‘Miss Aldridge Regrets’ is a book full of murder, deceit and regrets. Many twists and turns leads us through this story of historical prejudices and clandestine discoveries. The passions of youth can have consequences that are to be regretted later and hidden in the future. Lana has never known her white mother but has been reared lovingly by her black father Alfie, in a world where mixed race children are not welcome. When Alfie dies, Lana is contacted by an old friend of his and offered a job in New York. Lana is chaperoned by his assistant Charlie, to make the journey to America by ship. The journey however, turns into a nightmare of murder, lies and mystery. In the midst of it all however, Lana finds herself falling in love and discovers that she is stronger than she ever thought.

I liked this book, but I did find parts of it difficult. The opening paragraphs did a great job in setting up the story and hooking me in. I wanted to find out more about Lena and who this mysterious murderous narrator is that seems intent on framing Lena for murder. I both liked and disliked the intrusion of this narrator- sometimes I wanted to find out what they were planning or thinking and so looked forward to their short paragraphs, but then other times I felt like their presence intruded on the story (this could be a good thing though in terms of plot development and how the reader feels). I also found Lena likeable and unlikeable- she just seemed one of those naïve people who walk right into trouble without noticing. There were times in the book when I wanted to yell at her (such as DON'T LET HIM IN YOUR CABIN!!), but other times when I felt really sorry for her.
All in all, this book was a mixture of emotions for me. I think it would make a good book club read as there are plenty of topics to spark discussion.

I felt a little let down with this book after reading the book details. I found this a very slow, mindful read but no comparison to an Agatha Christie story. The level of intrigue was not there. A bit top heavy with dialogue and no real story at the beginning of the novel and it took some time to get going. I realize that the author was trying to set the scene on board the Queen Mary with the ambiance and class distinction etc. but it did not really work for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the advance copy of this book.

An enthralling story of intrigue and murder.
When Lena witnesses a murder in the club where she sings, and a chance arises to be on Broadway a new life opens up for her.
Once on board the ship which will take her to New York, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems.
This was such a good read and I recommend it to anyone who likes an unexpected and intriguing storyline!

Very engaging, easy read with a delightfully written main character. Really enjoyed the atmospheric feel of time and place; especially the contrast between the Queen Mary and the seedy nightclub. This is not a read for those whodunnit fans who complain about plot holes and ‘unlikely’ details, but a lighthearted mystery. However I really didn’t like the last chapter, which added nothing to the story.

I didn’t enjoy it. Sorry, but it was way too long, uneventful and I barely cared about any of the characters.

The ads around the novel mentions Agatha Christie. Beware, this has nothing to do with Golden Age material.

If anything, this novel provides a few lessons on what NOT to do in a murder mystery. Sorry for the mean review.

Lena is a nightclub singer who has not achieved much in her career, reduced to performing in dingy, lowlife establishments. When a booking to sing in New York is offered it really is too good an opportunity to pass up. Added to that there are good reasons for her to escape London.

On the Queen Mary Lena meets up with a rich, American family, the Abernathys. Events occur that make her think that perhaps the new job opportunity is not all it’s cracked up to be.

The era and setting for this book was a real draw, was so looking forward to reading, but I was left slightly disappointed.

I found the story difficult to engage with at first, the toing and froing between chapters was confusing and added nothing to the plot. However I did finish the book despite the early struggle and it tied up nicely, if predictably. The racial and exploitation issues were handled well.

To say Lena and her cronies enjoyed a drink and a cigarette is an understatement, alternative pastimes might have been a welcome relief for the reader!

Thank you NetGalley.

Glittering, Atmospheric Murder Mystery…
Glittering, atmospheric murder mystery with a truly engaging heroine at it’s heart. Between a 1936 London and a Queen Mary bound for New York the tale unfolds as Lena Aldridge finds herself drawn into a deadly mystery. Evocative of the era in every way, a beautifully written and wholly immersive read.

