Queen Mary follows Lena Aldridge as she chases her big break on Broadway, leaving behind a dubious murder in London. But then another crime occurs as Lena mingles with the affluent and wealthy, and soon she realises she may be facing more trouble ahead that the trouble she left behind.

In Hare’s debut, This Lovely City, I really appreciated the way she entwined a murder mystery narrative with honest truths surrounding prejudices in society. And it’s the same with Miss Aldridge Regrets. Lena is a mixed-race woman, but white passing, and it was interesting to see how the author illustrated this in the face of 1930’s racism, classism, and other prejudices that are so prominent. It’s realistic but still provides the reader with an escape to another world.

Sadly, I found the plot of Miss Aldridge Regrets to drag in some places, and occasionally felt like skipping scenes in search of some excitement. And while the atmosphere feels authentic, the twists in the plot do not, which dampened my enthusiasm for the mystery. Nevertheless, I found the personalities of the characters to be memorable and enjoyed my time on the ocean liner. With dual timelines, an intriguing contrast between the character backgrounds, and pleasant writing, Miss Aldridge Regrets is an ideal pick for Agatha Christie and cosy mystery fans.

I am so disappointed. I hoped to love this book, as mysteries set on cruise ships/locked room mysteries are some of my faves; this book, however, was so boring, nothing really happened and the MC was extremely annoying. It felt like a rough first draft and I hope the finished version is better.
I didn't like knowing from the start that someone was after our main character, I didn't like the plot, I didn't like the mystery and the setting was underused, as far as I am concerned. There were a lot of references to our Lord and saviour Agatha Christie, but our author here has still so much to learn. I hated the secondary characters, they were so bland and useless, I can't even find one I enjoyed. The writing style was also basic.
I don't think I will be picking up anything else by this author.

This is Louise Hare's second novel and, once again, the main protagonist and narrator is coloured. Lena however is mixed race and can pass as having Mediterranean blood. The story is set in 1936 and the main action takes place on the original "Queen Mary", with a back story in a seedier part of London's Soho. Lena reads Agatha Christie and the plot of the story is in a similar vein, although there is no detective, just Lena trying to understand what is happening and why.

There is plenty of bigotry and racism, as well as class differences. This is the time of the rise of Hitler in Germany and some of the characters had been to the Berlin Olympics and praised him. This was also a time (post prohibition and depression) of excess in alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Once again Louise Hare has evoked a period and a totally different lifestyle.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

A twisty tale on board ship - a tale certainly in the same vein as a traditional Agatha Christie. Loved it. Who is Lena, why is she on this ship, who are these people around her and what will her future hold.... I will say no more but do read it.

This was a fun read which initially put me in mind of Agatha Christie's 'Appointment with Death'. with the similar set-up of wealthy, ageing and unwell patriarch surrounded by multi-generational family all just hanging on for the money. Liked the regular time-switch and clever writing meant initial assumptions were misleading. The combination of a decent body count and a luxury liner added to the enjoyment. Had fun trying to guess the 'new Poirot' Lena picks up in WH Smiths. Thanks to Netgalley.