Crime and cruise ships will always be a win for me and Miss Aldridge Regrets particularly appealed as I have cruised on the current Cunard Queen Mary and it is a beautiful ship. This story of murder, racial identity, prejudice and the seedy side of London clubland was one that I was really looking forward to and I wasn’t disappointed. With a dual timeline and a backstory set in London’s Soho, the setting of the Queen Mary liner is an excellent choice, there is that ‘locked room’ vibe of a ship where there is no escape, together with the glamour and sophistication of the first class passenger lifestyle enjoyed by those rich enough.

Travelling in luxury doesn’t come naturally to club singer and aspiring actress Lena Aldridge of whom it was said ….”you sang like an angel with a twenty-a-day habit”. The job opportunity of a lifetime has been offered to her out of the blue and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Her beloved father Alfie has died and she really is alone, apart from her best friend Maggie who has her own troubles. Travelling first class on the Queen Mary at someone else’s expense, Lena sees how the other half live however this will not be the relaxing peaceful voyage that she envisaged.

Lena’s character is mixed race and the issue of racial prejudice comes through clearly in this story in its different forms. Although Lena can pass as European, it was pointed out to her that she may not find employment as easy to find in the US with their differing prejudices if people know her ethnic background. With Lena struggling to fit into either side of the racial divide, she is glad to find a friend on board, albeit in the lower boarding class – she will certainly need someone on her side.

With its slow pace, the story gradually builds momentum as the ship sails closer to New York along with the rising death count. There is a fairly small cast of characters to get to know and I was intrigued by Lena’s relationships with her fellow passengers, mainly a dysfunctional family, which were at the core of the story. To say more would venture into spoiler territory.

As a character, Lena was savvy enough, her life in the club had hardened her although there was still a vulnerability about her. Through her first person narrative, readers were privy to her thoughts about her life in London and the events that forced her hand, her worries about Maggie and in particular the dangerous situation she found herself in onboard.

I very much enjoyed the historical feel and the crime element of this, the plot of which wouldn’t have been out of place in an Agatha Christie story. The reveal certainly took me unaware, and although I have mixed feelings about its plausibility there was enough misdirection and surprise throughout to keep my imagination in overdrive.

Overall, this is one to recommend. Louise Hare writes so well and draws her characters superbly. The plot makes for an intriguing and suspenseful read and one that I’m sure will be enjoyed by fans of historical and crime fiction.

My thanks to HQ for the tour invite and for the copy to review.

Miss Aldridge Regrets is a fab read. The storyline drew me in immediately and even though I am not usually a big fan of books set in this period I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were plenty of twists to the story I was not expecting and through the author's description I felt like I was really there and experiencing life aboard The Queen Mary.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my ARC.

If you have read This Lovely City, then you will already know what a fabulous writer Louise Hare is and although Miss Aldridge Regrets is somewhat different, though there is a common thread of racial tension, it is another triumph, a fabulous and intriguing murder mystery with an Agatha Christie vibe that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Set on an ocean liner en route to New York in 1936, the story alternates between events on the ship and London a week earlier. Nightclub singer Lena jumps at the opportunity to make a new life in New York following the murder of her best friend’s husband - but she soon realises that all may not be as it seems, as murder follows her onboard and she unwittingly becomes involved.

Lena is such an fascinating character, caught between two worlds, black but “passing” as white, travelling first class but more comfortable further down the ship, a club singer who has been sold a Broadway dream - but she soon learns that all that glitters is not golden and being stuck in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in the midst of a murder investigation with people who are keen to implicate her is a hard place to be. There is glamour, there is mystery, there is intrigue and secrets galore - and I enjoyed playing detective as I was kept guessing. I loved it!

London, 1936. Lena Aldridge, nightclub singer and aspiring actress, certainly has regrets. Her personal and professional lives have not really turned out as she hoped - she misses her late father Alfie desperately, her married lover has left her, and she is stuck in a dead-end job at a dive bar in Soho working for the gangster husband of her best friend Maggie.