I loved this fabulous Christie-esque mystery! I didn't guess it which I usually do, and the whole thing wrapped up so cleverly. Briliantly written, so evocative of the era which I love. And keeps you guessing all the way through to the end. Loved it.

Lena Aldridge, a singer of mixed race n a sleazy Soho nightclub, desperately hopes to become a star of musical theatre but sees little hope, particularly as she has just parted from her latest lover, a married MP, who gave her a taste of the life for which she yearns.

Following th sudden death of her boss she is astonished to be approached by a total stranger who purports to owe a dept of gratitude to her late father and wants to make amends by offering to take her to New York and introduce her to a theatre impresario who is seeking a new Broadway star. She has little time to decide whether or not to take the plunge, but is encouraged by her late bosses wife who provides her with a suitable wardrobe for her ocean liner journey to the States.

She mixes with great wealth and, though somewhat out of her depth at times, she copes with the help of one of the on-board band leaders. However, murder strikes and not just once……

Louse Hare has written a fast-paced murder mystery full of twists and turns. There is never a dull moment!

A nightclub singer in on the run on The Queen Mary with the promise of a career on Broadway. However, a murder happens which puts her entire future at risk. Following two time lines, this novel encompasses many themes including racism and class. A very entertaining read.

I absolutely loved Louise Hare’s debut and have been taken on another incredible journey in Miss Aldridge Regrets, thanks to her wonderful storytelling and characters!

Set in 1936, our leading lady Lena Aldridge has found herself wondering if life is simply passing her by. Her dreams for a theatre career haven’t worked out and instead she finds herself singing night after night in The Canary, a sticky-floored basement club in Soho. But all that is about to change when a stranger offers her a dream opportunity. A chance to star in a new Broadway musical and a first class ticket onboard the Queen Mary ocean liner to New York. After a murder at The Canary, the timing couldn’t be better and so Lena jumps at the opportunity. However, the voyage is anything but the relaxed experience Lena expected. Because someone onboard has their own plans to execute before the ship docks in New York and only one thing on their mind...murder!

I absolutely loved the 1936 setting and felt like I was there onboard the Queen Mary ocean liner thanks to Louise Hare’s incredible descriptions and beautiful writing. I was truly immersed in Lena’s world and everything felt so vivid as I was reading thanks to all of the wonderful details. I thought Lena was a fantastic character and it was eye opening too, to get to see the difficulties she faced as a woman of mixed race during this time.

I really liked the different chapter perspectives of the present, as the days passed onboard The Queen Mary, and also the ‘one week earlier’ chapters. These were really effective in allowing us to learn more about Lena’s life, her friendship with Maggie and experience working at The Canary club. There were also little passages interspersed in italics from a mystery voice and I was intrigued to uncover whose voice this was and the plans they were masterminding behind the scenes. This added a really great level of intrigue! It was clever too having different murders to ponder as the book progressed. both onboard The Queen Mary and at The Canary club back in Soho (this is how the book opens and immediately had me intrigued as to why Maggie’s husband was poisoned, and by whom)!

The build up to the ending when all of the truths become known was brilliant and I felt bad for the people I suspected when I was reading as the truth was revealed (I knew I should have been more suspicious after a particular incident and trusted my instinct about this individual)! It was such a great surprise and so shocking too to see how far this person was prepared to go! There was also another great reveal during the book which I didn’t see coming at all and thought was very clever!

Miss Aldridge Regrets is an absolutely incredible murder mystery and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

An enjoyable mystery murder story set in the 1930s moving from "today" on the Queen Mary and "last week" in Soho.. Lena is ambitious but currently working in a dodgy nightclub as a singer. Her boss is murdered. She's offered he chance of a acting job on Broadway and finds herself bound for New York travelling First Class. This seemed too good to be true but then, as a 1930s girl of mixed-race, it must have seemed the chance of a life-time. More murder, an upper class family with secrets and attitude, the band from the boat deck all lead to a well portrayed and plotted story. The differences between the classes on board, her dilemma of being mixed race passing as having Mediterranean heritage in England but will this suffice or even succeed in New York - does she admit to her late father's 'blackness', who was her mother, can she make a success of her acting/singing job? Does she go with her heart or her ambition and, yes, who did kill Tommy the Boss and the others? A bit slow to start the story moved up a gear and was well worth a read although there were some uncomfortable times with the attitudes of the 1930s. Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

