It took a while for me to get into this book, but once I got used to the writing style, it became more enjoyable. Lena, a nightclub singer in London, is suddenly invited to take a job on Broadway by a friend of her late American father. This coincides with losing her job and her home, and the murder of her boss, so she takes the opportunity and sets sail on the Queen Mary. Lena and her escort, Charlie, meet a wealthy family on the ship, but more murders happen, and it becomes apparent that one of the party is responsible, and Lena is being set up. There are lots of twists to the story, and secrets which are revealed as the book goes on.
All is resolved by the time the ship reaches America.

This didn't really do it for me I'm afraid. In terms of setup and the general setting, it's quite well developed. I did like the main character Lena even though she was a little one-note, and the whole extended Abernathy family were all interesting. Secrets and tensions among a wealthy family is often an entertaining way to build suspense.

Unfortunately the plot itself fell flat with time switches and inserts from the perpetrator that added unnecessary confusion. Really the biggest disappointment in a mystery is when you're not that fussed about the outcome. Even when the puzzle all fit together I couldn't muster up much feeling about it. Maybe decent for people who are really into an Agatha Christie style locked-room mystery but definitely needed more intrigue.

In 1936 Lena Aldridge leaves London on board the Queen Mary, bound for stardom in America. She is happy to escape England after the death of her employer, a small time crook and Soho bar owner and is looking forward to several days of peace and quiet as the ship crosses the Atlantic.
However, the journey turns out to be neither peaceful or quiet. The man who has organised her passage and claims to be acting for a friend of Lena's late father, wants her to charm a wealthy family in the hope of getting them to sponsor the Broadway show. Lena finds herself dragged into a dysfunctional family and having to take sides and make choices. Unbeknownst to her the play has already begun and she has a starring role.
The front cover of this book sets it out as a 1930s crime story, and the book certainly has the air of an Agatha Christie novel. It is told in a dual time frame, following Lena's adventures on the ship and with flashbacks to the week before in the Soho club. Lena is of mix race background and the book covers both British and American attitudes to colour during the thirties, along with class, wealth and the rise of Nazism.
The author makes great use of detail, giving us a good insight into life on board the Queen Mary and the food and drinks that would have been served. Lena's gowns and the costumes of all the character are well described, adding to the atmosphere.
I found Mr Aldridge Regrets an enjoyable read — not at all predictable and with great period descriptions. My only possible beef would be that Lena appeared to eager to believe in the non existent job offer and the dream of New York. But then, who knows what we each decide in the same circumstances...

I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of Miss Aldridge Regrets, a stand-alone set mostly on a transatlantic sea voyage on the Queen Mary in 1936.

After watching her boss die in front of her Lena is grateful to accept a job offer on Broadway from an old friend of her father and boards the Queen Mary to start her new life. Unfortunately Murder follows her and someone is plotting against her.

I have not read the author’s previous work, so I didn’t know what to expect and I found it to be a bit of a mixed bag with elements I liked and others I didn’t. I think my main issue is that the author is trying for a golden age style novel with the setting, murder weapon and some of the issues, but expands from that in the format and some of the other issues and it ends up being a bit of a hotchpotch.

I found the novel quite slow and it felt overly long, subjective I know, but that’s my impression. I think part of this is to do with the format. The novel is told in the first person from Lena’s point of view and switches in timeline between the present on the ship and the weeks before her embarkation. She doesn’t give much away and it’s hard to get absorbed in her narrative when the emphasis keeps changing between past and present. The only reason that I knew she wasn’t guilty is the insertion of an unnamed character who is obviously intent on framing Lena. Why? I got past the stage of caring pretty quickly.

Lena is of mixed race, but she can pass (for European). This is important in America, not so much in England. Spending time with Americans in the 1930s her heritage suddenly becomes more important. I understand that this is an important social issue that deserves mention, but wasn’t overly impressed by how it is worked into the plot.