The sparkling future she envisaged seems further away than ever, when suddenly her luck turns. A complete stranger offers her a starring role on Broadway, with first-class passage aboard the Queen Mary all the way to New York. This couldn't have come at a better time either, as there has been a murder at the club and Lena needs to get out of the way fast before her involvement can be discovered.

Unfortunately, death follows Lena like a spectre once she is on the ship, and she begins to suspect that the Abernathy-Parker family she has fallen in with might be more than meets the eye, despite their high-class credentials. The truth of what is happening in these salubrious surroundings is far beyond Lena's imagination, and she is going to have to put on the performance of her life to survive.

Miss Aldridge Regrets is a sensational mystery that allows Louise Hare to channel Agatha Christie in all her glory, with delicious twists and turns and a highly enjoyable surprise ending. I particularly relished that Lena is such a fan of Christie, always with a book to hand, as everything here flows just like one of the mystery novels from the Queen of Crime herself. There are so many suspicious characters to evoke the Christie vibes, the real villains are often the ones you least suspect, and the setting of the Queen Mary in the heady 1930s is a delight, providing me with very favourite kind of glamorous back drop for a between the wars crime thriller. The locations, the music, the clothing, the references to popular culture, all contribute to creating a pitch perfect feel of time and place.

Of course, if you have read Louise Hare's marvellous This Lovely City you will know that she is able to explore some pretty gritty topics too, and underneath the light entertainment of a compelling whodunnit she does exactly the same here. Lena's mixed-race parentage is the central focus, and Hare uses this to examine the differences between quite what the black side of her heritage means on both sides of the Atlantic. She also threads in a really lovely sinister and foreboding undertone about what is happening in Germany at this time, and doesn't shy away from probing how Hitler's political views divide the crowd. This is a story that mixes in so many aspects of life in the 1930s - the elegant facade of the rich and powerful; the gritty underbelly of the criminal quarter; and the looming prospect of another war. Intriguingly, it also harks back to the past with mentions of the legacy of Prohibition and the Great Depression too. All very nicely done indeed.

Lena is a complex and very engaging protagonist. Her love of Christie undoubtedly caught me from the first, and her situation definitely elicits a lot of sympathy. Her grief at losing her father, the resentment she holds for her absent mother, and the loyalty she feels for her friend Maggie - even her unpredicatable romantic entanglements - all influence how she thinks and acts, and though she is at heart a good person, she is far from being a goody-two-shows. I really liked that about her - she has spark and style, and is not going to accept being made a scapegoat for anyone!

This story kept me guessing all the way through. I liked how Hare weaves in a narrative from the murderer as the story unfurls, and my idea of who was the guilty party changed time and time again as the murderous mayhem played out. There is a fabulous reveal that completely floored me too. Such fun!

If you love period detective fiction that draws beautifully on the era in which it is set, then this is definitely a book for you. I loved it!

Really good read. I enjoyed reading about the cruise ship. The book is very descriptive its as if you were travelling slong with them. I thought I worked out who had Don it but was wrong. Very good enjoyable read.

Miss Aldridge Regrets is a gripping, emotionally charged mystery with a set of intriguing characters.

The story begins with an insight into the murderer’s thoughts as they are at the club. It is then told in sections, followed by chapters headed with dates and locations. This made it easier to follow and provided more detail on the whereabouts of chapters in advance of reading them. The insights into the murderer’s thoughts continue sporadically throughout the novel and are a reminder of not just their presence but also their musings.

There are also interspersed flashbacks, providing us with Lena’s pre-voyage goings on. These begin a week prior. I think these gave a lot of extra context and back story. I enjoyed the interest they provided and the fact you rarely knew what to expect.

Told via Lena Aldridge’s point of view, we are given the depth of her thoughts and her interesting perspective. She’s a brilliant character and I really felt like I was rooting from her right from the start. There are a number of other highly significant characters within the novel, and I found them all to be absorbing especially their relationships and interwoven web. Their presence really added to the overall (surprise) ending!

