Death is a Red Rose

by Dorothy Eden

When Cressida Barclay rented a flat in a large decaying London house she got more than she bargained for. Her fellow tenants were an eerie lot and her landlady a strange old widow, who identified her new lodger with her long-dead daughter also named Cressida. Someone else in the house also felt that way and, afraid for her life, Cressida was further weakened by the overpowering scent of roses associated with a long-dead girl.

Genres: Gothic, Romance, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

Paperback

First published May 5, 1955

About the author

Aka Mary Paradise.

Dorothy Eden was born in 1912 in New Zealand and died in 1982. She moved to England in 1954 after taking a trip around the world and falling in love with the country. She was best known for her many mystery and romance books as well as short stories that were published in periodicals. As a novelist, Dorothy Eden was renowned for her ability to create fear and suspense. This earned her many devoted readers throughout her lifetime.

Reviews

[Adrian Griffiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young woman answers a newspaper ad and moves into a large mansion. The colourful and eccentric landlady takes shine to her, but sinister events and attempts on her life make the young woman realise she is in danger...but who from?
A standard gothic to be sure, but books churned out by Dorothy Eden tend to be better than gothics churned out by other writers, so it wasn't painful to read, and the writing style is enjoyable, although I agree with another reviewer that the scenes of peril (locked in a wardrobe, a wobbly poisoned cat) are not very tense. But it was quick to read and I did not guess the ending

[Chelsea Robb · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I have ever read! I recently started reading old gothic romances and picked this one out because it sounded interesting. It is terribly written. There are conversations and plot points that make very little sense. The main character is a complete stereotype of the innocent girl who finds herself in a house of mystery. Yet, as the mystery unwinds it becomes more and more improbable and ridiculous. I laughed through the last 70 pages of this 200 page book. There were also many misspelled words and grammatical mistakes though my copy was a paperback printed in 1970 so the mistakes may have been fixed in further printings. I finished the book only because I wanted it to be over. If I stopped halfway through I might one day wonder...No. probably not. One example of the silliness....at one point Cressida thought a furry coat would suffocate her when she was pushed into the closet by an unseen tenant.

[Anna Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Sarah Goodfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't one of my favourites, for a shortish book, it seemed a bit long

[Lorie Wooten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 2 or 2.5 stars? It wasn’t one of my favorites of her books. The ending seemed kind of thrown together. I love many of her other books though.

[Bridget · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gorgeous cover illustration.
Way better than the book...

[Bonnie Seiwell]

loved