On the other hand the novel is excellent in its setting, characters and social issues. It strikes all the right notes from white and rich privilege living in luxury on the boat to the struggles of the poor to make ends meet. The characters seem authentic in their basic make up, i.e. products of their upbringing and social milieu, although some of their secrets push the boundaries of credibility.

Miss Aldridge Regrets is an interesting read as it pushes the boundaries of the genre, golden age murder mystery, and while it can be a bit hit and miss, it has some valid points to make and is rich in atmosphere.

I liked this mystery thriller story with the plot that takes place on Queen Mary on its way to New York. It kinda changed the scenery. And even mentioning Titanic at one point in the book. It also gives off Agatha Christie vibes and I loved it. This book is not just about the crimes that take place but also about Miss Aldridge's identity and choices she has to take.

Set in the 1930s this book tells the story from the 1st class decks of luxury liner the Queen Mary with flashbacks to the seedy underbelly of the jazz clubs of London. I got a sense of impending doom for the protagonist Lena who is being set up. The many twists and turns lead to an unexpected ending. This book has more bite than a typical “cosy” mystery and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A slightly unbelievable ending but the journey to it was so enjoyable. Great sense of place and time. A mix of glamour and seedy. Well thought out, believable characters. Will be happy to recommend.

I really wanted to like this book as the description of the book seemed to be right up my street. Yet I struggled.
So, the good bits. I really liked Lena and the idea that someone was trying to frame her. I enjoyed trying to work out who that person might be.
The bad bits. I didn't like switching from past to present and the random paragraphs from the actual perpetrator, they just seemed to be jarring. I didn't really gel with the characters, aside from Lena and don't get me started on the ending! It just beggared belief!
So I've given the book 2 stars as it wasn't a DNF as in places it did have me turning the pages, especially when the murders started taking place.

Miss Aldridge Regrets is the second novel by Louise Hare whose debut This Lovely City was a critical hit. I adored This Lovely City, a timely exploration of Windrush and the simmering racial tensions of the time and so was very much looking forward to this.

It's difficult reading a second novel when the first was so impactful, it's a lot for a book to live up to and I wonder how Miss Aldridge Regrets would have read as a standalone because although it's a clever homage to Golden Age crime, set on the sumptuous setting of a transatlantic liner, it's not quite as original as its predecessor and although I tried not to let that influence me it was hard not to.

Lena Aldridge is a triple threat, an actress, singer and dancer whose dreams of making it big are receding. She spends her evenings performing in a seedy jazz club owned by her best friend's philandering husband, her days auditioning. She is also mixed race in 1930s London, raised by her Black father, never knowing her mother who left her when she was a baby. But Lena can and does pass as white - and when she is offered a job on a Broadway show, passing is not just useful but imperative.

The job offer feels too good to be true, but when her best friend's husband is murdered in front of her leaving London and making a fresh start feels like the smart move - which is how she finds herself escorted by her new employer's agent across the Atlantic in hitherto unknown luxury. But she soon finds herself entangled in the lives, jealousies and secrets of a rich family and when a second murder occurs, Lena doesn't know who to trust. Especially as it begins to feel that she might be involved - but why? And more importantly who?

This is a lovely homage to Golden Age crime with plenty of (at times slightly bonkers) twists and turns. Recommended

I read this novel as I myself was travelling over from London to New York. It felt as though I were reading an actual account of Lena’s life, the lines between fiction and non fiction blurring as I walked past the pig n whistle or heard that the Queen Mary was going to dock.

The twists in this book don’t stop coming and the ending was a gasp out loud shock. The characters are seen through our narrator Lena, and so we are along for the ride alongside her. The reader is given insight into someone’s plotting to bring her down, but who’s voice that is will not be revealed until the last few chapters.

I enjoyed flicking between the present and the events that led up to Lena getting on the ship. The intricacies of this novel are woven together so seamlessly and every revelation feels authentic.

I really enjoyed both the historic and mystery elements of this book and would recommend.