The mystery element of the novel was enticing and I felt drawn in. I wanted to know the who, what, when, where, why and everything in between. The whole premise of the linear locked-room style was a great premise, and reminded me of Agatha Christie, with the ship element reminding me of the more recent, A Fatal Crossing.

There were a number of twists in the story which genuinely surprised me! I didn’t see them coming at all and felt this made them all the more fascinating. I really had no idea where the murders would lead us and it was a great trip alongside Lena to get there!

As with Louise Hare’s debut, there are many important topics covering ethnicity and race privileges, as well as accurate and informative historical context.

I enjoyed the setting, both the period and the ocean liner, and the light it shed on women's lives, misogyny and racism of the time. But, I found it hard to care for any of the characters so it ultimately fell a little flat for me.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It had such a perfect set up and I felt invested in the story and characters straight away. Lots of surprises too, every time I thought I had it all figured out I was wrong. An absolute must read for fans of golden age crime.

London, 1936. Lena Aldridge is a singer in a club in Soho owned by her best friend’s husband. When he’s poisoned one night in the club Lena is worried about being caught up in the investigation. Luckily she has a chance to escape England. A stranger offers her a starring role on Broadway and a first class ticket aboard the Queen Mary.

But when a fellow passenger is also poisoned, Lena begins to worry that her past has followed her on board.

I absolutely loved the setting for this one. The opulence of the ship and the descriptions of the clothes and the food were all written about with such detail that the world really came alive. I also love a locked room mystery and there was a whiff of Agatha Christie about the whole thing.

The dual timeline was done effectively, juxtaposing the splendour of the Queen Mary with the squalor of her life in London. And the two threads of the story came together well. I felt the sections with the killer didn’t really need to be in there as I don’t think they added anything to the story except perhaps giving you a few clues as to whodunnit.

I liked Lena as a character but felt she lacked agency and was a little too trusting of strangers. She didn’t actively try to find out who the killer was, she mostly just reacted to things and sometimes in a frustrating manner. The rest of the cast of characters didn’t feel as developed as they could have been and were all quite one dimensional, the stereotypical rich family with hidden secrets.

I worked out who the killer was quite early on so the big reveal at the end didn’t surprise me. Admittedly this might have affected my enjoyment of the novel but overall I still found it to be a fun and cosy read

Set in the classic age of murder mystery, the Atlantic crossing aboard a luxury liner provides the setting for a locked room mystery. The murder mystery is only one aspect of this multilayered novel that explores the social history of the time evocatively, mainly centring on class, politics, and race.

Lena's career has not developed despite her obvious talent and tenacity. London in 1936 is rife with prejudice and extreme politics making Lena's position precarious. An offer of a role in New York comes at the right time. Possibly implicated in a murder leaving town seems the best option for Lena. Life on the luxury liner is not what she imagined as beneath the glamour, danger, deceit, and depravity simmer, waiting to destroy her.

I like how the social-historical issues explored give this story a literary fiction feel. Interwoven with the well-written classical murder mystery, it has depth and originality that resonates.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Unfortunately for this one, most of the books that I have read recently have used the format of going backwards and forwards in time so my heart sank when I found that this too used that format. I did not find the story gripping enough to hold my attention and felt that I was wading through the book somewhat. Therefore I found that this book was not for me and so not on my list of recommendations.

In this book we are transported to 1936 London. Soho to be exact & the life of mixed-race Lena Aldridge, a singer & wannabe actress.
An audience member dies whilst she is on stage & she may well have been involved. She needs to get away & an opportunity presents itself. A trip to New York aboard the Queen Mary to star in a new show on Broadway. All expenses paid, with a man she’s just met, to work for another she’s never heard of. What could go wrong?

This isn’t a cosy mystery but it is a very relaxing & well-plotted read. The politics of the time rear their ugly head, as does racism nearer home & misogyny but, rich or poor, people are people & Lena rapidly realises that fact.

