The Lodger

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All in all very well written, and if the mystery would have been more appealing and a little less romance, it would have made a a perfect read. Does more telling than showing when presenting clues/new info, which is a reading pet peeve of mine. But Tom has dark shadows of his own to navigate before being able to put his past behind him to help Grace in her quest for the truth.

The Lodger by Helen Scarlett | Goodreads

The Lodger is an entertaining and agile book, easy to read; especially if English is not your first language. The premise sounded interesting from the blurb, and in some ways it was, but I never really got completely invested in the story, nor in the romance aspect, which seemed a bit thrown in without a lot of page time or development. With the help of her mother’s unconventional friend Lady Bunty and the mysterious and troubled Tom Monaghan, Grace delves into society scandals and London’s murky underworld, risking her safety to expose the truth.The city is brought to life, with a cast of characters that are compelling, highly likeable and true to life. While I enjoyed the characters and found them well-developed and likable, I felt that the romance between Grace and Tom was a weak point in the story. We see how society is divided into those who find comfort in the belief that the fallen had died gloriously for a great cause and those who feel it had all been an unforgivable waste, and how each side of that divide unintentionally adds to the hurt of the other. For by far the most part, it’s entirely credible and free of anachronism, with just an occasional word choice that doesn’t quite feel right.

The Lodger By Helen Scarlett | Used | 9781529407594 | World The Lodger By Helen Scarlett | Used | 9781529407594 | World

The sense of atmosphere was quite strong though, and I liked the way that different areas of London were portrayed. Grace starts looking into Elizabeth’s life (she can’t believe it was suicide) and there’s much more than she expected. Catherine had been more than a lodger; she had become a close friend to Grace, who feels compelled to find out what happened. The middle part felt too slow for my taste and there was a lot of speaking about clues and small talk too, but not many active moments.

Another atmospheric novel by Helen Scarlett, but this time set in London immediately after the First World War. The main character is Grace, her friend and lodger Elizabeth is found dead and she realises she never really knew much about her. Grace Armstrong believes that after struggling to accept reality, she has finally come to terms with a loss from which she never thought to recover, the death of her brilliant fiancé who was declared Missing In Action but without a definitive answer, he starts to reappear and materialise both within her dreams, and her waking hours but surely this is mere trickery of the eye as Grace was duly informed of his loss. Grace Armstrong believes that she has come to terms with her own loss, the death of her fiancé, the brilliant and dazzling best friend of her brother.

Helen Scarlett | Incredible books from Quercus Books Helen Scarlett | Incredible books from Quercus Books

A mystery is set up from the prologue when the body of a woman in a blue coat is found near London bridge.In doing so, she is drawn reluctantly into the sordid and dangerous underbelly of London and a scandal that rocked Edwardian society. There’s also a romance for Grace which was predictable but satisfying, although I would have liked to have seen her spend more time with her love interest; that would have helped me to become more invested in their relationship.