I enjoyed this book, the atmosphere, the era and warmed to the character, Lena Aldridge. Other characters I loathed, Red herrings everywhere. I loved the writing style and descriptions.

I would recommend this novel.

I give a 4 star rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THE BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

I loved the setting and characterisation of this book which was very readable, wonderful descriptive setting and characters. The story wasn't quite as strong with the end being a bit unbelievable. Enjoyable however.

Did not finish. I am struggling with this one. Found it hard to get into. I will come back to it and try again at a later date.

I tried to read this book on several occasions on my mobile but unfortunately didn't manage to.

What a pity!.

Wishing you lots of luck with the book.

An entertaining book, with a good sense of time and place. I thought that the characters were well-drawn, and believable, and the plot was a real page-turner. I found the ending unconvincing, which was a shame as the rest of the book was so enjoyable.

I was so looking forward to reading this book as I enjoyed Louise Hare’s previous novel This Lovely City immensely. Unfortunately this one wasn’t up to that standard. It started on a very promising note but the ending just didn’t seem right and fell very flat.

Louise Hare’s latest novel takes the reader right back to the 1930s. In a beautiful evocation of that decade, we encounter literary protagonist Lena Aldridge, a nightclub singer of mixed ethnic heritage who is struggling with the death of her father, her joblessness and being shown the door by her landlady. So when a mysterious stranger offers her a starring role in a New York Broadway production, Lena does not hesitate to accept. The timeline then moves between Lena’s experiences on the Queen Mary liner as it weaves its way to New York, and flashbacks to the previous seven days at the London nightclub where she used to work. Lena’s meeting with the wealthy but unlikeable Abernathy family onboard adds extra tension and subplots. Although the novel pursues a mystery with the final denouement a surprise, I was especially impressed with the characterisation of the 1930s and the societal mores that sadly still included casual racism and misogyny, both of whom Lena sadly experiences and fights against. No doubt most readers will pick up Miss Aldridge Regrets for its murder mystery theme, but for the competent depiction of the 1930s alone, it deserves as wide a readership as possible.
Highly recommended! Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the free ARC I received in exchange for this honest and unbiased review of this novel.

Historical murder mystery- tick. Agatha Christie mentioned in promo- tick. Locked room scenario- tick.
However it all fell a bit flat. Time changes in plot are fine but this got very confusing and unnatural. I had to keep rereading bits . It felt a bit too predictable at the end and just not quite right. Disappointing

I was looking forward to reading this new novel by Louise Hare. I was drawn to it by the intriguing plot. However having finished reading it, I was somewhat disappointed. What starts off as a really promising opening, set in an era and style akin to Agatha Christie, gets drawn out into a pretty unsatisfactory finale. The narrative flips between the present and a month in the past and frustratingly for me, I found the switch between the two a bit too unsettling (almost every other chapter) and I kept getting disconnected from central plot in the present, which had rich scene and character development.There were themes of gender bias and race running through the book and although important themes, and adding an interesting dynamic to both character and story development, they didn’t do anything to add anything new to the unfolding mystery and therefore the end could have been a bit better planned, I couldn’t bring myself to fully suspend my disbelief that far.

I’ve read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and any thoughts and opinions are my own.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for this honest review

The cover design and the title of this book led me to expect a cross between an Agatha Christie novel and a cosy mystery. It tells the story of a young mixed-race woman, a singer/actress ekeing out a living in a seedy nightclub, who gets entangled in a murder and subsequently leaves England with a complete stranger who turns up at just the right moment and offers her a leading role in a Broadway production.
Once on board ship, she quickly becomes embroiled in the dramas of a very unlikeable family and more murders are committed quite rapidly. So far, so good. I have no problem suspending belief in the interests of a good story. The era (1930s) is captured very well, no jarring notes and lots of references to world events at the time.
However, without revealing any spoilers, the final denouement stretched my credulity just a little too far and it was a very disappointed reader who plodded on to the end of the book.