Engaging & well thought out. A Christie style mystery on the high seas. Recommended.

Miss Aldridge Regrets is a very atmospheric, Old Hollywood style murder mystery. Set in 1936, aboard the Queen Mary, bound for New York, it oozes old fashioned glamour and mystery. That said it is also a very slow burn mystery, rather than an edge of your seat thriller.

Miss Aldridge Regrets centres around Lena Aldridge, a singer in a London club. Lena fears that her life is passing her by and that the career she had hope for has alluded her. She has nothing to look forward to until a mysterious offer of a lifetime comes her way, to star in a Broadway show with a first class ticket to take her to New York. With her last night at the club being overshadowed by murder it seems the perfect time to escape. Only as deaths begin to follow her on the ship does Lens realise her greatest performance has just begun.

This is a slow burn mystery and I’ll admit it took me a little while to properly get into it. Hare’s writing is beautiful and as such this is a story to luxuriate in as opposed to a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Hare deals with some significant issues throughout the novel, notably racism, colourism, sexism, anti-semitism and the rise of fascism in Europe. Given the time period in which the novel is set these issues appear frequently and are dealt with well by Hare. I especially liked the way that Lena and Dr Wilding stood to challenge some of the views held by others, and how Will challenged Lena’s own views.

I enjoyed the duel timelines within the story where we are exploring events as they happen on board the ship, whilst also looking back at events a week prior. The main narrative is from Lena’s perspective though we occasionally hear from the murderer which made it fun to theorise what was happening. I’d argue the ending became a little rushed, particularly the way in which the Dr’s individual story line was wrapped up.

Overall a solid mystery that kept me guessing and would be great for those who love slow burn historical settings.

3.5 Stars
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.
A new author to me & I enjoyed this book. It takes place over two timeframes with a couple of weeks apart so there were flashbacks. The characters are well portrayed & had depth. I did find that the book lagged at times but overall it was well paced. There were some twists & turns & I was left guessing as to who the villain was. I did love the descriptions of the time on the Queen Mary & the differences between the luxury upper decks & the conditions below decks. An interesting read & I’ll certainly read more from the author
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is a perfect murder mystery set on board a luxury liner. It's full of wonderful characters and a twisty storyline. Set in the 1930s, the writing transports you there with the fantastic descriptions. This is the first book that I have read by Louise Hare, I'm off to find the rest now...

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't love this one as much as This Lovely City, I'm afraid.

I found the beginning rather confusing, with a lot of characters being introduced all at once, particularly the Abernathy family. It was difficult to figure out who was family and who was employed by them. As a result I never really grew to care about any of the characters.

I also think that the author threw in too many themes and plotlines, which also served to increase the distance from the main storyline. (Not even sure that I could pick out the 'main' storyline)

I really enjoyed this murder mystery written very much in the vein of Agatha Christie. In 1936, Lena Aldridge, a mixed race woman, makes her living singing in a seedy London nightclub. She is on stage when the club owner dies in front of her. He has been poisoned and Lena fears she might be implicated in his death. Rather neatly, she is offered an escape when a stranger offers her the opportunity to travel to New York to star in a Broadway play. This may sound a little contrived, which it is, but it didn't detract from the story as a whole. Lena sets off for New York aboard the Queen Mary liner and becomes involved with the rich but dysfunctional Abernathy family. As the journey continues murder and crime abound.

The glamorous backdrop of the Queen Mary is well created and the privilege of the passengers in first class is nicely countered by the experience of other travellers and the ship's staff. The characters, especially Lena are cleverly created and the action is entertaining. This is a good mix of historical fiction and a murder mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ Stories for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Soho singer Lena Aldridge, 26 years old and alone following the death of her beloved father Alfie, receives an offer to sail to New York and sing in a show on Broadway. It's not all it seems though and a series of terrible events follows her entanglement with a wealthy family she meets on board.