It took a good while for this Novel to get going & hence my reason for giving it just three stars ! The characters were interesting but often I felt as through I was treading through the swelling seas that the Queen Mary Miss Lena Aldridge was sailing on. #GoodReads, #Instagram, #NetGalley, #FB, Amazon.co.uk, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/358a5cecda71b11036ec19d9f7bf5c96d13e2c55" width="80" height="80" alt="100 Book Reviews" title="100 Book Reviews"/>,#<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>,#<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

Lena Aldridge is a singer in a very dodgy Soho nightclub. When her manager Tommy (her best friend's husband) is murdered she takes the offer of a lifetime to travel to New York for a career on Broadway. It sounds too good to be true and it probably is as suddenly Lena is aboard the Queen Mary, trying to pass as white rather then mixed race, schmoozing a rich family who really aren't likeable and then she sees someone get murdered.

It sounds very far fetched but really it's a slow build of tension as you wait to find out who murdered Tommy. Why this mysterious alternative narrator wants to frame Lena for murder. There's definitely an Agatha Christie feel as the 1930s glamour of ocean liner first class clashes with poison and stabbing and racial tension. Lena is a very likeable character naive enough to feel sympathy for but still believable

Louise Hare has come up with an extraordinary plot in this thriller, which starts with the murderer's thoughts, given in italics throughout the book, but we do not know who it is until the final pages. The contrasts between the classes, and the hidden discrimination arere well drawn. I struggled to get into the historical time frame. The ambience implied the 1930's but some of the dialogue seemed more reminiscent of the 1960's. There was too much dialogue for my liking in the early chapters but the tale did speed up towards the end, and an exciting conclusion.

A take on a classic whodunnit with a twist. As with all good mysteries the story begins with a murder in a nightclub, a poisoning. The action shifts to the Queen Mary bound for New York as the main protagonist, Lena , travels to find success in the Big Apple. Switching back in forth in time the story of the murder and the events on board ship mesh together. Louise Hare has written an intriguing and interesting story. I enjoyed reading it and hope to read more written by her in future.
This is an honest review of an ARC copy of the book supplied by NetGalley.

Lena Aldridge is a mixed race jazz club singer in 1930’s London, she’s stuck in a rut singing the same old songs in the same old clubs with no other options in sight. Until opportunity knocks and an old friend of her recent,y deceased father sends his man of business across for New York to offer her a part in his new production on Broadway. Lena is sceptical, she’s nobodies fool if something seems too good to be true it probably is but when her gangster boss is murdered in the middle of his club in the middle of her performance she has little choice but to accept and get out of town. Murder however isn’t so easily left behind.
This was an interesting read, a classic whodunnit but with issues about race, equality, passing and the difference between them in America and Europe made for much meatier subject matter and it’s something I haven’t seen much of in this genre. The murder plot itself was twisty and nobody was who they said they were and the conclusion is deliciously ambiguous which I loved. I love some grey morality.

Adored this - so great to be back with Louise Hare's writing after This Lovely City. I adore the era that her books are set in, and the characters and relationships that it brings. This had the familiarity of This Lovely City but so different at the same time.

I just wanted to keep on reading after it finished, desperate to know more about life after the ship and the murders!

My opinions on this book are indifferent , the plot felt fine . Even though I love thrillers, this book was okay , yes engaging at times but felt flat the other .
The main character was likable and she was the only reason why you should read the book .
I love the setting as well but as a whole the writing, plot and everything this book was an okay read , though i would love to read more from the author .

Thank you so much netgalley for providing me with an arc