Louise Hare does it again - fabulous! Loved the story and characters but what sets the book apart is the amazing sense of time and place - you really feel as though you're living in the 1930s Soho and on board a ship to New York. Absolutely loved it and it kept me guessing until the very end! Very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

With an absolutely killer cover, I knew immediately that I was in the Golden Age and so I dived into Lena Aldridge’s world.
It’s 1936 and Lena is a mixed race night club singer who sings in a seedy, down at heel Canary Club in Soho. She’s been offered a wonderful opportunity to go to New York and perform on Broadway. It sounds too good to be true especially as it’s been made by a man she’s only just met. And there’s the small matter of her being the witness and accomplice in the murder of her oldest friend’s husband. It happened in full view of all the club goers and the police are soon involved. There’s not much Tommy wouldn’t do for money and he was involved with corrupt West End cops but then Charlie Bacon steps in and Lena’s on her way to New York. What has she got to stay in London for?
Soon she is on the Queen Mary, travelling first class, to America. But trouble has followed her, and she’s being watched by a mysterious someone who means her harm. She becomes involved with an American family, the Abernathys, and then the killings start. Lena’s unknown observer is determined that, as the body count mounts, that it will all lead back to her. Will Lena sing on Broadway or will she disembark in New York and be taken straight to a police cell?
This was a book with an interesting premise, and I really enjoyed the first half as I was introduced to Lena’s world of shabby clubs, turning a blind eye to the upstairs brothel, making do in tiny rooms and having an affair with a married man. She ‘passes’ as white by saying that she’s Italian or from the Mediterranean and I felt that she was caught between two worlds and having to live a lie. She is informed that she will have to do this in the USA as they were more colour conscious. The action skilfully switched between the dramatic events in the Canary Club prior to her sailing and life on board in the first-class cabins. It’s a real contrast to her London life which is one of just getting by since her father, Alfie, recently died from TB having brought her up singlehandedly
However, I felt that the ship voyage seemed to take up too much of the book as she becomes involved with the not very likeable Abernathy family and also with Will, a black performer with the on-board band. Lena enjoys travelling first class but there were a lot of descriptions of what food they ate, what they drank and what they wore and that really slowed the action. I didn’t like the Abernathys and they never really came alive for me. I also thought that more could have been made of the closed shipboard setting although the difference between 1st class and those in the more inferior accommodation was well portrayed.
But when the murderer was unmasked, I just wasn’t convinced by their motive and the mystery seemed to fizzle out as did the romance sub-plot.
There were echoes of Titanic and Death on the Nile throughout and there was a lot to enjoy in the book especially the descriptions of Lena’s London life and what happened in the club during the murder. Even those closest to her, people that she thinks she knows well, have their own secrets. The 1930’s were also well captured with the references to world events.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Lena Aldridge is a singer in a rather less than glamorous London nightclub. Her best friend Maggie is married to the less than favourable owner. When a stranger arrives announcing that his boss wants Lena to be the star of his new Broadway Musical (making amends for a long lost wrong between himself and Lena’s father Alfie) she doesn’t know what to think.

Her mind is quickly made up following the murder of Tommy. And from there things just seem to go from bad to worse. But what is the connection and is she really in danger?

This is a wonderful murder mystery - full of characters that you quickly come to love or loath. Twists and turns in the story lead you to carrying conclusions but are they the right ones? You’ll have to read to the end to find out but you won’t be disappointed.

I found myself willing for Lena to succeed- desperately wanting things to be real but deep down fearing that she was walking in to some scam. Eliza was more of a mystery - at first I disliked her but as I read on she became more likeable. That feeling of superiority remaining though and always slightly blurring the lines of kindness and power. Jack, Frankie and Charlie were all horrible people from the off - I could feel myself scowling at the thought of them as I read. This book really did bring the characters and their personalities to life. So well written.

The plot itself is also a masterpiece - there are a lot of events in a relatively short space of time but they flow well and nothing is rushed. The book has a really good pace to it. And the various twists keep you on your toes.

Definitely one to add to your wish lists if you enjoy a good murder mystery.